Local battery production is a key differentiator for Mercedes-Benz and its electric push. The company’s global battery production network will include nine battery factories on three continents underscoring the company’s ambition to become fully electric before the end of the decade – wherever market conditions permit.
To help industrialise production of future generation batteries, Mercedes-Benz is intensifying its cooperation with its longstanding partner GROB-WERKE GmbH & Co. KG, a German world market leader in highly innovative battery production and automation systems.
“The global Mercedes-Benz battery production network is a key pillar of the Mercedes-EQ model offensive, and the foundation of our strategic shift from “Electric First” to “Electric Only”. Through our partnership with GROB-WERKE, we want to leverage further potential in the area of manufacturing technology in terms of efficiency, digitisation and sustainability and thereby further expand our battery production capacity,” says Jörg Burzer, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz AG, Production and Supply Chain Management.
The focus of the cooperation is on the joint development and construction of highly efficient battery production facilities for the global battery production network and includes the assembly of both battery modules and battery packs. Mercedes-Benz is thus strengthening its battery production capacity and know-how in the field of innovative manufacturing technology. Production systems from GROB-WERKE are already in use in the battery plants of Mercedes-Benz. In future, the partners will work closely together on the development and construction of highly specialised production facilities in the spirit of “Design for Manufacturing”.
“Mercedes-Benz and GROB-WERKE have been working together successfully for many years. With this cooperation, we want to continue to be a strong partner for Mercedes-Benz in the future, with innovative plant concepts for battery modules & packs,” says German Wankmiller, Chairman of the Board of GROB-WERKE GmbH & Co. KG.
The cooperation will focus on the system technology of future generations of Mercedes-Benz battery systems to be used in Mercedes-EQ vehicles from 2025.
The global Mercedes-Benz battery production network
The batteries for the Mercedes-EQ electric vehicles will in future be supplied by a global battery production network with nine plants in seven locations on three continents. Mercedes-Benz already manufactures battery systems at its locations in Kamenz (Saxony), Hedelfingen (Stuttgart), as well as in Bangkok (Thailand), Beijing (China) and Jawor (Poland). The colleagues in Brühl (Stuttgart) and Tuscaloosa (USA) are already preparing for the start of production in 2022. In addition, a battery plant is also to be built at the Sindelfingen plant near Stuttgart.
