Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz German plant

Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz plant

Some 6,404 workers at Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz plant in Düsseldorf, Germany produce approximately 160,000 vehicles per year or 725 vehicles per day with the help of hundreds of industrial robots. During the construction of a Sprinter, robots apply more than 7,600 spot welds and up to 175 stud welds.

Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz plant

More than 240 combinations of body styles, wheelbases, payloads and engines are produced on a single assembly line. Three brands are produced at the plant: Mercedes, Freightliner and Volkswagen.

The Düsseldorf manufacturing facility is divided into several areas, including the body shop, paint shop, assembly, logistics and shipping. Production of the first Sprinter began in 1995, although vans and buses were already being built in 1962.

Employees work in three shifts. In some areas, such as the body shop, workers organize themselves into cooperative teams. The company also offers an intensive training program to teach prospective employees all about the vehicle manufacturing.

The point at which the van body is placed on the chassis is called “the marriage.”