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| MEXICO BUREAU - 212.744.4328 |
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Daimler Primed to Respond to Rebound in Friday, February 27, 2009, Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico: Mexican President Felipe Calderón attended the grand opening of Daimler Trucks North America’s (DTNA) new, futuristic US $300 million manufacturing plant in Saltillo, Coahuila in Northern Mexico. Cited for logistical benefits, the new facility serves as a template for Daimler Truck Group facilities worldwide, and will utilize the most advanced and lean manufacturing processes and techniques in the truck industry. The 740 acre green-field site will produce up to 30,000 of Freightliner’s new flagship Cascadia model Class 8 Truck. Demonstrating a strong commitment to quality, Daimler brought the entire operations team on board a full two-years ahead of completion. Production personnel were brought in four months ahead of production, as opposed to the usual two to four weeks, for screening, training, and qualifying. Employment projections: 1200 direct, 300 indirect and 170 management personnel, and is expected to generate an additional 1,100 jobs with local suppliers. Environmental standards: industry-forward waste treatment which recycles 90 percent of all material, hazardous waste co-processing, zero landfill policy, integration of green areas to reduce wind damage, rapid-charged fork-lifts, no petroleum-based fuel in rapid-charged electric tugger trains, recessed/solar controlled windows to decrease air conditioning demands, apertures to provide naturally light in assembly areas, and more. The Saltillo locale was chosen for significant advantages such as proximity to raw materials, suppliers, roads and rail and offers space for future expansion that will enable DTNA to respond to a rebound in the truck market. The plant was sited in Saltillo on account of the good experiences Daimler Trucks has had in Mexico. The decision in favor of northern Mexico was also influenced by the site's significant logistical advantages, including proximity to raw material sources, suppliers, and customers, as well as good connections with the road and rail network. The plant will produce Freightliner's new flagship, the Cascadia heavy-duty Class 8 truck. The plant in Saltillo can produce up to 30,000 Cascadia trucks annually for sale in the US, Canadian, and Mexican markets. The Cascadia will be introduced in the Mexican domestic market in late 2009. The Saltillo plant is the second Daimler Trucks North America manufacturing facility to be located in Mexico, joining the Santiago Tianguistenco plant, which produces Freightliner-branded heavy and medium-duty trucks for domestic Mexico sales, as well as for export to Latin America, the United States, and Canada.
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