Dr Michael Oeljeklaus, ŠKODA AUTO Board Member for Production and Logistics, said, “This figure of 12 million transmissions is proof of the level of commitment exhibited by our staff in component production, who play a very important role at ŠKODA. We have manufactured more than one million gearboxes for ŠKODA and other Group-brand vehicles at our plants for the fifth year in a row.”
ŠKODA AUTO makes three different types of gearbox for Volkswagen Group at its Mladá Boleslav and Vrchlabí plants. In addition to the MQ 200s, MQ/SQ 100s are also built at the main plant in Mladá Boleslav. ŠKODA AUTO has been producing DQ 200 direct-shift transmissions (DSG) in Vrchlabí since 2012.
In 2018, ŠKODA AUTO manufactured 371,700 MQ 200s, 231,300 MQ/SQ 100s as well as 538,759 units of the DQ 200 dual-clutch transmission. In total, more than 1,141,700 gearboxes rolled off the ŠKODA production line last year. The total figure made per day across all transmission types is approximately 4,800 units.
The company’s first gearbox was installed in the Voiturette A – the first car manufactured under the Laurin & Klement brand in 1905. It was positioned in the middle of the car and provided rear-wheel drive using a shift gate.
The MQ 200 has been made in Mladá Boleslav since as early as 2000, and is installed in petrol-engine cars with a cylinder capacity of between 1.0 and 1.6 l. It is used in ŠKODA cars as well as in models from the Group brands Volkswagen, Audi and Seat. To date, ŠKODA has produced a total of 7,210,300 units of this transmission. Currently more than 1,600 MQ 200s roll off the line every day.
The MQ 100 / SQ 100 gearbox was originally designed for use in Volkswagen Group’s New Small Family models (the ŠKODA CITIGO, VW up! and Seat Mii) and has been built in Mladá Boleslav since 2011. The MQ 100 / SQ 100 also transfers power in the ŠKODA FABIA and other small cars from Volkswagen Group, in each case in combination with a 1.0-litre petrol engine. In June 2019, ŠKODA produced the two-millionth unit of this type and currently more than 900 are manufactured every day.
The DQ 200 automatic 7-speed dual-clutch transmission has been made at the Vrchlabí plant since 2012 and is one of the most modern gearboxes of its kind. With a current rate of 2,200 units per day, ŠKODA AUTO has already built a total of 2,749,800 DQ 200s. This 7-speed DSG is used in ŠKODA cars as well as in models from other Group brands. In production, ŠKODA AUTO is systematically turning to technology from Industry 4.0, such as collaborative robots. They help the employees with one of the most sensitive tasks in mechatronics assembly: inserting the clutch piston.
The Vrchlabí plant is consistently being aligned with the principles of Industry 4.0
As part of a profound transformation, ŠKODA AUTO converted the Vrchlabí site from a vehicle factory into a state-of-the-art component plant in 2012. In just 18 months a new factory building was constructed and the existing production halls were fully modernised. Today, Vrchlabí is one of the most up-to-date production facilities within Volkswagen Group.
The Vrchlabí site has also already been given numerous awards for its use of collaborative robots and other technologies in line with the principles of Industry 4.0. For example, the so-called handling robot, which supplies dozens of machines with parts and brings empty containers back to the warehouse. In 2015, the production site was awarded one of the most prestigious prizes in the European manufacturing industry and received the title of ‘Factory of the Year’.
