Fiat Chrysler (FCA) aims to restart van production at its Atessa joint venture plant in central Italy at 70% of the normal rate, a union representative told Reuters on Thursday.
FCA and unions said on Tuesday that the carmaker planned to reopen the plant, which is a venture with France’s PSA Group, on April 27, a week before a national lockdown imposed by Rome was due to end.
It will make use of a provision in lockdown laws that allows companies whose activity can be linked to sectors deemed “essential” to reopen.
Luca Manzi, from the UILM union, said FCA had informed unions that it planned to restart the plant at around 70% of its capacity, though he could not say precisely how many people would be back to work on Monday.
With a daily production of around 1,200 light commercial vehicles, Atessa, which is located in Italy’s Abruzzo region, is the largest van assembly facility in Europe. It has been closed since mid-March due to the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
The plant, which employs around 6,500 people, is operated by Sevel, a 50-50 joint venture between Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot owner PSA. It produces vans for both groups.
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