AGCO/Fendt is restarting the production this week

AGCO employees have also been producing ‘Face Shields’ from their 3D printer since the beginning of April.

Temporary shutdown assembly lines are restarting this week at the German AGCO locations Marktoberdorf, Asbach-Bäumenheim, Waldstetten and Hohenmölsen.

Important suppliers in Europe and worldwide are now delivering parts again on schedule and reliably after an interruption of several weeks due to coronavirus. After intensive discussions between the management, works council, company physicians, health management and the occupational safety officers, numerous measures for the protection of Fendt employees at the assembly lines, the parts production and in the offices have been implemented.

Christoph Gröblinghoff, chairman at AGCO/Fendt management said: “We are very pleased that the supply chains are intact again and that our highly motivated Fendt team can get back to work in a concentrated manner. This week the assembly lines with high daily production rates are starting again. The changeover of the tractor assembly to a two-shift model is protecting our employees and it also brings, together with other measures, additional production capacities to partly, or, if necessary, completely work up the backlog. This enables us to deliver the ordered Fendt tractors and Fendt Full-Line machines to our customers via the Fendt sales partners as soon as possible and contribute to securing the food production that is classified as system relevant.”

At the transmission and tractor factory in Marktoberdorf, the switch to a two-shift model on the assembly line provides greater protection for employees and at the same time additional production capacity for reducing the production backlog. In a few areas where the safety distance cannot be maintained despite two-shift operation, the wearing of mouth-nose protection masks will be made mandatory.

Extensive risk analyses were also carried out in all other areas of the company and appropriate measures implemented. In the offices for example the rolling presence models with Homeoffice will be continued wherever possible. Through the rearrangement of desks, the setting up of plexiglass panels and the limitation of participants in the numerous meeting and social rooms the compliance of the minimum distance of 1.5 meters is also possible. Furthermore many measures for the intensive hand and surface hygiene at the work space have been implemented. Additional disinfectant dispensers are available in the bath and social rooms. In addition, there will be significantly expanded disinfection and cleaning plans in all buildings and areas of AGCO sites in Germany.

Supporting emergency services with self-produced face shields from the 3D printer

The factory manager Thorsten Miethe and the employees at the European AGCO competence centre for Fendt comfort cabins at the location Asbach-Bäumenheim are producing so-called ‘Face Shields’ from the 3D printer since the beginning of April. Fendt is providing the emergengy service of the Bavarian Red Cross in Nordschwaben and other medical facilities with face protection shields free of charge. “The feedback so far is extremely positive. The medical personnel like to use them because they are light and comfortable to wear,” says factory manager Thorsten Miethe.