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Mercedes-Benz invests €1 billion in new car plant in Hungary

The German automotive giant is starting construction of its first “Full-Flex Plant” in Kecskemét, Hungary, about 90 km in the south of Budapest.

Overall, the company is investing one billion euros in the new car plant and creating over 2’500 jobs. The first global “Full-Flex Plant” of Mercedes-Benz Cars is – according to the company – the next step on the road to smart production. It is based on the “Factory 56” principles, meaning that it is digitised consistently, designed for sustainable production and puts the human right at the centre of all activities. Also, the plant is not only digitised consistently according to Industry 4.0, it is also connected to other productions in the global production network. “With an investment of one billion euros, we are building in Hungary the first ‘Full-Flex Plant’ in the global production network of Mercedes-Benz Cars. In a ‘Full-Flex Plant’, several vehicle architectures from compact models to rear-wheel drive sedans and various drive forms, including electric vehicles, can be flexibly produced on one line. Thereby we lift the production concept of ‘Factory 56’ to the next level,” says Markus Schäfer, Member of the Divisional Board of Mercedes-Benz Cars, Manufacturing and Supply Chain, in a press release. The new car plant in Kecskemét will consist of a press shop, a body-in-white shop, a paint shop and an assembly. The area under construction is 382’033 square metres – which for the sport fanatic is equivalent to about 54 football pitches. “Our existing Mercedes-Benz plant in Kecskemét has been a real success story since production started in 2012. Here we produce compact vehicles with front-wheel drive architecture for the world market. Today we continue to write history, as the second plant in Kecskemét not only contributes to the growth of the Hungarian automotive industry, but also provides future generations with direct access to international expertise and creates attractive long-term jobs,” says Christian Wolff, CEO Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing Hungary Kft. and site manager of Mercedes-Benz Kecskemét plant.