Daimler AG 2008

The Daimler AG experience
The future is made of dreams

Daimler Plant Tour

Located in Sindelfingen near Stuttgart is the Daimler Factory known for its strong brands and comprehensive portfolio of automobiles.

The eagerness and exhilaration was sweltering as we entered the gate and spot our very own South African National flag proudly hoisted up high in the German Company entrance.

Having been guided on the factory tour with high concentration on passenger vehicles, we were all blown away. Robotic technology and human interaction in the manufacturing plan is remarkable, this innovative system enables co-ordinated teamwork which leads to faster, versatile and superior quality that Mercedes Benz is about. It was evident enough that quality is the Company’s philosophy as every phase of the production process is thoroughly inspected prior moving the vehicle to the next phase.

We were astounded by the ‘behind the scenes’ activities in the manufacturing processes. It suddenly crossed my mind that next time I see a Merc on the road, it is likely that I saw it in process before the intended customer, interesting!

I believe that this tour was a breeder of future Mercedes Benz buyers; I’m pretty convinced the group will agree with me.

Motlatsi Moeketsi

Daimler Museum

The Mercedes -Benz Museum is situated in Mercedesstraße 100, Stuttgart. The architecture is a double helix; this theme is used because of its connection to the human being's genetics. There is a spatial feeling throughout the building which is accomplished by using high roofs and no right angles. The building consists out of eight floors, where each floor has its own theme or era.

When we started our museum tour, everybody was given a 'receiver unit' and earphones. By using this device you could listen to a virtual tour guide throughout the museum. The tour starts by entering an elevator which is only programmed to go to the eighth floor. The eight floor is where it all begins; the tour through the museum and the birth of the automobile.

The building is divided into two different tours, the 'Legend tour' and the 'Collection tour’. In the Collection tour there are five Collection rooms and each room has its own specific theme. The themes are as follows, Gallery of Voyagers, Gallery of Carriers, Gallery of Helpers, Gallery of Celebrities and the Gallery of Heroes. The Legend tour is made up out of seven rooms that are in chronological order from the eighth floor all the way down to the second floor. This tour is started off by the Pioneers room where the invention of the automobile is the main theme. On the seventh floor the history of the birth of Mercedes as a brand could be seen. The name Mercedes is named after the daughter of a car dealer, Emil Jellinek. In the time gap of 1909 and 1944, the automobile technology took a new direction where speed and new fuel was the main concern. Thus on level six the Times of Change could be found. The Second World War was over and this era is known as the 'Wunderjahre'.The era influenced the form and diversity of Mercedes-Benz's design drastically and this change could be seen on level five. Mercedes-Benz came with new developments on safety and environmental friendliness in the 1960's which also brought about changes in the design and shape of the automobiles that could be seen on level four. Level three is focused on global transportation methods and therefore it is called "Moving the World". On Level two, the Legend Tour is concluded with Mercedes-Benz's racing- and records history and is named The Silver Arrows.

I found the Mercedes-Benz Museum very interesting and definitely one of the experiences I would remember long after I go back to South-Africa.

Thomas Botha

On behalf of the group, we would love to sincerely express our gratitude to Daimler AG, Mercedes–Benz South Africa and all the Sponsors for affording us an opportunity to finally visit the exquisite Daimler Premises in Germany.

Thanking You
Motlatsi & Thomas

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last Update (30/01/08)