Troubles forgotten as Saab plant rolls out first cars in seven weeks
The production line kicked back into life at Saab’s Trollhättan plant in Sweden today after nearly two months of inactivity.
With a backlog of over 6,500 vehicles, workers can look forward to a busy period after the factory was forced to close in early April when suppliers refused to deliver parts due to unpaid invoices.
That was pushed to the back of the minds of Saab CEO Victor Muller and Gunnar Brunius, Saab Automobile’s Vice President Purchasing & Manufacturing, as they watched a silver Saab 9-5 Aero XWD and an orange Saab 9-3 Convertible Independence Edition roll off the production line, the first vehicles to be completed since 6 April.
Mr Muller declared it a great day for the company saying: “We have gone through a rough patch in recent weeks but Saab is back in action. It is great to see the plant running again.”
Recovery
Thanking employees for their loyalty and patience, he added: “We will work hard in the coming period to regain confidence and show our ability to become a successful car maker.
“We are fortunate that we are in the middle of the largest-ever product offensive in the company’s history. Last year we launched the all-new Saab 9-5 Saloon, while the 9-3 model year 2012 range went on sale earlier this year.
“The new Saab 9-4X, our first crossover, has enjoyed raving reviews from motoring media and we already sold all 9-4X cars for model year 2011. After the summer, we start delivering the much-awaited Saab 9-5 SportWagon to customers.”
A proud Gunnar Brunius concluded saying it was a highly important moment for everyone at Saab Automobile: “Given the complexity of re-establishing our supply chain, there will most likely be some hiccups during this start-up phase, but we will work hard together with our suppliers to minimize any disruptions to production in the coming weeks.”
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