Mercedes-Benz sets up its Mercedes-Benz Drive Systems division and the Stuttgart-Unterturkheim plant in the context of Ambition 2039 – the way of the company for CO2 neutrality – consistently on “Electric First”. The automaker wants to underpin his new strategy presented in October 2020. According to intensive negotiations, a recent communication and works council of the Mercedes-Benz plant Unterturkheim agreed to invest a three-digit million amount in the Transformation Unterturkheim: the future “Mercedes-Benz Drive Systems Campus”.
The largest location in the global Powertrain production network will focus on research, development and production startups of drive systems. The agreement should strengthen the role of Unterturkheim as a development and qualification hub for drive technologies. In addition, the site continues to build its already broad competence in the field of e-mobility with a campus for electrical and electrified drives. A new factory for small series production of future lithium-ion battery cells and its own Battery Safety Lab thus complement the existing research and development activities of Mercedes-Benz in the field of battery technology.
The company pursue a holistic approach that rich from basic research and development to the production of battery systems. In serial production, the location is intensively focused on electric drive components – battery and electric drive systems, while conventional engine, gearbox and component manufacturing will expire step-by-step impact on employment profiles and circumferences.
“A leading role in electric vehicles means strengthening our own research and development and achieve maximum progress with global technology partners. I am firmly convinced that in the development and production optimal access to new technologies and global know-how and the focus of capital on CO2-neutral investment will be more important than ever. This requires maximum flexibility and consistent questions of existing structures. The transformation phase towards CO2 neutrality also means far-reaching changes in our area of the drive systems. The alignment of our location Unterturkheim on, Electric First ‘with its own campus for electric drive technologies is an important cornerstone of our Mercedes-EQ product initiative. A clear focus of our activities is based on research and process engineering of battery and cell technology, taking into account the entire value chain.”- Markus Schafer, Member of the Executive Board of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG; Responsible for Daimler Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Coo
The Mercedes-Benz Drive Systems Campus is a crucial development step to the sustainable transformation of the Unterturkheim site, the manufacturer shares with. At the same time, substantial adjustments to production program and processes are required. In this context, the existing competence centers should be restructured or systematically expanded. The close toothing of research, development and production at the site creates important prerequisites for synergies and strength with know-how the vertical in-house integration as an important pillar.
“The Unterturkheim site has always been an integral part of the Mercedes-Benz Powertrain production network – as an innovation center and as a stroke of Powertrain competence. Mercedes-Benz takes his responsibility for this traditional location towards employees, politics, science and partners very seriously. To carry responsibility also means adapting and modernizing structures to ensure competition and future viability. With the implementation of the new vision for the Unterturkheim site, we set the course for a sustainable transformation of Mercedes-Benz with a clear focus on electrification.”- JOrg Burzer, Member of the Board of Mercedes-Benz AG, Production and Supply Chain
With the bundling and expansion of its battery activities, the company wants to further strengthen its know-how in the field of e-mobility. In the location, extensive research and development activities are already anchored, such as the E-Technikum and the Zell Technikum, where, among other, prototypes of electric drive systems (EATs) are established and cell technologies are explored and tested. In addition, the research and development conversions in the field of battery, including various test benches, will be located at the campus, including various test benches, in the future.
Mercedes Benz
In addition, further investments in the expansion of today’s Zell Technikum are planned to map the entire value chain of battery technology. In addition to basic research, the pre-development and the design of battery cells, the production-ready producibility should also be made possible by a new factory for small series production of lithium-ion battery cells. This should go into operation 2023.
The factor sustainability, a transparent cell development to recycling, plays a higher role in these efforts. Mercedes-Benz thus wants to cover the field of battery technology in the future at the Unterturkheim site – to battery systems manufactured at the location. The battery factory in the Bruhl factory part should be manufactured from 2022 batteries for plug-in hybrid vehicles. Already from this year, in the battery factory in the work part Hedelfingen, battery systems for the Mercedes-EQ model EQS – the fully electric member of the S-Class family – from the band. The EQS will be manufactured from the first half of 2021 in the factory 56 in Sindelfingen, which is about 20 km away. The battery system for the EQE is also produced in Hedelfingen.
The company also sets a clear focus on the development of highly efficient electric drive systems – the intelligent combination of electric motor, battery system, power electronics and software – up to serial maturity including testing. The next generation of electric motors will be developed in-house, equipped with inverter and high-voltage technology. The production and assembly of parts of the electric powertrain (EATS) for future vehicle models of the brand Mercedes-EQ should start at the end of 2024 Rounds the product portfolio of the battery factories in Hedelfingen and Bruhl round. The previously planned production volumes in the electric powertrain should double.
Mercedes Benz
With regard to the series production conversions of conventional drives at the Unterturkheim site, Mercedes-Benz wants to rely more on the flexibility of the global Powertrain production network in the future. New production circulation should be examined in detail with regard to maximization of efficiency and profitability.
At the employment side, this transformation leads in the medium term to changes in employment profiles to which the company wants to prepare its employees with targeted qualification measures. Reducing series production conversions of conventional drives will also lead to personal adjustments at the Unterturkheim site. The company is preparing for various measures. The top priority is to be socially responsible for the structural and personnel adjustments with regard to the workstations concerned.
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Powertrain production is not the most important thing in the future, doing many in Germany.
Later, sensory change, now finally the battery problem in the local production to put on the first priority.
More precisely, it looks at the Cell level but next »very weak“Off: More than
there is not there. [Highlights in quotes from me …]
And that, after MB earlier millions of public promotion for lithium cells “spurred” and the started (small) production was thrown in 2014 ..
In addition, on the one hand, the whole representation in the press release seems to be more than “reassurance pill” for the works council and the staff intended … On the other hand, the threat in
After the closure of engine production Berlin obvious.