Mercedes develops strategy of the future as Germany sets carbon-neutral aims

Germany has set the target of being carbon neutral by 2045, with the Berlin government's stated aim to drop emissions to 60 percent of 1990 levels by the end of this decade.

Balancing those goals with keeping manufacturing profitable is no easy task. Mercedes, one of Germany's blue-chip manufacturing firms, has developed what it calls the factory of the future in its bid to stay successful while meeting its environmental obligations.

‌The plant is around 20 kilometers outside Stuttgart, billed by Mercedes as CO2-neutral and the jewel in the crown of the carmaker's domestic production. 

‌"It's digital, efficient, flexible and sustainable, carbon neutral," Jörg Burzer, the Mercedes board member in charge of production, quality and supply chain management, told CGTN.

"Let's start with flexibility. We can produce all variants of the S-Class. The Maybach, the S-Class hybrid, gasoline diesel engines and the electric vehicle are all on one line. So that means it's flexible and we can react very fast to market demands," he said.

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‌Burzer explained that another aim of the plant is to waste as little energy as possible and where it can generate its own. "We have a photovoltaic system, for example, on the roof, which covers 30 per cent of the electricity demand for the production here, electricity storage, outside, if the sun is shining, it stores energy. If the sun is not shining, we use it for our production here."

‌The facility in Sindelfingen is a huge operation; it is spread out over 220 square thousand square meters, which is roughly the size of 30 football pitches.

Robotics plays a big role in production. Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are constantly shuttling around the factory floor. Burzer told CGTN that artificial intelligence is also becoming an integral part of the modern car factory.

He added: "It helps us a lot. We use CHAT GPT in our daily work. And so we have some pilots running in the plant here. We can use artificial intelligence to sort out anything. And this is the next step for efficiency gains in efficiency progress in automotive production."

‌Any advantage may become essential. Just this week German economy minister Robert Habeck made gloomy predictions for the state of the economy.

"The economy and the economic outlook this year are still characterized by the crisis of the geopolitical crisis in which we find ourselves. The growth of German GDP, in particular, is extremely dependent on global trade. Global trade is developing at a historically low level," he warned.

‌If Germany is to marry its goal of climate neutrality by 2045 with maintaining its relevance globally in manufacturing, production facilities like this one could be could be part of the solution.

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