Editing Transparent Factory

{{Short description|Car factory and exhibition space in Dresden, Germany}}
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[[File:Glaeserne Manufaktur Dresden.JPG|thumb|260px|The Transparent Factory]]

The '''Transparent Factory''' is a car factory and exhibition space in [[Dresden]], Germany owned by German carmaker [[Volkswagen]] and designed by architect [[Gunter Henn]].  It originally opened in 2002, producing the [[Volkswagen Phaeton]] until 2016.  As of 2017 it produced the electric version of the [[Volkswagen Golf|Golf]], and since 2021 it has built [[Volkswagen ID.3|ID3s]].

==Meaning==
The original German name is '''Gläserne Manufaktur''' (meaning factory made of glass). Both the German and English names are a [[word play]] on the double meaning of ''transparent'' and ''glassy'', referring to both [[Transparency (optics)|optical transparency]] and [[Transparency (humanities)|transparency of the production process]].

==Car factory==
The factory originally assembled Volkswagen's luxury sedan, the [[VW Phaeton|Phaeton]]. It used 60,000 magnets in its fully automated assembly line.  Spare capacity was also used to build [[Bentley Continental Flying Spur (2005)|Bentley Continental Flying Spur]] vehicles destined for the European market until 2006, when all work was transferred to [[Bentley]]'s plant in [[Crewe]], [[England]]. Production of the Bentley Flying Spur resumed in late 2013. The factory only handled final assembly. Operations such as stamping and welding and the painting of the steel bodies took place in [[Zwickau]]. Painted bodies arrived at the factory by truck. The other 1200 parts and 34 preassembled components were shipped to a logistics center and are transported to the factory by [[CarGoTram]]s that run on Dresden's public transport tracks. All vehicle production at the factory ended in March 2016, before restarting again in 2017. The [[Volkswagen ID.3]] is produced here since 2021, sharing production with the [[Volkswagen Zwickau-Mosel Plant|Zwickau-Mosel Plant]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lambert |first1=Fred |title=VW adds production of ID.3 electric car to another factory in Germany |url=https://electrek.co/2019/11/19/vw-production-id3-electric-car-factory-germany/ |website=Electrek |date=19 November 2019}}</ref>

==Location==
The Transparent Factory is situated in the city center of Dresden, an 800-year-old [[baroque]] city known for its arts and craftsmanship. It stands in a corner of the [[Großer Garten]], where a convention center was located before the Second World War. The factory's walls are made almost completely of glass. Its floors are covered entirely in Canadian maple.  Its visitor-friendly layout was designed to accommodate up to 250 tourists per day. There are no smokestacks, no loud noises, and no toxic byproducts. Volkswagen planted 350 trees on the grounds.<ref name=Car200208>{{cite magazine |title = Remind you of Longbridge?|magazine=[[Car Magazine]]| pages =94–95| date = August 2002}}</ref>

==Current visitor experience==
Visitors can test drive VW electric vehicles for 30 minutes, take a virtual tour of Dresden and look at various exhibits relating to VW's electric and hybrid technologies.

==Previous visitor experience==
The ''Gläserne Manufaktur'' also provided visitors with a series of educational attractions relating to the VW Phaeton.  The attractions, designed by BRC Imagination Arts,<ref name="Volkswagen Gläserne Manufaktur">{{cite web|title=Volkswagen Gläserne Manufaktur (Transparent Factory)|url=http://brcweb.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/1-VW-Credit-List.pdf|publisher=BRC Imagination Arts}}{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> include Vision World, a multimedia "global theater" that allows visitors to take the pulse of the planet in real time; a Virtual Test drive, featuring a real VW Phaeton combined with motion base technology and computer-generated scenery; a computer-based Car Configurator that enables visitors to design the VW Phaeton of their dreams; an interactive Techwall explaining the workings of the Phaeton's infotainment system; a Virtual Production Tour; and a media-enhanced Delivery Experience for customers taking possession of new vehicles.

The German TV channel [[ZDF]] occasionally filmed a philosophical panel discussion in the Transparent Factory, ''[[Das Philosophische Quartett]]'' (The Philosophical Quartet).

To stop birds from flying into the glass, an outdoor speaker system emulates bird vocalisations marking the territory as "taken".<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Wasef|first=Basem|title=21 Cool Facts About the Transparent Volkswagen Factory |url=http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/industry/21-cool-facts-about-the-transparent-volkswagen-factory?click=main_sr#slide-17|magazine=Popular Mechanics|access-date=13 February 2012}}</ref>

==Future==
The factory is to be renovated to enable it to produce luxury and electric cars.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:VW-Cargotram-Dresden.jpg|[[CarGoTram]] delivers parts to the Transparent Factory
File:CarGoTram in Dresden - Pirnaischer Platz Dresden.jpg|CarGoTram in Dresden - Pirnaischer Platz Dresden - Delivering parts to the Transparent Factory in 2017
File:Glass manufacture vw phaeton dresden3.jpg|Car tower at the Volkswagen Transparent Factory in Dresden
File:Grosser Garten Dresden Karte 2008 05 02.svg|location of the Transparent Factory in the ''[[Großer Garten]]'' park
File:Dresden-Glaeserner-Manu-nig.jpg|Front entrance of the Volkswagen Transparent Factory in Dresden
File:Glaserne Manufaktur.jpg|Volkswagen Transparent Factory in Dresden
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Gläserne Manufaktur}}
*[https://www.glaesernemanufaktur.de/en.html Gläserne Manufaktur]
*[http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1837641 Photo tour]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nd5WGLWNllA Megaworld]

{{VW}}
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[[Category:Volkswagen Group factories]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Dresden]]
[[Category:Motor vehicle assembly plants in Germany]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Dresden]]