Daimler Truck Southern Africa’s East London assembly plant has reason to celebrate cracking the nod from Daimler Trucks’ Woerth production facility to assemble and hand over the company’s 800 000th Mercedes-Benz CKD truck to a loyal South African customer.
The milestone CKD Mercedes-Benz Actros 2645LS/33 officially rolled off the Daimler Truck Southern Africa (DTSA) East London assembly line on 12 August to a festive reception attended by DTSA staff and the man who bought the truck, Nelen Gounder, CEO of Sesfigile Logistics and Safety One Logistics.
Proving its Woerth
Daimler Truck’s Woerth production facility has much to be proud of, with a trucking history to make any enthusiast’s eyes gleam. Apart from being Mercedes-Benz Trucks’ largest truck assembly plant with a history dating back to 1963, the facility builds the Actros, Arocs and Atego model series and the Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks, namely the Econic, Unimog and Zetros.
In 2021, series production of the battery-electric Mercedes-Benz eActros 300/400 for distribution haulage started in the plant. In 2022, the second Mercedes-Benz eEconic electric series-production truck for municipal use followed. In October 2023, the eActros 600 for long-distance haulage was presented to the global public and will go into series production in Woerth at the end of 2024.
With around 10 000 employees, the Mercedes-Benz Woerth plant is the second largest employer in Rhineland-Palatinate. Research, development, and production work hand in hand at the site, which covers an area of almost three million square meters, and are closely interlinked, among other things, by the EVZ Development and Truck Testing Center located at the site.
“The Woerth plant is an integral partner contributing to our company’s success due to their high reliability, flexibility and quality standards. Being able to produce our products from CKD-Kits instead of importing fully-built-units (FBUs) has a major cost advantage for our customers and allows DTSA to remain competitive within the market,” says Olaf Petersen, vice-president, Sales & Marketing, DTSA.
“I would like to congratulate Sesfigile Logistics and Safety One Logistics for taking delivery of the 800 000th CKD truck. This unit, in particular, was built by our highly capable staff with the most amazing, proudly South African, spirit and pride.”
CKD truck assembly prowess in East London
The DTSA assembly plant in East London also has a rich history spanning more than 60 years. The very first Mercedes-Benz truck, the L-type, rolled off the Eastern Cape assembly line in 1962.
Employing approximately 300 people, the plant is a crucial employer for the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality and currently one of the biggest CKD plants for Daimler Truck outside of Europe. In 2019, DTSA also received the 750 000th CKD unit for assembly – a Mercedes-Benz Actros 2652 LS 6×4.
According to Gladstone Mtyoko, vice-president for Manufacturing, DTSA: “Our plant operates in a very complex production environment, as products from four different source plants are assembled on a single production line. Despite this complexity, we consistently deliver the highest quality products for our customers.
“The assembly of the 800 000th CKD unit is a massive milestone for the Woerth plant, as well as our local assembly plant. Being selected to assemble this unit was a great honor for our employees and motivates the team to continue delivering each unit on the assembly line with the same passion and dedication.”
A versatile truck for two busy fleets
Sesfigile Logistics runs a fleet of over 200 trucks transporting petroleum and beverages nationally and cross-border. Safety One Logistics offers logistics services for petroleum and the handling of specialised products.
“We believe in keeping up with the latest truck technology to remain competitive, hence forging a strong partnership with the Mercedes-Benz Trucks brand and NMI Commercial Vehicles Durban. The safety features of Mercedes-Benz Trucks are unparalleled and paramount to our service offering.
“Taking delivery of the 800 000th CKD truck holds special significance for us, as this year, Sesfigile Logistics is celebrating its 20-year anniversary and Safety One Logistics its 10-year anniversary. This unit not only represents our amazing history but also a start of a new decade for both companies, rejuvenating our brand identities and values,” concludes Gounder.
FleetWatch always gets a rev when big numbers trigger the party bells and 800 000 kit trucks since ’63 shipped all around the world is quite some achievement. Well done to all involved in getting the milestone truck onto Southern African roads.
