[parrys]

Note : Dippy's detailed report of the Merc Factory visit can be found at this link

This facility at Chakan has an annual capacity of 10,000 cars, built in 2 shifts by their team. This capacity will be doubled by the end of this year. As of now, Mercedes locally assembles the S-Class, E-Class and C-class cars at Chakan. The C.B.U Range includes GL, M, CLS, SLK, SL, CL, E Coupe, E Cabriolet, R & G-Wagen, as well as the AMG range of performance cars.



High Points:

• The B-Class will enter the Indian market in late 2012 (Can expect an early unveil though).
• The Mercedes Facility at Pune (Chakan) will get an independent paint shop. The current paint-work is carried out at the Tata Motors facility. The new independent paint shop will be functional only in the 3rd quarter.
• The new paint shop will use water base paints which are far more environment friendly.
• ML350 will be the first Mercedes manufactured with the help of the local paint facility.
• Mercedes claims that by 2015, their expanded product portfolio will touch more market segments.

[parrys]

B-Class:

• It will be placed in the market as a Sports Tourer.
• The B-Class will be in the price range of 21-25 lakh.
• Approximately 4.3m long.
• The B-Class might get a 1.8L forced-induction engine. The B-Class is expected to have the cabin space of a C-Class.
• The B-Class will initially be a CKD or CBU? All depends on the volumes.
• B-Class will also be available with the STAR Lease option.

Details shared by Mr. Peter Honegg:



Other Points:

• By 2015, Mercedes will have the GLC to rival the BMW X1. Also, the GLK is coming.
• Mercedes sent across a few C63 AMGs to their dealers for customer test-drives.
• The longer wheelbase C-Class and E-Class are already on sale in China, but no plans to enter India as of now. Reason: Available in LHD configuration only.
• Mercedes will begin with CKD assembly of the GL-Class by next year.
• Mercedes is building a Brand Centre known as "Auto House 1000" in Delhi. This will be one of the biggest Brand Centres Mercedes has in Asia and will be spread over 60,000 sq.ft. It might also include several Vintage Mercedes. 5 floors and almost 30 cars to be displayed here.
• The fleet sales for Mercedes grew from 9% to 15% in 2011-12.

A cheaper S-Class variant: (Expected soon)

• The Black S-Class seen here is the stripped down variant - The S300.
• The S300 will be powered by a 3.0L V6 petrol engine producing 228 BHP power and 300 Nm of torque.
• It is a SKD (semi-knock down) model where the entire body frame is imported, unlike the other CKD models.
• This will be the entry level S-Class saloon.

[parrys]

We took a quick walk inside the plant:














This is where adhesive is applied to the frame:




Notice the model specific trim assembly lines:


Employees mark which CKD box was opened, and for which model:








Suspension and brake assembly being mounted:




The Transmission:




The car is driven over an undulated patch to bed in the suspension:


Washed with high pressure jets before being inspected for quality / scratches:


The CKD Parts:




All the CKD parts are not just model specific, but also mention which variant they are manufactured for:

[parrys]

The Mercedes E-Class' interior trim assembly line (Exact Sequence):



Electrical sockets being placed:








Dashboard mount:








The seats being fitted:










Panel gaps being checked manually:




Last stage where the car finally wears the three-pointed star:




Factory Layout:


The Audit Room: A freshly manufactured car is picked out randomly, and then put through an 8-hour quality audit:

[parrys]

A quick spin:

Line-up available for a quick drive. The mix included AMGs as well.

SL 63 AMG - revving.mp4 - YouTube

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Indian Car Scene. Thanks for sharing!

[rajeev k]

Good to get to know the benzes being manufactured. This brought back my memories of my visit ti PAL to see Premier Padminis getting manufactured.
But how come you could get all those clicks? Any special permission was needed?

[libranof1987]

Wonderful!

I bet this must have been an amazing experience.

Could you share what percentage of the assembly process is automated and what is manual?

[el lobo 6061]

Parrys thanks for sharing the manufacturing of the Three Pointed Stars in India.

Finally got to see manufacturing of Mercedes with so many models done at the very same plant, Mega-factory just like in Nat Geo.

Parrys was it it a special only by invite preview or can anyone who wishes to have a look get himself registered to have a peek at the factory?

[parrys]

Originally Posted by rajeev k

But how come you could get all those clicks? Any special permission was needed?

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061

Parrys was it it a special only by invite preview or can anyone who wishes to have a look get himself registered to have a peek at the factory?

Mercedes had invited us (Team-BHP) to visit their facility. So it was by invitation only.

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Could you share what percentage of the assembly process is automated and what is manual?

As you can see from the pictures, the interior trims are worked upon manually and the body shell assembly is automated, which obviously is manually supervised. In terms of exact percentage - I really cannot tell.

[Latheesh]

Thanks for sharing!

1) I do not see anyone wearing (operators+visitors) helmet. It is dangerous, I do not know why company like MB doing this!

2) Look at the way panel gaps are checked. If you use the same on some Desi models whole set will go inside!!

[bigron]

Great pictures. Quite an insight on how one of the leading automotive manufacturers goes around doing it business. Thanks for sharing.

[nanduchitnis]

By the way, are MBIL cars also exported ?

How many cars are shipped out per month?

Thank you for a nice walk around through the shop floor.

[SmartCat]

Questions!

- Any idea what is the customs duty on SKD (semi knocked down) as against CKD models? I wonder how cheap the new S-class would be.

- Painting is done by Tata Motors? I see unpainted body panels in some of the pics. So these are trucked to Tata Motors plant, painted and brought back in? I'm surprised they don't have their own paint facility yet. Is it expensive to setup one?

- Looks like the engine and gearbox are still imported. In a typical C class or E class, what are the "Made In India" parts? Tyres? Interior trim?

[SPIKE ARRESTOR]

Originally Posted by parrys

• The Mercedes Facility at Pune (Chakan) will get an independent paint shop. The current paint-work is carried out at the Tata Motors facility.

This is surprising, never knew this was happening.

Any idea how much time does a car take for completion in the assembly lines, from trimming to roll out? Thinking on the ramp up front.

Thanks !

Spike