60 years on, Daimler’s diamond shines bright in East London

December 9, 2021

November 23 represented a significant milestone in the history of Daimler Trucks & Buses Southern Africa (DTBSA), as the diamond anniversary celebrations for the company’s East London assembly plant kicked off.

As one of the cornerstones of Daimler’s completely knocked-down (CKD) production and assembly network outside Germany, the DTBSA plant on South Africa’s east coast has been assembling and producing pioneering vehicles ever since it rolled South Africa’s first L-series Mercedes-Benz truck off the production line way back in 1962.

Ten years on from its 50^th anniversary celebrations, next year marks six decades of manufacturing excellence at the 50 237 m²plant. The celebrations commenced with the launch of 60 state-of-the-art Mercedes-Benz Actros 2645 LS and 2652 LS truck models, which will be enhanced with a host of “60^th Edition” features and fitted with numerous high-quality accessories. (Watch this space for a full report on the truck; we drove it while in East London.)

The company is quick to emphasise the fact that although they are to an extent symbolic, all of these features will, just like the Actros itself, “meet Mercedes-Benz highest standards of quality to ensure safety, efficiency, and comfort,” while at the same time adding a special sparkle to the cab. There will be further celebrations throughout the coming year; and to further commemorate this historic event, DTBSA will be attaching 60^th anniversary badges to all Mercedes-Benz and FUSO trucks and Mercedes-Benz buses produced in the plant throughout 2022.

The East London assembly plant supports the local industry by using a variety of major local parts such as tyres, fifth wheels, chevron boards, batteries, and fuel filters. The plant also continues to play a major role in the local community, employing 170 hourly and 45 monthly paid employees. The activities at the plant are central to the ongoing success of the Port of East London (South Africa’s only remaining river port), which is situated just 3 km away at the mouth of the Buffalo River. This is a crucial factor supporting the commercial integration of the region.

DTBSA is delighted to be leading by example in East London and continuing to be a major driving force for overall positive economic growth in the Eastern Cape. Michael Dietz, DTBSA President and CEO, is effusive in his praise for the facility’s ongoing excellence and his vision for the future: “I am extremely proud of the rich history of the Daimler brands, which span centuries, and the strong heritage that we have built over the years,” he says. “This significant milestone serves as a strong reaffirmation of our ongoing commitment to offering innovative trucks and buses that are engineered, developed and rigorously tested to meet the unique requirements of our customers.”

Gladstone Mtyoko, vice-president manufacturing at DTBSA, is equally optimistic about the future of the plant, pointing to highlights of the past as indicators of DTBSA’s continual striving for excellence: “Some of our major highlights down the years include almost a decade of Unimog assembly, from 1981 to 1990; the assembly of the OH bus chassis for the 2010 Soccer World Cup; the introduction of the one-line concept in 2017, whereby all products are placed on a single line; and the commencement of Fuso 2628 Construction and Sleepercab model assembly in 2021,” he says. “In mid-2019, the product testing department also conducted three complete teardowns of Mercedes-Benz OM926 engines over four days – the first time we had ever completely torn down this engine model.”

Mtyoko emphasises two significant and symbolic moments at the East London plant: “In 2015 the assembly team produced the 125 000^th CKD truck in South Africa, while in 2019 the plant celebrated the 750 000^th global CKD truck kit assembly for Daimler.”

Looking forward, Mtyoko reiterates the ongoing importance of the plant to DTBSA’s regional footprint, saying: “The East London plant has long been the backbone aiding truck sales in Southern Africa, and provides rigorous testing for Daimler Truck AG (DTAG), including endurance testing on new technologies.”

Mtyoko notes that the plant handles trucks and engines not only from DTAG, but also from Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC), Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) and Mercedes-Benz Brazil (MBBras), while the plant has completed an impressive total of 37,21 million test kilometres in the East London area, including testing the Mercedes-Benz Actros for the last decade.

He likewise points to the critical role that South Africa plays in Daimler’s global testing network. “South Africa remains a preferred testing region, due to the challenging topography and prevailing climate conditions. The temperatures range from -15°C to 42°C, while altitude can change from 42 m to 1 844 m above sea level in the space of 320 km,” he says. “Test trucks are fully laden, completing 1 240 km per day over two shifts, and because of the unforgiving testing conditions, results for drivetrain tests are achieved three times faster than usual.”

One of the reasons for the success of the assembly plant, says Dietz, is the vital central cog of the enterprise – DTBSA’s employees, without whom the plant’s first-class facilities and top-of-the-range equipment would never be able to excel. Dietz makes a point of highlighting his staff’s exceptional performance, passion for excellence, and willingness to go the extra mile to ensure high-quality products, concluding, “It is for this reason that we will continue to invest in the Eastern Cape region and its people, to ensure positive economic impact.”

Clearly, if the last 60 years are anything to go by, DTBSA’s East London assembly plant looks set to cement its lasting legacy in the Eastern Cape, the country and the Southern African region as a whole, continuing to raise standards of safety, excellence and innovation, while acting as a positive force for upliftment in the community and the local business sector.