The new S-Class has gone into production at the Mercedes-Benz Sindelfingen plant. This follows an ongoing investment of €1 billion in the facility, with around €350 million being invested in the body shop, around €130 million in the press shop and around €70 million in assembly.
Employees have undergone extensive training in preparation for the start of production. New technologies are being used in the body shop to join cast aluminium alloys. For the aluminium lightweight roof, which is going into large-scale series production for the first time, a totally new manufacturing process has been developed. This sees the roof and steel body only joined once they have been through the paint shop together.
Among other innovations in the production logistics is the 'pick-by-projector' system. This helps employees to pick parts by signalling to them which storage unit contains the component that is required.