indusrty news
W205 C-Class Comes off
the Production Line
On 15 May 2014, Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) marked the official start of production of the new
C-Class model at their East London manufacturing plant, and by so doing cementing its place in the record
books of South African automotive history.
W
ith a benchmark track record
of superb quality, the East
London the plant has garnered
the prestigious J.D. Power and Associates
Award in the US market for five consecutive
years, achieving a platinum, two gold and
two silver awards. This track record has
established MBSA East London firmly
in the production
network of its
parent company,
Daimler AG. Markus
Schäfer, divisional
board member
Mercedes-Benz
Cars, Production
and Supply Chain
Management says:
“The new C-class is
a win for MercedesBenz South Africa
and our East
London plant. This
plant is an important
element of our highly
flexible production
network for our
highest volume
Mercedes-Benz
model. With the
➲
new C-Class we’re
taking automotive
production in South Africa to the next level
– also with regard to an innovative portfolio
of technologies.”
An increase in capacity on the plant’s
C-Class production line has had a ripple
effect on the contribution that MBSA is
able to make both directly, and through
the component supply sector, to the
economy of the Eastern Cape Province
and the country. Through the W205 project,
The East London Industrial Development
Zone (ELIDZ) has attracted six new
investors worth over R890 million, and 534
additional jobs have been created.
global exporter. The current C-Class vehicle
model is built locally to exacting standards
and shipped to the USA. Vice president
manufacturing, and CEO designate of
MBSA, Arno van der Merwe says: “Even
more noteworthy from a performance
perspective is that this expansion has netted
the company five successive JD Power
and Associates
accolades for
production quality
in the USA, and
several Synovate
and Ipsos awards
locally. It is humbling
and inspirational to
be part of a team
that has taken
an automotive
manufacturing
plant from relative
obscurity, at the
southern tip of
Africa, to be amongst
the world’s best.”
Education also
forms the backbone
of the company’s
commitment to the
social upliftment of
The first W205 C-Class comes off the production line
South Africa, with
community projects
spanning from early childhood development
The automotive assembly plant situated
to primary and tertiary education, as well as
at Gately Industrial Township in East
learnerships.
London, which was to become the MBSA
production facility, first opened its doors
in 1950. MBSA is now a highly respected
company and a significant contributor
In addition, MBSA also supports
to the East London and Eastern Cape
the fight against HIV and
economies, and is one of only a few motor
AIDS, not only in communities
manufacturers to produce, market, retail,
associated with the business,
service and finance its own passenger cars
but as a leader in the country
and commercial vehicles locally.
ELIDZ chief executive officer Simphiwe
Kondlo says that “the ELIDZ is extremely
proud of the impressive export production
achievement of MBSA and the major
contribution that the C-Class launch
represents for the status and future of the
automotive industrial output and potential
of the Eastern Cape”.
The success story of MBSA includes
the steady transformation from a low
volume local operation to high volume
| Wheels in Action
78
june 2014
with its benchmark employee
workplace programme.