Opel Beats Japanese

General Motors' Opel car plant at Eisenach in eastern Germany is the most productive in Europe. It beats the Japanese ''transplants'' in the UK and Spain and even Fiat's new facility at Melfi, according to an annual comparative productivity audit by the Economist Intelligence Unit. Eisenach last year produced 71.9 cars per employee, a sharp rise on 59 the year before and well ahead of the 64.3 at second-placed Melfi.

The EIU audit takes into account significant differences between plants in the range of operations carried out and the complexity and mix of vehicles produced. It ranks Nissan's UK facility at Sunderland third, with 56.7 cars per employee last year; Honda's UK plant at Swindon fourth (55.9); and Toyota's Burnaston facility, also in the UK, sixth with 52.1 "� just below Ford's Spanish plant at Valencia (52.9).

 

While Nissan's UK facility this year is marking its 10th anniversary, those of Toyota and Honda are still building up production.

Financial Times

and have yet to reach their full potential, the EIU study points out.

It expects the Sunderland plant's performance to improve this year as the result of the introduction of a new Primera model, but not enough to prevent it being overtaken by Honda at Swindon because of rising demand for Honda's Civic and Accord models.

Despite their progress, all the European plants continue to fall well short of the best productivity levels in Japan.

The best-performing Japanese plant, Mitsubishi's Mizushima facility, achieved 117 cars per employee. Four others also beat Eisenach.

''Despite Japan's recent difficulties, this confirms that European plants still have a long way to go to catch up,'' the EIU said, forecasting nevertheless further big productivity strides at European plants this year.

The audit attributes Eisenach's success to the introduction ofJapanese production methods ahead of other GM facilities in western Germany and North America.

Europe's worst-performing plants include Rover's at Longbridge in the UK, with 27.8 cars per employee last year; Peugeot's Sochaux and Poissy facilities, with 22 and 21 respectively; and Volkswagen's Wolfsburg plant with just 17.6.