Mercedes-Benz starts production of the new GLC Coupé
- Mercedes-Benz Bremen plant expands its production portfolio to ten models with the GLC Coupé.
- Second all-new model to be launched in Bremen in 2016.
- Markus Schäfer, Member of the Divisional Board Mercedes-Benz Cars, Production and Supply Chain Management: “With the start of production of the new sporty GLC Coupé, we are further expanding our SUV family as a key element in the Mercedes-Benz growth strategy. At the same time, we are strengthening the Bremen plant’s role as the main production site for the model series within our flexible and efficient production network. The team is doing a great job!”
Bremen – Production of the new GLC Coupé has started at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Bremen. It is the second all-new model to be launched at the plant this year.
“With the start of production of the GLC Coupé, we are further expanding our SUV family as a key element in the Mercedes-Benz growth strategy,” says Markus Schäfer, Member of the Divisional Board Mercedes-Benz Cars, Production and Supply Chain Management.
“At the same time, we are strengthening the Bremen plant’s role as the main production site for the model series within our flexible and efficient production network. The team is doing a great job!”
With the mid-size SUV, Mercedes-Benz is transferring the winning formula of the GLE Coupé to a more compact segment.
Its dynamic- expressive design, as-standard sports suspension with optional air suspension and 4MATIC permanent all-wheel drive with 9G-TRONIC automatic transmission make the GLC Coupé the perfect combination of multifunctional SUV and sporty coupé.
Production in Bremen in full swing
The extension of the product portfolio to ten models goes along with rising demands in terms of a highly flexible production at the site in Bremen. Consequently, the new SUV coupé is being built on the same line as the C-Class Saloon, the C-Class Estate and the GLC. This means that two out of three assembly halls at the Bremen plant each manufacture four models on one and the same line.
“The launch of the GLC Coupé delivers the latest proof of the versatile, competitive and efficient way in which we produce in Bremen,” says Peter Theurer, Head of the Mercedes-Benz plant in Bremen.
“Within just a few weeks, we have successfully integrated the launch of two brand-new models into ongoing series production at the plant, something that is only possible with a highly motivated and expertly qualified team.”
Michael Peters, Chairman of the Works Council at the Mercedes-Benz Bremen plant: “SUVs are growing in popularity around the world. By producing the GLC Coupé, Bremen is benefiting from this trend. At the same time, we are underscoring the goal of building up our plant, thereby delivering long-term job security. Manufacturing four models on one line, or ten models in total, is a complex task, but one that our highly qualified colleagues are excellently able to deal with.”
Ergonomics and efficiency in production
The assembly process for the GLC Coupé makes first-time use of a new seating fixture that swings the worker, in an ergonomically ideal position, into the vehicle interior, which is more difficult to access owing to the typical coupé roofline. This makes it easier to install front and rear trim parts in particular.
The individual body parts of the GLC Coupé are produced in the plant’s own press shop on one of the world’s most advanced press lines. In the body shop, the body is produced on the same line as the GLC in a resource-conserving and cost-saving manner. Optimal reuse of production facilities from the previous GLK model series made it possible to limit the need for expenditure on new capital equipment. Having been modernised, the facilities were brought into line with the production needs of the new model series in terms of interaction and cycle times.
About the Mercedes-Benz plant in Bremen
The Mercedes-Benz plant in Bremen is the biggest private employer in the region with more than 12,500 employees. Ten different models are being assembled here at the moment: the Saloon, Estate, Coupé and Cabriolet of the C-Class, the Coupé and Cabriolet of the E-Class, the SUVs GLC and GLC Coupé as well as the two Roadsters SLC and SL. In 2015, the plant was rewarded as “Factory of the Year” in the category large-scale production. As lead plant of the C-Class, Bremen directs the worldwide production of the highest-volume model series in the plants abroad in Tuscaloosa/USA, Beijing/China and East London/South Africa. The assembly of the new GLC is also directed by Bremen as the main production site.
