Trip to Tuscaloosa :)
03-11-2015, 09:17 PM
#1
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Trip to Tuscaloosa :)
Tuscaloosa, Alabama is the home to MBUSI (Mercedes Benz U.S. International). Over the past 2 days; I went through a Brand Immersion training program at MBUSI. All employees of MBUSA (Dealership & Corporate levels) have to compete this.
Here are some interesting facts about MBUSI:
1) They assemble 5 vehicles total: C, GL, GLE Coupe, ML, & R. The R is only produced for Asian markets. The GL & ML are assembled here & exported to over 135 markets.
2) The factory sits on 1,000 acres and is 5,000,000 square feet.
3) Nothing goes to a landfill; everything is either recycled or burned to power the plant.
4) A vehicle travels 6 miles throughout assembly before rolling out of the factory door.
5) It takes 3 days to assemble a vehicle.
6) They run 2 shifts Monday-Friday. Saturdays & Sundays the factory is closed.
7) Over 3,000 people work at the factory.
8) They have enough inventory on hand for 24 hours of production at a time. They use JIT & LIFO in the factory for moving inventory.
9) The average tenure is 13 years for a factory employee. The factory only opened in 1997.
My first stop was the ML & GL Body shop. This alone was amazing. Throughout the entire factory “Kuka” robots are everywhere. They do almost all of the welding, moving & picking up of various parts. There are over 2,000 of these robots throughout the factory, most in the body shop. They are about 10’ feet tall and can lift about 1.5 tons. The main welding robots even have a “self cleaning” system. When is decides it needs to be cleaned; the rest wait for that robot to finish. They can rotate various angles and can help each other if one gets into trouble. It’s almost like they are human.
Next stop was the C Class assembly line. Yes, I saw some C63’s on the production line. I will get to that later on. There is a 5 level paint process on each vehicle. The primer is either silver or black depending on the final color of the vehicle. I watched the entry of main main wiring harness, seats, dashboards, bumpers, windshields, door panels, wheels, ect. The vehicles each roll into one area where they undergo a final inspection before heading “out to the door”. This is where the headlights, alignment, water test, & updated for software are completed. The assembly process is runs “like a clock”. It is seamless, orderly, and extremely impressive.
Now for C63’s…I spotted a few. 5 vehicles were in the parking lot waiting to be shipped. None of these were Edition 1’s. A Dakota Brown C63 was sitting in the corner of the factory waiting for final inspection. Two Iridium Silver cars in the parking lot which made my day LOL and one vehicle in Black with Ceramic Brakes. Again, I do not have any pictures so please do not ask.
Two C450’s were on the assembly line as well. They looked nice and sleek. Please do not turn this into a bashing of the C450.
At the Brand Immersion center, there is an entire AMG section. On display was the M177 engine. See the pictures below for a closer look at the engine! Enjoy!!
Here are some interesting facts about MBUSI:
1) They assemble 5 vehicles total: C, GL, GLE Coupe, ML, & R. The R is only produced for Asian markets. The GL & ML are assembled here & exported to over 135 markets.
2) The factory sits on 1,000 acres and is 5,000,000 square feet.
3) Nothing goes to a landfill; everything is either recycled or burned to power the plant.
4) A vehicle travels 6 miles throughout assembly before rolling out of the factory door.
5) It takes 3 days to assemble a vehicle.
6) They run 2 shifts Monday-Friday. Saturdays & Sundays the factory is closed.
7) Over 3,000 people work at the factory.
8) They have enough inventory on hand for 24 hours of production at a time. They use JIT & LIFO in the factory for moving inventory.
9) The average tenure is 13 years for a factory employee. The factory only opened in 1997.
My first stop was the ML & GL Body shop. This alone was amazing. Throughout the entire factory “Kuka” robots are everywhere. They do almost all of the welding, moving & picking up of various parts. There are over 2,000 of these robots throughout the factory, most in the body shop. They are about 10’ feet tall and can lift about 1.5 tons. The main welding robots even have a “self cleaning” system. When is decides it needs to be cleaned; the rest wait for that robot to finish. They can rotate various angles and can help each other if one gets into trouble. It’s almost like they are human.
Next stop was the C Class assembly line. Yes, I saw some C63’s on the production line. I will get to that later on. There is a 5 level paint process on each vehicle. The primer is either silver or black depending on the final color of the vehicle. I watched the entry of main main wiring harness, seats, dashboards, bumpers, windshields, door panels, wheels, ect. The vehicles each roll into one area where they undergo a final inspection before heading “out to the door”. This is where the headlights, alignment, water test, & updated for software are completed. The assembly process is runs “like a clock”. It is seamless, orderly, and extremely impressive.
Now for C63’s…I spotted a few. 5 vehicles were in the parking lot waiting to be shipped. None of these were Edition 1’s. A Dakota Brown C63 was sitting in the corner of the factory waiting for final inspection. Two Iridium Silver cars in the parking lot which made my day LOL and one vehicle in Black with Ceramic Brakes. Again, I do not have any pictures so please do not ask.
Two C450’s were on the assembly line as well. They looked nice and sleek. Please do not turn this into a bashing of the C450. At the Brand Immersion center, there is an entire AMG section. On display was the M177 engine. See the pictures below for a closer look at the engine!
Enjoy!!
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rajalaut (08-31-2020)
03-11-2015, 09:29 PM
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Every AMG Engine builder has one of these. The engine block attaches to a dummy fly wheel. This allows the engine builder to walk down a long isle building the motor.
Last edited by JPMBenz; 03-11-2015 at 09:43 PM.
03-11-2015, 09:40 PM
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Wait a second... I thought that the AMG engines are built in Germany by hand, and by German master mechanics. How many Hans's were there?
03-11-2015, 09:44 PM
#5
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I don't understand what you're asking. Yes, they are built by hand. They start off by attaching the engine block to that fly wheel on the cart. They then walk down a long isle and build the motor. I've seen it done in Affalterbach. LOL
03-11-2015, 10:16 PM
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03-11-2015, 10:57 PM
#8
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Tuscaloosa, Alabama is the home to MBUSI (Mercedes Benz U.S. International). Over the past 2 days; I went through a Brand Immersion training program at MBUSI. All employees of MBUSA (Dealership & Corporate levels) have to compete this.
Here are some interesting facts about MBUSI:
1) They assemble 5 vehicles total: C, GL, GLE Coupe, ML, & R. The R is only produced for Asian markets. The GL & ML are assembled here & exported to over 135 markets.
2) The factory sits on 1,000 acres and is 5,000,000 square feet.
3) Nothing goes to a landfill; everything is either recycled or burned to power the plant.
4) A vehicle travels 6 miles throughout assembly before rolling out of the factory door.
5) It takes 3 days to assemble a vehicle.
6) They run 2 shifts Monday-Friday. Saturdays & Sundays the factory is closed.
7) Over 3,000 people work at the factory.
8) They have enough inventory on hand for 24 hours of production at a time. They use JIT & LIFO in the factory for moving inventory.
9) The average tenure is 13 years for a factory employee. The factory only opened in 1997.
My first stop was the ML & GL Body shop. This alone was amazing. Throughout the entire factory “Kuka” robots are everywhere. They do almost all of the welding, moving & picking up of various parts. There are over 2,000 of these robots throughout the factory, most in the body shop. They are about 10’ feet tall and can lift about 1.5 tons. The main welding robots even have a “self cleaning” system. When is decides it needs to be cleaned; the rest wait for that robot to finish. They can rotate various angles and can help each other if one gets into trouble. It’s almost like they are human.
Next stop was the C Class assembly line. Yes, I saw some C63’s on the production line. I will get to that later on. There is a 5 level paint process on each vehicle. The primer is either silver or black depending on the final color of the vehicle. I watched the entry of main main wiring harness, seats, dashboards, bumpers, windshields, door panels, wheels, ect. The vehicles each roll into one area where they undergo a final inspection before heading “out to the door”. This is where the headlights, alignment, water test, & updated for software are completed. The assembly process is runs “like a clock”. It is seamless, orderly, and extremely impressive.
Now for C63’s…I spotted a few. 5 vehicles were in the parking lot waiting to be shipped. None of these were Edition 1’s. A Dakota Brown C63 was sitting in the corner of the factory waiting for final inspection. Two Iridium Silver cars in the parking lot which made my day LOL and one vehicle in Black with Ceramic Brakes. Again, I do not have any pictures so please do not ask. Two C450’s were on the assembly line as well. They looked nice and sleek. Please do not turn this into a bashing of the C450.
At the Brand Immersion center, there is an entire AMG section. On display was the M177 engine. See the pictures below for a closer look at the engine! Enjoy!!
Here are some interesting facts about MBUSI:
1) They assemble 5 vehicles total: C, GL, GLE Coupe, ML, & R. The R is only produced for Asian markets. The GL & ML are assembled here & exported to over 135 markets.
2) The factory sits on 1,000 acres and is 5,000,000 square feet.
3) Nothing goes to a landfill; everything is either recycled or burned to power the plant.
4) A vehicle travels 6 miles throughout assembly before rolling out of the factory door.
5) It takes 3 days to assemble a vehicle.
6) They run 2 shifts Monday-Friday. Saturdays & Sundays the factory is closed.
7) Over 3,000 people work at the factory.
8) They have enough inventory on hand for 24 hours of production at a time. They use JIT & LIFO in the factory for moving inventory.
9) The average tenure is 13 years for a factory employee. The factory only opened in 1997.
My first stop was the ML & GL Body shop. This alone was amazing. Throughout the entire factory “Kuka” robots are everywhere. They do almost all of the welding, moving & picking up of various parts. There are over 2,000 of these robots throughout the factory, most in the body shop. They are about 10’ feet tall and can lift about 1.5 tons. The main welding robots even have a “self cleaning” system. When is decides it needs to be cleaned; the rest wait for that robot to finish. They can rotate various angles and can help each other if one gets into trouble. It’s almost like they are human.
Next stop was the C Class assembly line. Yes, I saw some C63’s on the production line. I will get to that later on. There is a 5 level paint process on each vehicle. The primer is either silver or black depending on the final color of the vehicle. I watched the entry of main main wiring harness, seats, dashboards, bumpers, windshields, door panels, wheels, ect. The vehicles each roll into one area where they undergo a final inspection before heading “out to the door”. This is where the headlights, alignment, water test, & updated for software are completed. The assembly process is runs “like a clock”. It is seamless, orderly, and extremely impressive.
Now for C63’s…I spotted a few. 5 vehicles were in the parking lot waiting to be shipped. None of these were Edition 1’s. A Dakota Brown C63 was sitting in the corner of the factory waiting for final inspection. Two Iridium Silver cars in the parking lot which made my day LOL and one vehicle in Black with Ceramic Brakes. Again, I do not have any pictures so please do not ask.
Two C450’s were on the assembly line as well. They looked nice and sleek. Please do not turn this into a bashing of the C450. At the Brand Immersion center, there is an entire AMG section. On display was the M177 engine. See the pictures below for a closer look at the engine!
Enjoy!!. Seems like I was right on the time it took to build the cars haha! :P Also what's your opinion of the quality control in the factory since plenty of W205 C class owners have had issues with improperly aligned tail lights, issues with wind noise etc.
03-11-2015, 11:23 PM
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03-11-2015, 11:59 PM
#10
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No, every single AMG engine is hand-built in Affalterbach and then they're shipped in crates to the U.S.
This has been covered by several AMG representatives, including William Vetter and Tobias Moers, on the Private Lounge.
03-12-2015, 12:04 AM
#11
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03-12-2015, 01:23 AM
#12
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Man, that engine looks great! Out of curiosity, does the M177 have a dipstick and a top-mounted oil filter? I like doing my own basic maintenance and oil changes on Benzes are stupidly fast and easy with that setup. Extracting the oil and changing the filter takes 30 minutes tops and there's no lifting the car and getting on your back!
03-12-2015, 08:18 AM
#14
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Yes, ALL of the engines are assembled in Germany and then shipped to various locations. This was just a mock up of how Affalterbach looks. I have been inside Affalterbach; that is truly INSANE.
Thank you for all of the positive comments. I am glad I can help everyone on here.
Thank you for all of the positive comments. I am glad I can help everyone on here.
03-12-2015, 08:19 AM
#15
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Man, that engine looks great! Out of curiosity, does the M177 have a dipstick and a top-mounted oil filter? I like doing my own basic maintenance and oil changes on Benzes are stupidly fast and easy with that setup. Extracting the oil and changing the filter takes 30 minutes tops and there's no lifting the car and getting on your back!
I honestly didn't look hard enough into that. I will let you know when my car shows up here at the end of April.
03-12-2015, 08:35 AM
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i was just kidding. Thank you for sharing your story.
03-12-2015, 12:55 PM
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03-12-2015, 01:35 PM
#21
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03-12-2015, 02:00 PM
#23
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