Mercedes-Benz transmission plant reaches milestone

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Daimler Press Release  /  November 12, 2018

• Successful production of transmissions for Daimler Trucks & Buses since 1955
• Transmissions made in Gaggenau are used in seven vehicle brands of Daimler Trucks & Buses worldwide
• Frank Reintjes, Head of Global Powertrain, E-Mobility & Manufacturing Engineering Daimler Trucks: "Five million transmissions 'Made in Gaggenau' are an impressive milestone for both Gaggenau and our global production network: they stand for reliably high quality, for 63 years of competence and experience in the Daimler Trucks manufacturing network and not least for millions of satisfied customers worldwide."
• Matthias Jurytko, Head of Operations at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Gaggenau: "The only way to successfully produce this magnitude of transmissions and with this quality, is to have a highly-qualified and motivated team work hand-in-hand and with the greatest commitment. We can all be very proud of this at the plant."

Gaggenau – The Mercedes-Benz plant at Gaggenau has set another milestone in its long history. On 12 November 2018 the five millionth commercial vehicle transmission left the production line at Rastatt's Gaggenau plant. The proud production team watched the 12-speed automated transmission (G330) ceremoniously leaving the production line – which is going to be exhibited, on show at the Rastatt plant. Dr. Frank Reintjes, Head of Global Powertrain, E-Mobility & Manufacturing Engineering Daimler Trucks acknowledged this very special achievement: "Five million transmissions 'Made in Gaggenau' are an impressive milestone for both Gaggenau and our global production network: they stand for reliably high quality, for 63 years of competence and experience in the Daimler Trucks manufacturing network and not least for millions of satisfied customers worldwide."

The plant located in the northern Black Forest region boasts a long tradition of producing transmissions and can fall back on a great deal of experience: the production of the first special transmissions for the Mercedes-Benz Unimog began there in 1951. Production of medium-duty and heavy-duty transmissions for trucks and buses followed in 1955. Now part of a global production network, the Gaggenau plant delivers its drive assemblies and components the world over: to the truck assembly plant in Wörth in Germany's Rhineland-Palatinate region; to the Turkish plant in Aksaray; to Brazil, Japan, India, Mexico and the USA, for example. The medium and heavy-duty transmissions from Gaggenau are fitted in seven Daimler Truck and Bus brands: Mercedes-Benz, Setra, Fuso, Western Star, Freightliner, Thomas Built Buses and BharatBenz.

Dr. Matthias Jurytko, Head of Operations at the plant thanked employees for their commitment during the ceremony: "Five million heavy-duty transmissions in 63 years once more underscores our excellent competence as a transmissions plant as well as the huge capacity of our factory. The only way to successfully produce this magnitude of transmissions and with this quality, is to have a highly-qualified and motivated team work hand-in-hand with the greatest commitment. We can all be very proud of this at the plant."

Michael Brecht, Head of the Works Council also praised his colleagues: This is a fantastic achievement of the whole team, and each and every one should be very proud of that. Especially in the last few months the workload was extremely high due to an ever increasing output. We have already made a lot of investments in order to increase capacity and we will continue with those in the next two years. Therefore, I would like to give my special thanks to all colleagues – you do a brilliant job!” 

About the powerful manual transmissions for Daimler commercial vehicles

The medium and heavy-duty transmissions are fitted in vehicles with the greatest output. These include the Mercedes-Benz Actros, the long-distance haulage truck and the Mercedes-Benz Arocs for construction site operations, the Mercedes-Benz Atego for short-radius distribution as well as the touring coaches, intercity and urban buses from Setra and Mercedes-Benz. Global Daimler truck brands fitted with transmissions from Gaggenau include the Freightliner Cascadia and Fuso Super Great.

Over the years and during numerous development cycles, the manual transmissions have become increasingly fuel-efficient and consequently more economic for customers. This is mostly thanks to the aluminium housing whose weight has been continually optimised. A further important innovation was the move from manual transmissions to fully-automated manual transmissions that provide for further fuel savings, particularly in long-distance haulage thanks to finely tuned gearshift processes. The automated transmissions have been produced at the plant since the 1990s. Truck and bus transmissions of the current generation weigh between 200 and 300 kilograms, are over a metre in length and house 15 individual cogs and ripples. The fully-automated manual transmissions impress with easy operation, a high degree of shifting and driving comfort as well as low fuel consumption.  

About the production of heavy-duty transmissions at the Gaggenau plant

Highly complex manual transmissions have been produced in the northern Black Forest region since 1955 – initially directly in Gaggenau and later in the Rastatt plant. Until 1965 when the Mercedes-Benz plant in Wörth was opened, cab-over-engine trucks like the "millipede" or the round-nosed trucks were produced in Gaggenau. After that, production focused on transmissions, axles and components for commercial vehicles and the Unimog.

Whilst production of the first million manual transmissions took just over 20 years, only six years were needed for the fifth million. An overview of all production milestones since 1955: one million by 1976, two million by 1986, three million by 1993, four million by 2012 and five million by 2018.

About the global platform strategy at Daimler Trucks

For more than ten years now, Daimler Trucks has been relying on one uniform platform for the drivetrain for heavy-duty trucks. This comprises for the most part the engine, axles and transmission. The transmission generation in which production and the major components are standardised, is designed such that it can be adapted flexibly and individually to customer and market demands in the USA, Europe and Japan using the same technology. Detroit Diesel began series production of the automated DT12 transmission for the NAFTA market in 2015.
In a close cooperation, staff from Gaggenau helped their colleagues with the run-up at the site in Detroit and trained them in modern production processes. 

About Global Powertrain at Daimler Trucks

Global Powertrain doesn't just stand for integrated powertrains, but also for the integration of all global locations and the relevant functional areas along the value-added chain. The division produces innovative and reliable drive components with internationally uniform quality standards. The components are fitted in all of Daimler's commercial vehicle divisions and brands as well as in those of external customers. The drivetrain makes up approximately 50 percent of the added value of a truck – the largest share in fact – and thus makes an important contribution to the economic success and growth of Daimler Trucks.

About the Mercedes-Benz Gaggenau plant

The Mercedes-Benz Gaggenau plant was founded in 1894 as "Bergmann-Industriewerke GmbH" and is the oldest automotive manufacturing plant in the world. With around 6300 employees, it is not only the biggest employer in the town but also the region's most active company for apprenticeships. In addition to transmissions for all Daimler vehicle divisions, planetary and portal axles as well as torque converters for passenger cars are also produced at this plant. The Mercedes-Benz plant at Gaggenau is the Centre of Competence for commercial vehicle transmissions in the international Daimler AG manufacturing network. The staff support quality management worldwide, help with run-ups on site and train international teams at the Gaggenau plant.

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