Andreas Brand has high hopes for Mercedes-Benz SA growth — though some government ‘initiative’ would help.
To say that Andreas Brand is spearheading the next phase of the growth strategy at Mercedes-Benz SA would be particularly appropriate. When he succeeded Andreas Engling as CEO in May, he was presented with a traditional African spear during a ceremony, complete with dancing and praise-singers, in front of workers at the company’s East London vehicle assembly plant.
MBSA is not immune. It may be a jewel in the international Mercedes-Benz crown but Brand confirms that, 15 months after completion of a R13bn upgrade to build the new C-Class car range, East London is still not producing at full capacity. Despite operating 24 hours a day, five days a week, he says “constraints”, mainly related to global components shortages, including semiconductor microchips, remain a limiting factor.
This is the fifth C-Class generation to be made in East London, which exports the cars to more than 80 countries, mainly in Europe, Asia and North America. This makes for complicated manufacturing. The global company has made it clear that it will phase out hybrid and ICE versions from all model ranges in coming years. Brand acknowledges that, long term, East London will also have to follow the all-electric route. For now, most production is ICE cars, though “the hybrid ratio is increasing”.
Raine doubts that any of them will return to the heights of their glory days. For Mercedes-Benz, he thinks 3% is a realistic goal in present circumstances. Besides the plant itself, the company has also attracted dozens of multinational and local components suppliers to East London. Local content in C-Class cars, says Brand, is 35%-40% — which, though short of the SA motor industry average, is an improvement on previous C-Class models.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
DAVID FURLONGER: C-ing into the futureAndreas Brand has high hopes for Mercedes-Benz SA growth — though some government ‘initiative’ would help.
Read more »
SEE | FNB spruces up famous acacia tree logo, overhauls app in brand redesign | Fin24In the biggest change in 35 years at First National Bank, the lender is undertaking a significant brand redesign and overhauling its digital platforms to create new payment features. | News24_Business
Read more »
Cool Ideas beats Afrihost, RSAWeb, and Herotel in customer satisfactionResearch by Analytico reveals how South Africa’s top ISPs compare on customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.
Read more »
Bad times can’t keep SA down as brand value hits $215bnEven in an age of load-shedding and a struggling economy, the nation’s brand value is up.
Read more »
Black Coffee purchases neighbour's home so he can party with friendsDJ Black Coffee shares the reason why he bought his neighbour's home. It's all about separating his brand as a DJ from his life as a family man.
Read more »
DAVID FURLONGER: C-ing into the futureAndreas Brand has high hopes for Mercedes-Benz SA growth — though some government ‘initiative’ would help.
Read more »