Mercedes-Benz Cars is starting production for the local market in the new passenger car plant Moscovia with the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sedan. SUV models will follow the E-Class. Mercedes-Benz Cars is investing more than 250 million euros in the plant in the Moscow region. Over 1,000 employees will work in production and administration. The Moscovia plant is characterized by a flexible and green production and will use modern industry 4.0 technologies.
"The Mercedes-Benz plant Moscovia is another component of our strategy of producing where our customers are. And both partners benefit from this: Russia and Mercedes-Benz," said Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars.
At the opening Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, Peter Altmaier, German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, Industry and Trade Minister of the Russian Federation Denis Manturov, Andrej Vorobjov, Governor of the Moscow region, as well as Markus Schäfer, Member of the Divisional Board of Mercedes-Benz Cars, Production and Supply Chain, Jan Madeja, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz RUS AO and Axel Bense CEO Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing RUS, participated.
Production at the Mercedes-Benz Moscovia plant is characterized by the most modern and innovative Industry 4.0 technologies. Driverless transportation systems convey the bodies between the subsections. Automated shopping cart systems are also used in assembly. Additionally, there are forward-looking solutions for improving ergonomics and efficiency, such as human-robot cooperation when installing the windscreen without a protective fence.
Numerous environmentally friendly and resource-saving solutions such as paperless documentation, emission-free electric forklifts, heat recovery in the buildings and the use of water-soluble products in painting ensure sustainable and green production. The "One-Roof Concept" pools all the work steps in one location. It facilitates short paths and fast, direct communication. This philosophy is also reflected in the architecture: glass walls serve as a connecting feature and create the space between the workplaces in administration and production transparent.
"In the past few years we have laid the foundation for a long, successful cooperation with the Russian government and especially the Ministry of Industry and Trade, as well as the Moscow region, by creating new, highly qualified jobs. We are thus actively contributing to the further development of the entire region," said Axel Bense, CEO Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing RUS.
Around half of the more than 1,000 planned employees have already started to work. The recruiting and training measures for the remaining open jobs in production are on their way and will be completed shortly. The staff are predominantly from the local region and were trained in a targeted manner at existing Mercedes-Benz plants all over the world and in cooperation with the local vocational colleges.
"Many automotive manufacturers have already localized production in Russia. Today, Mercedes-Benz joins them. The project realisation will allow producing different models of cars in the Russian Federation. Investments in the project amount to around 19 billion rubles according to preliminary estimates. It is important that such technological operations as welding, painting and assembly, as well as conducting quality checks of finished cars will be carried out directly in the plant in Russia," said Denis Manturov, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation.
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