DaimlerChrysler has officially opened its expanded plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where the Mercedes-Benz M-class and R-class are built.
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The automaker has spent $US600 million expanding the three-million-square-foot plant.
“The success of the M-class and our plant in Tuscaloosa shows that our globalization strategy and decision to come to the U.S. back in 1993 was the right decision,” said Mercedes car group head Eckhard Cordes. “More than 640,000 vehicles were sold around the world. We not only achieved new market opportunities for Mercedes-Benz, but also secured employment at our plants back in Germany.”
The plant expansion will allow for the production of multiple product lines and the company recently doubled its workforce to 4,000 and production capacity to 160,000 cars per year. The expanded plant now includes two assembly shops, two paint shops and an expanded body shop.
Production of the redesigned M-class began last December for sales in the US to start in April, while R-class output will begin later this year for sales to start by the end of 2005.
The Tuscaloosa plant offers highly flexible production technology and uses some of the industry’s most efficient processes to assure “just-in-sequence” and “just-in-time” delivery, which also minimises the amount of inventory needed on-site.
