Skoda Auto To Extend Production Shutdown

Skoda Auto production line

Skoda Auto has extended its production shut down for the third time at all three of its Czech plants due to the coronavirus until 27 April.

“After an agreement with VW concern and the KOVO trade unions, the shutdown of production at the Czech Škoda Auto plants is extended until 6:00 am on 27 April 2020,” the company said in an SMS to employees.

The company sent a letter to the employees stating the reasons for extending the outage. “We are responding to the low demand for cars, supply chain challenges and measures related to the coronavirus pandemic in the Czech Republic and abroad,” the company said in a letter signed by chairman Bernhard Maier and board member Bohdan Wojnar.

According to the letter, the Czech government financially supports the company through the Antivirus support program. Automotive unions said on their website that the company now loses 12 million euros daily.

Volkswagen plans to partially open its plant in Navarra, Spain, on 20 April.
The Volkswagen plant in the north of Spain will start operating with one shift out of three. The automaker assumes that this will remain the first four working days. In the following week, he wants to expand the operation into two shifts.

The company announced the first extension of the outage in Czech factories on 27 March, the disruption was to be extended from 6 April to 14 April. Further extensions were approved by the company on 1 April, and employees were expected to return to their locations on 20 April. Now she extended the shutdown by another week.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Škoda Auto ceased production at all three of its Czech plants on Wednesday, 18 March.