Coronavirus

Coronavirus

ŠKODA AUTO During the Emergency

Covid-19 Pandemic Leads to Shutdown 

COVID-19 InfoLine   326 819 696   Mon.–Fri, 7 a.m.–5 p.m. 

n Wednesday 18 March at 22.00, ŠKODA AUTO suspended its production at plants in Mladá Boleslav, Kvasiny and Vrchlabí for at least two weeks. It happened after agreement with the Volkswagen Group  and the KOVO Trade Union. The carmaker worked closely with its suppliers to suspend production smoothly. Taking into account the current situation, the re-launch is planned for 27 April 2020. ŠKODA production in China has started again, production in India and Russia continues. “With 37,000 employees in the Czech Republic, our responsibility extends far beyond the gates of production plants. We must do everything we can to slow down the spread of the virus”, said Bernhard Maier, ŠKODA AUTO Chairman of the Board of Management. At the beginning of the shutdown from 18 to 29 March this year, all employees will receive 70% of their average earnings, and from 30 March to 5 April 2020 75%. Some employees are present to maintain the continuity of the necessary activities even during the production shutdown. Other colleagues continue at work from home. Rules for mobile work were determined by their superiors in agreement with the relevant member of the Board of Management responsible for the given area.

ŠKODA AUTO is currently funding the impact of the situation from its own resources. Our main goal is to keep all the employees on board.

Bernhard Maier

ŠKODA AUTO Chairman of the Board of Directors

Health Protection

All employees currently working at ŠKODA AUTO have protective equipment in the form of disinfectants and disposable masks or respirators. All premises of the company are consistently disinfected. The carmaker has managed to provide sufficient amounts of disinfection for both hands and work surfaces. Disinfection is distributed by the PSZ department. We are currently installing the first dispensers and sprayers, and by the end of March, we will have installed the remaining units, which are on their way from the United States. The health and safety departments are urgently trying to provide additional effective protective equipment, such as 450,000 face masks that are more suitable for work. They will be arriving in three waves.

ŠKODA AUTO is Helping

Together with its innovation centre, the ŠKODA AUTO DigiLab, the company provided a fleet of over 100 ŠKODA cars and 150 BeRider electric scooters to medical experts from the ADRA humanitarian organisation, the City of Brno and other organisations to help the needy and distribute medical supplies and food. They may also use a fleet of 150 BeRider electric scooters. Flexible rental of ŠKODA AUTO cars and HoppyGo and Uniqway carsharings is provided by the HoppyGo platform. In addition, ŠKODA AUTO DigiLab has built a station in Prague that disinfects cars with ozone to keep drivers and paramedics safe. Technical Development, in cooperation with the Czech Technical University’s Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics and Cybernetics (CIIRC) and the Research and Innovation Centre on Advanced Industrial Production (RICAIP), is developing a respirator suitable for 3D printing. The technology is being tested in Mladá Boleslav, and the goal is to start production as soon as possible.

Stay Informed

The carmaker’s coordination team is continuously monitoring and evaluating the situation. Our employees may find the latest information on the ŠKODA Space Portal, which also publishes answers to their questions forwarded to the Covid-19 InfoLine, available weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The information provided in the article was valid at the time of its editorial deadline in the Czech Republic. Our plants in China, India and Russia follow measures based on the Group’s instructions and local governments’ recommendations. RED

COVID-19 InfoLine   326 819 696   Mon.–Fri, 7 a.m.–5 p.m.