Mercedes-Benz outlines new production 'ecosystem'

A new digital production ‘ecosystem’ dubbed MO360 will bolster production of the seventh-generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class limousine in Sindelfingen, Germany.

Production is set to begin at the new facility dubbed Factory 56 in September, when the all-new Mercedes-Benz S-Class will be officially launched following leaked images and then official teaser shots in May.

Since then Mercedes-Benz revealed details of its new flagship sedan’s next-generation MBUX infotainment system and its advanced safety systems. The third and final part of the W223 to be revealed before its launch will be a new interior and ‘well being’ concept later this week.

Entirely paperless and completely digital, the new S-Class production facility will feature ‘inch-perfect’ real-time tracking of all vehicles in the production line, powered by a 5G data network.

Factory 56 will be the first physical evidence of the new MO360 production ecosystem and will be a blueprint for all future Mercedes-Benz plants.

“The key enablers of the new digital ecosystem are smart data usage, maximum transparency and streamlined processes”, said a spokesperson for the German car-maker.

"Thanks to improved processes, comprehensive data availability in our MO360 data lake and fast decisions based on real-time data, we will be able to increase production efficiency by more than 15 per cent by 2022.”

Benz says MO360 integrates the information from the main production processes and IT systems of the more than 30 Mercedes-Benz passenger car plants worldwide and brings together important software applications.

It’s also said to be able to offer real-time individual, needs-based information and work instructions to each employee, in turn delivering “significantly optimised KPI-based production control”.

Mercedes-Benz says the ecosystem is based on several strategic pillars including driving digitalisation forward, using resources sustainably and providing maximum operating safety and efficiency.

A ‘Smart Maintenance’ application will also connect all Mercedes-Benz plants around the world to each other, and be able to detect when an electric motor in a production facility will need replacing, for example.