Assembly plant smartville in Hambach, France, opened

  • Date
    27 October 1997
  • Description
    In the presence of French President Jacques Chirac, German Chancellor Dr Helmut Kohl and Daimler-Benz's Chairman of the Board of Management, Jürgen E. Schrempp, Micro Compact Car AG opens its smartville assembly plant in Hambach, France.
In the presence of French President Jacques Chirac, German Chancellor Dr Helmut Kohl and Daimler-Benz's Chairman of the Board of Management, Jürgen E. Schrempp, Micro Compact Car AG opens its smartville assembly plant in Hambach, France on October 27, 1997.
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smartville in Hambach, 1997
In December 1994 the management board of Daimler-Benz AG decides that the smart will be built in Hambach-Saargemünd, in Lorraine/France. MCC France SAS is specifically founded for this purpose. It assumes responsibility for the production of the smart in a brand new industrial park in Hambach, Lorraine. The decision in favour of Hambach is taken after a careful assessment of more than 70 possible locations and is regarded as a commitment to Europe. Central European and located in close proximity to the German border, "smartville" is near many international traffic arteries. It is located near the A4 Strasbourg – Paris motorway plus a railway. In addition, the Sarreguemines region offers a large pool of qualified workers. The production of the smart is established from the ground up, featuring an all- new modular concept, to achieve maximum efficiencies in the process flow. After abandoning considerations of a U- and L-shaped configuration of the assembly line the engineers come up with the idea to split th
A97F4889
The production of the smart
The production of the smart is established from the ground up, featuring an all- new modular concept, to achieve maximum efficiencies in the process flow. After abandoning considerations of a U- and L-shaped configuration of the assembly line the engineers come up with the idea to split the entire line into four parts. These parts share a common centre and a continuous “chain of pearls” runs through them as the assembly line. The idea of the assembly cross is born, which optimally fulfils the various logistics and assembly requirements. Described in a simplified fashion, the four branches are responsible for the following activities: cockpit integration into the freshly powder-coated steel body, engineering work underneath the car including powertrain integration (the “marriage”); fitting the vehicle with body panels, doors and windows, including installation of the seats, accessories and wheels plus finishing and final inspection. This structure requires only little space. The maximum distances betwe
A97F4895
The production of the smart
smartville, the production facility for the smart City Coupe in Hambach, France, 1998
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smartville in Hambach
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