A second Mercedes-Benz plant has started redesigned A-class production.
Kecskemet in Hungary, about 90 km south of Budapest, follows lead plant Rastatt in Germany. The car will eventually be made in five plants on three continents.
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The new A-Class is the first model in the fourth generation of compact cars and replaces the preceding model produced since 2012. The family currently is five models: A-Class, B-Class, CLA, CLA Shooting Brake, and GLA. A sixth model is the new long wheelbase A-Class saloon produced in and for China and two more models are to follow.
For the start of production of the A-Class, apprentices from the Rastatt plant produced a steering wheel model using modern additive production processes (3D printing). The steering wheel has a screen on which employees can upload messages for the next plant in the ramp-up cascade. The model is passed on from plant to plant like a baton and will eventually travel around the world.
Next plant is contract assembler Valmet Automotive's in Uusikaupunki.
This is the first A-Class built in Hungary and replaces the B-Class there. CLA and Shooting Brake are also built.
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By GlobalDataA new body-in-white shop covering 99,000 sq m was built at Kecskemet for the new model. New robots for surface treatment were also installed.
Driverless Transport Systems (DTS) deliver exact components needed for individual vehicles from logistics to the assembly line. This shopping cart system not only shortens the distances the employees have to cover, but thanks to the fast and simple control method – one look into the shopping cart shows whether all parts were installed – is also highly efficient for quality assurance, Daimler said.
