Gasoline and diesel engines are currently being built at the Mercedes-Benz engine plant in Kölleda. There was speculation about the future of the plant in view of the trend towards electromobility. Now there is perspective.
Stuttgart/Kölleda (dpa/th) – The car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz wants to set up battery assembly at the MDC engine plant in Kölleda in the future. Talks with the state government are on the right track, a final decision can be expected in a few weeks, said production and logistics manager Jörg Burzer. The Thuringian Ministry of Economics made a similar statement. According to Burzer, the first plants should start up at the site with 1,300 permanent employees from 2026 or 2027. In addition to batteries, internal combustion engines will continue to be built there for the time being.
The future of the large plant, which, including service providers, should give work to up to 2000 people, was discussed again and again in view of the trend towards electromobility. So far, petrol and diesel engines for a large number of car plants have been produced in Kölleda.
Mercedes wants to produce half of its cars electrically by 2025 and to be able to build only electric cars by 2030. Overall, the company wants to spend a mid-single-digit billion amount for locations in Europe and China in the next few years. This should also secure employment. The company did not say on Wednesday how much money was specifically invested in Kölleda.
Thuringia’s Economics Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee (SPD) called the decision to set up battery production an “important contribution to securing the location”. Support for the project was promised as part of regional funding. Tiefensee: “The state government will do its utmost to support Mercedes-Benz’s efforts to retain jobs at the location and to make the company future-proof in the long term.” According to the ministry, an investment period up to the end of 2026 is targeted for the restructuring of the site. It is important that engine production continues.
The Mercedes-Benz subsidiary MDC Power has been producing petrol and diesel engines in Kölleda since 2003. According to the company, more than 12 million engines have been built to date.
According to the employers and works council, the decision was preceded by a tough struggle over the future of the German locations. Ultimately, none of the powertrain manufacturing facilities are included in the plans, Burzer said. According to the head of the works council, Ergun Lümali, the employees are faced with a number of requirements in terms of flexibility: If necessary, additional shifts or temporary night shifts are more likely to be possible. “We haven’t made any material concessions at all.” At Mercedes-Benz, redundancies for operational reasons are excluded until 2030.
The managing director of the Thuringian industry association automotive thuringia, Rico Chmelik, expects the decision by Mercedes-Benz in favor of Kölleda to have a signal effect. Due to new settlements and investment decisions that have already been made, there are good prerequisites for a growth core of electromobility in the Free State.
Chmelik mentioned the battery cell plant currently under construction by the Chinese manufacturer CATL, new battery management systems from Marquardt, research facilities in Jena or the investment by Bosch Eisenach for the expansion of 48V technology for hybrid vehicles. There is further potential around these beacons. Chmelik called for Thuringia to be included in the network of the German Center for Future Mobility planned by the federal government.
Mercedes-Benz also announced that the ramp-up for batteries for new all-electric models will start in Kamenz, Saxony, and in Brühl at the Untertürkheim site from 2024. In Beijing, China, this is planned from 2025. Batteries are currently being manufactured at all three locations.
