The saga of the Fiat Grande Panda never ceases to surprise. While Stellantis steps up temporary stoppages at its European plantsSerbia is an exception. At Kragujevac, the plant where the new Grande Panda is produced, the group headed by Antonio Filosa is speeding up and preparing to return to full production capacity. And it's all thanks to a recipe that's paradoxical to say the least: the reinforcement of Italian workers... and above all the massive arrival of Moroccan workers.
300 Moroccan workers to launch night shifts
According to Milano Finanza, around 200 new Moroccan workers are due to arrive by the end of September or early October, adding to the 100 already recruited at the end of August. In all, 300 Moroccan workers will reinforce the lines of the Grande Panda. Their role is crucial: to enable the introduction of night work from the first week of October, and thus bring the plant up to full speed.
As a reminder, the local workforce has not lived up to expectations. With a proposed salary of around €600 per month, Stellantis was unable to attract enough Serbian workers, many preferring to look elsewhere. So the group turned abroad, finding Morocco a quick and affordable way to expand its workforce. Although locally, Serbs are always hostile to the arrival of foreign workers.
Italian support
The Moroccans are not alone. Some 150 Italian workers are also taking part in the adventure. Coming from Pomigliano d'Arco (80), Melfi (50) and Atessa (15), they are sent to Serbia to train and supervise the new recruits. Their role is fundamental to guaranteeing ramp-up and quality on the production lines.
Already, two shifts produce around 350 cars a day. With the arrival of the third night shift, Stellantis hopes to further increase the pace and stabilize production of a strategic model for Fiat.
Serbia speeds up, Europe stops
The contrast is striking. While Serbia is (finally) getting ready to go full steam ahead, elsewhere in Europe, Stellantis is easing off. At Pomigliano d'Arco, the Fiat Panda will be shut down for a week, while the Alfa Romeo Tonale line will be on a two-week break. In Poissy, 2,000 employees will be on short-time working between October 13 and November 3. In Madrid, 14 days of short-time working have also been announced.
These measures, explains Stellantis, are designed to adapt production to a difficult European market and to regulate stocks at the end of the year.
The Grande Panda: a key model for Fiat
The Grande Panda is set to become a mainstay of the Fiat range, with hybrid and electric versions, but also with new petrol version without electrification. Its industrial and commercial success is therefore decisive, not only for the Italian brand, but also for Stellantis, which needs boost sales of the Italian brand in Europe.
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Finally! Only Stellantis could have messed up production of such a vital model to this extent. Does anyone reckon heads at Fiat are at a loss as to why Panda sales are declining - I mean it was only launched in 2011 lol - & they want to keep it until 2030!!!! You've got to laugh!
One year of delivery delays... all this time wasted by incompetents
To think that I saw a pre-production model rolling in the summer of 2024! It was supposed to go on sale in the autumn and be produced right afterwards... 1 year lost!
It's nonsense, bring in people from abroad to increase production, offer a decent salary to Serbian citizens and you'll see that people will be delighted to be part of it.
Welcome to the financial logic: low wages to boost dividends. And the 600€, the Moroccan employees - certainly paid less than that at home - will take it with no problem.