DaimlerChrysler Celebrates New Plant Opening Beijing September 16, 2006
BeijingBenz-DaimlerChrysler Automotive Ltd. celebrated the opening of its new manufacturing facility, an event that was attended by government officials, executives, community officials and more than 1,000 employees of the joint venture and its two shareholders, DaimlerChrysler AG and Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co. The hour-long ceremony included presentations of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and the Chrysler 300C, both of which will be produced at the new plant.
According to Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management for DaimlerChrysler AG: “Almost a quarter of a century after DaimlerChrysler co-founded the first international automobile joint venture in China, the opening of the BBDC’s new manufacturing facility is another milestone in our long tradition in China. This brand new facility is tangible example of our continued growth in Northeast Asia and a major step towards realizing our ambitious goals in the fastest growing market in the world.”
The new facility, located in the Beijing Development Area, occupies a total land area of two million square meters and features 210,000 square meters of manufacturing space. On site amenities include a Mercedes Car Group facility, a Chrysler Group / MMC facility, paint shop and stamping facilities, and a number of environmental, logistics and energy management centers. The result is the capacity to build up to 25,000 Mercedes vehicles and 80,000 Chrysler / MMC vehicles annually, with room to expand as needed.
If you’d like to learn more about DaimlerChrysler’s new manufacturing facility, keep reading for the full details in the press release below.
OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
DaimlerChrysler and BAIC celebrate plant opening in Beijing
- Opening ceremony for joint production plant with DaimlerChrysler Chairman Dieter Zetsche
- Production of Mercedes-Benz E-Class has started, Chrysler 300C to follow shortly
- Dr. Dieter Zetsche: “Opening of the new BBDC production plant is a milestone for DaimlerChrysler in China.”
BEIJING, Sep 15, 2006
BeijingBenz-DaimlerChrysler Automotive Ltd. (BBDC) celebrated the opening of its new manufacturing facility today at a ceremony which included government officials, executives, community leaders and more than 1,000 employees of the joint venture and its two shareholders, DaimlerChrysler AG and Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co. (BAIC).
The hour-long ceremony included presentations of two vehicles produced at BBDC – the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and the Chrysler 300C. Local production of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class began ramping up last December, while production of the Chrysler 300C will begin soon.
“Almost a quarter of a century after DaimlerChrysler co-founded the first international automobile joint venture in China, the opening of the BBDC’s new manufacturing facility is another milestone in our long tradition in China,” said Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of DaimlerChrysler AG and Head of the Mercedes Car Group. “This brand new facility is tangible example of our continued growth in Northeast Asia and a major step towards realizing our ambitious goals in the fastest growing market in the world.”
Zetsche was joined by Beijing Lord Mayor Wang Qishan; DaimlerChrysler Board of Management Member responsible for Corporate Development, Dr. Rüdiger Grube; BAIC Chairman An Qinghen; DaimlerChrysler Northeast Asia Chairman and CEO Dr. Till Becker, BBDC President Guenter Butschek, and other officials and executives.
With a total land area at the site of 2 million sq. meters, BBDC’s new facility is located in the Beijing Development Area (BDA) in Southeast Beijing. The 210,000 sq. meter facilities currently produce Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Mitsubishi Outlander sedans, and will begin producing Chrysler 300C sedans soon. The next-generation Mercedes-Benz C-Class is also slated for production. BBDC has the capacity to build up to 25,000 Mercedes-Benz vehicles, and 80,000 Chrysler and MMC vehicles annually, with room to expand as needed.
The overall manufacturing site includes a “Mercedes Car Group” facility, a “Chrysler Group / MMC” facility, paint shop and stamping facilities, as well as environmental, logistcs, and energy management centers. The Mercedes Car Group and Chrysler Group/MMC facilities each include separate body shops and assembly areas designed to accommodate the specifications for each brand. Both operations are flexible enough to introduce new models and to adjust particular volumes based on demand.
By adopting best practices in vehicle production and technology worldwide, the facilities’ main processes of stamping, painting, welding and final assembly set a new benchmark for the Chinese domestic automotive industry.
As in all DaimlerChrysler plants, the production system in China has been designed to ensure that any abnormality in the manufacturing process is properly identified and fixed. Both BBDC and DaimlerChrysler engineers have been training production colleagues to ensure that they are fully capable of meeting the high standards, and they are also empowered to continue to make improvements. The BBDC Automotive Technical Training Center, jointly built with Beijing Automotive Industrial School, trains employees on the DaimlerChrysler production system. The training center uses trainers from Germany, and will also send colleagues to train on the line in Germany.
Founded on August 8, 2005, BBDC is a joint venture between the Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co. Ltd, and DaimlerChrysler. It is an expansion of the original Beijing Jeep Corporation, which was the first international automotive joint venture in China.
DaimlerChrysler and its partners are making significant investments in China for its ongoing and future projects to produce Mercedes-Benz passenger cars and vans and realize the production of heavy-duty and medium-duty trucks. The Chrysler Group will build the Chrysler 300C in Beijing, and license minivan production in Fuzhou (PRC) and Yangmei (Taiwan). DaimlerChrysler Auto Finance China became the first company in China to offer vehicle financing for both passenger cars and commercial vehicles. Additionally, DaimlerChrysler Northeast Asia imports passenger cars and commercial vehicles to Northeast Asia under the Mercedes-Benz, Maybach, smart, Chrysler and Jeep brands.
Copyright © 2006, DaimlerChrysler AG
- Posted in : Uncategorized, DaimlerChrysler
- Author : Bullet
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