Brazil - A building has been constructed at the company’s plant in Sao Bernardo do Campo to house a new production line for light- and heavy-duty trucks. The project lasted for three years and cost a total of €125m (US$153.83m).
According to the OEM, the line is 15% more efficient when compared to existing lines at the plant thanks to the implementation of several innovative manufacturing technologies and tools. For example, 60 automated guided vehicles (AGVs) bring speed up the flow of materials to the line, while 3D printing is used for agile production of small parts at low cost. Furthermore, the number of parts stored has been reduced from 53 to six and the storage time for the components has been cut from 10 days to three.
Stefan Buchner, global head of Mercedes-Benz Trucks, thinks that the construction of the new line represents Daimler’s commitment to the Brazilian commercial vehicle market.
“Brazil currently recovers as a truck market,” he observed. “We have always believed in the market and continued to invest there. We are now opening our completely networked production line in Sao Bernardo do Campo and thereby revolutionising truck manufacturing in Brazil. The new facility also sets standards within the global production network for Mercedes-Benz Trucks. For our customers, this means even more flexibility and efficiency.”
Mercedes-Benz do Brazil, which is a subsidiary of Daimler, has said that it will start applying the technologies and methods used on the new line to enhance manufacturing efficiency at other plants, including its plant at Juiz de Fora.
