Mercedes-Benz and Siemens partner to digitise manufacturing

Mercedes-Benz and Siemens plan to cooperate on advancing digitalisation and automation in the automotive industry, supported by the State of Berlin.

Mercedes-Benz aims to digitise its production processes, and Siemens will bring its expertise and technologies to the partnership to develop highly flexible, efficient and sustainable automotive production together with Mercedes-Benz, according to the two companies.

“Mercedes-Benz takes digitalisation to the next level in the global Mercedes-Benz Cars production network. Together with Siemens, we are driving forward the development of sustainable future technologies – from Berlin for the whole world,” said Jörg Burzer, member of the board of Mercedes-Benz.

In this context, the Mercedes-Benz Berlin-Marienfelde site in Germany will be transformed into a competence centre for digitalisation with a focus on the development and implementation of the digital Mercedes-Benz Cars ecosystem MO360, in addition to the redesign of production activities. In the future, e-mobility components will also be assembled in Berlin.

The company wants to secure the future for the Berlin plant, which is the oldest site in the Mercedes-Benz global powertrain production network. The Mercedes-Benz Digital Factory Campus in Berlin is the technological and digital nucleus for the whole Mercedes-Benz Cars production network. Its objective is to roll out the new developments that have been tested in Berlin at the Mercedes-Benz plants worldwide and to provide the users with the required qualifications.

“We are further expanding our decades-long successful cooperation with Mercedes-Benz in the field of engineering and production,” said Cedrik Neike, member of the board of Siemens and CEO of Digital Industries. “Together, we want to take the next big step towards sustainable and even more competitive automotive production. To achieve this, both partners rely on end-to-end digital technologies to connect technology, sustainability and new working environments more closely than ever before.”

The State Government of Berlin says it welcomes and supports both the clear commitment to the production and innovation location, the transformation and the cooperation between the two companies. The State of Berlin will support the partnership, which is part of the “excellent science and start-up landscape” in Berlin. Against this background, Michael Müller, the Governing Mayor of Berlin, says he will sponsor the cooperation.

“[The] agreement is a clear commitment by Mercedes-Benz and Siemens to Berlin as a location for innovation and production,” Müller said. “Both companies have long-established and close ties to Berlin. With their strategic partnership, they are strengthening Berlin’s leading scientific and research location and can secure jobs and training places.

“We are very pleased that Siemens and Mercedes-Benz want to jointly advance the digitalisation of production processes from here — and we are very happy to support networking and cooperation with potential partners from science, research and business who are working here in the capital on future-oriented digital solutions for industrial applications and production.”

Image: Mercedes-Benz Digital Factory Campus, Berlin-Marienfelde