Audi Ingolstadt: Siegfried Schmidtner to become new plant manager in December
- Siegfried Schmidtner will take over management at Audi headquarters on December 1, 2022
- After more than 30 years at Audi, current plant manager Achim Heinfling will retire at the end of the year
- Board Member for Production and Logistics Gerd Walker: “Achim Heinfling successfully set the course for transformation in Ingolstadt. Siegfried Schmidtner will lead the site into the electric future.”
A native of Ingolstadt will take over management of Audi’s parent plant: Siegfried Schmidtner, currently responsible for Product Engineering, will head the Ingolstadt site from December 1, 2022. He will succeed Achim Heinfling, who is retiring after more than 30 years at Audi.
Schmidtner is currently head of Product Engineering in the Production and Technical Development divisions. In this capacity, he is responsible, among other things, for production-ready product design and the building of prototypes and preproduction vehicles. “With his comprehensive expertise in process chains and production ramp-ups, Siegfried Schmidtner has played a key role in the successful launch of various model series,” says Audi Board Member for Production and Logistics Gerd Walker. “As plant manager, he will lead the site into the new era of all-electric models.” Ingolstadt is to become the blueprint for the transformation of Audi’s international production network.
After studying mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Munich, Schmidtner earned his doctorate in the field of product design and process chain planning. In 1998, he joined Audi in Production Planning. He then held various management positions, headed production at the Ingolstadt site, and oversaw the initial ramp-ups for the Audi A3 and Q2. Following project management for the Premium Platform Electric and the Audi A4, A5, and Q5 models, Schmidtner was in charge of key functions in the Audi Production division, with a focus on production strategy, digitalization, and transformation.
Course set for transformation in Ingolstadt
In his new role, Schmidtner will take up the work of the current Ingolstadt plant manager Achim Heinfling, starting in December. “Achim Heinfling has successfully set the course for the transformation of Audi in Ingolstadt,” says Gerd Walker, Board Member for Production and Logistics, in praise of the plant manager’s achievements. “His wealth of experience and empathy drove the sustainability strategy and electrification at the site with future projects such as the battery manufacturing facility and the IN Campus. In doing so, he always put the workforce first, especially during the challenging times of the pandemic.”
Heinfling looks back on more than 30 years with the Audi Group. Following his studies in mechanical engineering, the graduate engineer began his career in Ingolstadt in 1990. He held various management positions, including in Engine and Chassis Planning and Production. In this capacity, Heinfling played a key role in the expansion of the Audi site in Győr into the world’s largest engine manufacturing plant. From October 2017 to October 2019, as Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI HUNGARIA Zrt. Heinfling oversaw engine and vehicle production as well as all related functions at the Győr site.
