Eastward Expansion – VOLK Electric Trucks in Daimler Plant Kecskemét

<H1>Herzlich Willkommen bei VOLK Fahrzeugbau GmbH!<H1> Fahrersitzwagen und Fahrersitzschlepper mit Elektro-, Diesel-, Hybrid- und Treibgasantrieb für den Einsatz in der Industrie, auf Flughäfen und im kommunalen Bereich.


	Eastward Expansion –

VOLK Electric Trucks in Daimler Plant Kecskemét

Kecskemét, 22.04.2011 – In the small Hungarian town Kecskemét, located about 80 kilometers south of Buda-
pest, one of the most modern automobile plants in all of Europe is currently being built. The automobile manu-
facturer Daimler is investing around 800 million euros at this site and expects to profit from this with an increased competitive edge and the improved development of the Eastern European markets.

The future sees Mercedes A and B class vehicles leav-
ing the production lines in Kecskemét. Daimler is ho-
ping for a growing demand for the two smallest Merce-
des models in Eastern Europe in the years to come. In Rastatt, the only previous location for these compact
models, a production network with the new manufactu-
ring plant in Kecskemét is planned for the future.

Around 2.500 employees will work at the Hungarian
plant. In the mid-term, this will create up to 10.000 new




	Let’s go east – VOLK EFW 2 Electric Platform Trucks on their way to the Hungarian puszta

jobs from local suppliers. From 2012, more than 100.000 vehicles will leave the production lines in Kecskemét each year. In order to successfully adhere to this ambitious schedule, there is still a hustle and bustle of activity at the building site close to the M5 highway. More than 2.000 workers are working full swing at Europe's currently largest factory construction site to ensure the timely production launch. Industrial planners, construction supervisors, and the project managers of numerous external suppliers responsible for the production facilities, share a two-level container colony from where the building project is managed and coordinated.




	Caution! Wet paint – The just completed painting facility towers over the Mercedes plant in Kecskemét; with a total height of 28 meters, it is the tallest building on the company premises

It was less than two years ago that rye, corn and sun-
flowers swayed in the winds where now the building cranes pivot. Built on the endless fields of the Hungarian Puszta, the new Daimler plant is therefore truly a "green-
field site" factory. After the fundamental decision in favor of a plant in Hungary had been made in the summer of 2008, the foundation stone was already laid in the fol-
lowing year – during the peak of the global financial and economic crisis.

The achievements made in the meantime are impres-
sing: During excavation work, around 2.5 million cubic meters of ground have been moved. That corresponds
to almost 250.000 truckloads. Subsequently, the press shop, the body production hall, the painting facility, the assembly hall, the service center and an administration building were rapidly constructed. Thereby an approxi-
mately 230.000 square meter area was overbuilt with a total of 35.000 tons of steel and 160.000 cubic meters of concrete. Only one year after the construction work had begun, a topping-out ceremony was celebrated in the

presence of the Hungarian Minister of Economic Affairs. If everything continues to go according to plan, the installa-
tion of the technical equipment and production facilities will be completed in just a few weeks, enabling trial opera-
tions to begin already in the fall.

And before we forget: For internal transport matters, the decision makers in Kecskemét rely on VOLK. Therefore, a fleet of seven VOLK Electric Platform Trucks will be part of the team when the pre-production phase starts.




	Europe's largest factory building site – Along the access road, which carries the name of company founder Gottlieb Daimler, an extensive layout of factory halls with a total area of around 230.000 square meters are being built

		innovation@work^®