Name of the Project
Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) manufacturing plant expansion.

Location
East London, Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Project Owner/s
MBSA.

Project Description
Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) plans to significantly expand its East London manufacturing plant to build the new generation of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. The project includes the construction of a new body shop, expansion of the paint shop, an upgrade of the assembly shop and new logistic warehouses.

The new body shop has been designed for higher capacities and features more than 500 Internet of Things-ready robots, laying the foundation for Industry 4.0 readiness.

A further expansion within in the assembly shop is the integration of approximately 700 t of structural steel to be installed for the addition of three production lines within the existing shop.  Using new paint application technology / methods, the refurbished and expanded paint shop will be more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.

Overall, the energy consumption per vehicle produced is targeted to be reduced by 25% and this is in line with the plant’s initiative for green production. Other examples include an on-site energy storage solution (battery storage container pilot), water storage of one-million litres and the creation of green corridors.

Potential Job Creation
The expansion will create additional jobs at the manufacturing facility including in the supplier landscape.

Capital Expenditure

€600-million.

Planned Start /End Date

Not stated.

Latest Developments
The project was announced at the end of June.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Mercedes-Benz Cars, Global business communications head Sofia Stauber, tel +49 711 174 0598, fax +49 711 177 909 1184 or email sofia.stauber@daimler.com.
Mercedes-Benz South Africa, Corporate Affairs Manager, Thato Mntambo, tel +27 12  677 1621 or email thato.mntambo@daimler.com.