Mercedes-Benz wastes no time and has already begun production of the all-new S-Class at its ‘Factory 56’ facility in Sindelfingen, Germany.
Following an investment of approximately €730 million ($866 million) out of a total of €2.1 billion ($2.49 billion) at the entire Sindelfingen site, the plant has started assembling Mercedes-Benz’s flagship sedan.
At first, the new S-Class sedan, in both standard- and long-wheelbase guise, will drive off the production line in Factory 56. Later, the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class and the EQS, the first all-electric member of the new S-Class family, will also be manufactured in the same plant.
Compared to the previous S-Class assembly line, the company is increasing efficiency by 25 percent, with production in Factory 56 characterized by maximum flexibility.
According to parent company Daimler AG, this applies to the number of models produced and the production volume as well as to material flows. In just a few days, new models, from compact cars to SUVs and from conventional to plug-in hybrids and all-electric ones, can be integrated into series production. As a result, production can be adjusted quickly and flexibly to meet market demand.
Factory 56 will also be a zero-carbon factory thanks to its innovative energy concept with a photovoltaic system, a DC power grid and energy storage systems based on reused vehicle batteries. Gradually, the concept of Factory 56 will be transferred to all Mercedes-Benz car plants around the world as a blueprint.
Technological highlights include two so-called TecLines, which serve to avoid fixed points in the assembly process, more than 400 automated guided vehicles (AGV), ‘Fullflex Marriage’ modular stations, internet-of-things (IoT) capable machines and production equipment, the MO360 digital ecosystem, and a digital infrastructure using a high-performance WLAN and 5G network. All of them are explained in the following videos.
More than 1,500 Mercedes employees, out of a total of 35,000 people at the Sindelfingen site, will work in two shifts at Factory 56.