Star Assembly, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz AG, expanded its production portfolio and officially started the assembly of electric drive units for the all-new, fully electric Mercedes-Benz GLC.
The new production scopes in the area of electric vehicle components strengthen the strategic role of the plant in the Mercedes-Benz global production network and business strategy. Sebeș is the second plant in the global production network to supply the Mercedes-Benz vehicle plants with electric drive units. The production site works closely with the German plant in Untertürkheim, the competence center for drive technologies responsible for producing the units for the new CLA and future models in the Top-End segment.
With the assembly of electric drive units, Sebeș supplies key components to the production of the all-electric GLC, entering series production next year at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Bremen, Germany. Starting next year, Sebeș will also supply the Hungarian Mercedes-Benz plant in Kecskemét with electric drive units, where the new electric C-Class will roll off the production line. Romania’s Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan and further public officials visited the Star Assembly plant in Sebeș for the start of production ceremony.
Mercedes-Benz invested in a new facility, which spans over 30,000 square meters and integrates both assembly and logistics functions for electric drive unit production. This investment demonstrates the company’s clear commitment to its highly skilled local workforce, the further development of the Alba region, and Romania’s role in the high-tech automotive industry. The project also received approval for state aid support from the Romanian Government.
The electric drive unit for the new GLC was developed in-house at Mercedes-Benz. A drive unit essentially consists of three subsystems: an electric motor, power electronics and the gear unit for power transmission. The assembly of these components into a complete system takes place at the Sebeș plant. The complete systems are supplied to the Bremen plant, where the GLC will enter series production next year.
The assembly of electric drive units is highly complex and requires numerous production steps. The assembly line covers around 15,000 square meters, extends around 1000 meters in length, and consists of more than 200 manual and automated processes. All operations at the new facility are staffed exclusively by employees reassigned from other areas of the Sebeș site. Their new roles are supported by an extensive qualification and retraining programme, ensuring sustainable employment and long-term workforce development.
The plant is fully integrated into MO360, the Mercedes-Benz digital production ecosystem, and relates to the production network thanks to the MO360 Data Platform. Among other things, this ensures the complete traceability of every component, including all production data.
Production of the Sebeș site follows a sustainable concept: As is the case with all of the Mercedes-Benz production network’s own locations, production in Sebeș operates in a net carbon-neutral manner and is powered by electricity from renewable sources. The installation of a photovoltaic system of up to 5 MW is currently under review. The new production hall for the electric drive unit is supplied by a heat pump system.
