Brose Opens Plant to Serve Mercedes
Coburg/Weil im Schönbuch (July 18, 2007). The Brose Group has, by establishing its new just-in-sequence production facility at Gewerbepark Sol/Weil in Weil im Schönbuch, moved even closer to the Mercedes plant in Sindelfingen: On 16 July 2007, the JIS plant was officially opened in the presence of numerous representatives from both its clients and the local authorities. Before the new plant was built, the door systems for DaimlerChrysler were made in a rented building in Herrenberg; Brose had been supplying them from there to the nearby Mercedes plant since 2005.
Investments in the future
"We made this investment based on our confidence in the continuation of our long-standing and successful cooperation", said Jürgen Otto, Chairman of the Board of the Brose Group, at this event.
In addition to the production facilities for the door systems of the S Class, four new assembly lines were installed for making the C Class door systems. A heavily automated foaming facility for applying the door system seals also came into operation.
Frank W. Deiss, Director of Materials Purchasing for Cars and Vans at Mercedes Car Group, referred in his address to the Brose Group as a "respected partner" which is one of the top ten suppliers to the Mercedes Car Group besides being the only private company in that select circle. With the establishment of the Brose production facility near the Mercedes plant in Sindelfingen, JIS production of the highest standard has been successfully set up and Mercedes is now able to benefit from further cost advantages.
Looking ahead to the coming years, Deiss reaffirmed the interest of Mercedes in extending its decades of successful cooperation with the Brose Group to other Brose product areas too, for example seat adjusters, locks or electronic units.
Successful and unbureaucratic cooperation at the local authority level
Weil im Schönbuch's mayor, Wolfgang Lahl, and the councilor Manfred Brodbeck from neighbouring Holzgerlingen, expressed their delight at the location of the Brose plant at Gewerbepark Sol, the industrial estate shared by the two authorities. Brose plant manager Jan Francke expressed his thanks for the excellent and unbureaucratic cooperation with the representatives of the local authorities and offices. In honour of the commitment of the company group, the new plant received the address "Max-Brose-Strasse 1".
New plant, new team, new products
In the spring of 2007, production of door systems for the third generation of the C Class was launched at Weil im Schönbuch. The product launch for a further vehicle model is scheduled for 2009. Against that background, plant manager Jan Francke is planning a considerable expansion of production capacity: when the Brose plant is working to capacity, the daily output will then rise to around 9,000 door systems.
This is five times the production capacity at the Herrenberg plant, even though the production area in the new facility is only twice the size.
"Our aim was to combine the move to the new production facility with process optimization and to match the new production layout exactly to the requirements of our customer", says plant manager Jan Francke.
In the production process, the lightweight module supports – like all other components – are conveyed by electronic Kanban systems to the assembly facility. There it is assembled into a ready-to-fit system unit with window regulator, cable harness, locking system, loudspeaker, crash sensor, keyless-go antenna and door electronics. The interaction of all components and assemblies is tested in every door system. Quality assurance measures during the manufacturing process, for example the Poka-Yoke system, guarantee consistently high product quality.
In sequence with vehicle production, every door system arrives at the Mercedes plant, eleven kilometers away in Sindelfingen, pre-tested, ready to fit, in the required equipment variants and in the order that it is fitted into the vehicle. From the client's order to the arrival of the door systems at the Mercedes assembly belt, Brose has a reference time of 315 minutes available to it.
In view of this precisely stipulated time window, communication with the production control system of the vehicle manufacturer must not be broken at any time. Redundant communications and supply systems, plus sturdy process engineering with remote diagnostics option, ensure an almost 100 % availability of the JIS sequences, and appropriate operation plans assure delivery to the client.
Brose has already designed the door system production for the C Class as a classic line production method in response to the large quantities required. Brose achieved a considerable gain in dependability, efficiency and transparency in the production logistics by changing over to E-production: the entire process sequence – from goods reception and assembly to delivery – is handled by an SAP-controlled paper-free information system. Improved data integration, implemented by the Brose Group for the first time at the new JIS plant, enables it to completely document and track the entire product creation process.
Brose design principle is a globally recognized standard
The Brose door system divides the vehicle door into a wet and a dry part. The "dry" half of the door accommodates the electronics, while the "wet" half contains the mechanical components. This Brose-developed design principle is now established as the globally recognized technical standard.
Intelligent products preserve jobs
"Despite the cost pressures in the automobile industry, we are aware of our obligation to Germany as a business location. With this door system, we have developed a product that can be manufactured economically even in a high-wage country and that offers the client cost benefits accordingly. Intelligent products plus efficient production technology and organization help to keep jobs in Germany", opined Jürgen Otto at this event.
With the startup of mass production of door systems for a further Mercedes model in 2009, the number of employees will rise from 140 at present to more than 200.
At present, Brose is producing, at twelve plants in Europe and overseas, door systems, window regulators, locks and seat adjusters for some 40 models made by Mercedes-Benz, Smart, Maybach and Chrysler. Its partnership with the DaimlerChrysler Group has stood for over 75 years.
Press contact:
Gabi Rujoub
telephone: +49 9561 21 1653
fax: +49 9561 21 1704
E-mail: gabi.rujoub@brose.com
