Inside Mercedes’ factory of the future: Paperless, solar-powered and carbon-conscious

Mercedes' Factory 56 is invested in sustainable car manufacturing with a paperless process, solar-powered energy and automated systems aimed at reducing carbon emissions and resource consumption.

Cars being manufactured at Mercedes-Benz's Factory 56 in Sindelfingen, Germany. [SARAH CHEA]

SINDELFINGEN, Germany — Hundreds of luxurious Mercedes-Maybach EQS sedans are lined up on a conveyor belt, each car sporting a bar code and a QR code.

These codes contain all the data needed for production, as Mercedes aims to move closer to carbon neutrality by eliminating paper in its manufacturing plant.

“This paperless Factory 56 gives each car its own codes that instruct workers on various tasks, such as which side to place the steering wheel depending on the country of export,” said a spokesperson for Mercedes-Benz AG, who led a media tour of the plant in Sindelfingen, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the Daimler headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, on Wednesday.

This process allows Mercedes to save more than 10 tons of paper each year.

Factory 56 has more than 12,000 photovoltaic modules installed on the roof. [MERCEDES-BENZ KOREA]

Workers can trace each car with the code and access real-time data through displays located throughout the facility. Necessary auto parts are transferred by automated guided vehicles (AGVs), which navigate the factory by detecting obstacles.

The AGVs were busily moving around during the media tour, immediately stopping when they detected humans in their path.

Factory 56, the largest assembly plant of the German carmaker, began operations in September 2020 as a dedicated facility for the Mercedes EQS and Maybach EQS sedans. A total of 35,000 workers are employed at the factory, which had a production capacity of 200,000 vehicles as of last year.

“Factory 56 demonstrates Mercedes’ commitment to producing cars in an eco-friendly manner across all our plants worldwide to reduce carbon emissions, with the goal of achieving zero emissions in the near future," said a spokesperson for Mercedes-Benz AG. “The main building of this factory is constructed with recycled concrete.”

Mercedes previously announced plans to become an EV-only manufacturer by 2030.

The plant is equipped with more than 12,000 photovoltaic modules on the roof, which can generate approximately 5,000 megawatts peak annually. This installation reduces the factory's total energy requirement by 25 percent compared to other assembly facilities.

Cars being manufactured at Mercedes-Benz's Factory 56 in Sindelfingen, Germany. [MERCEDES-BENZ KOREA]

Cars being manufactured at Mercedes-Benz's Factory 56 in Sindelfingen, Germany. [SARAH CHEA]

Around 40 percent of the roof features a system that distinguishes between clean and polluted rainwater. The collected rainwater can be reused for new green spaces.

Mercedes says Factory 56 is its most modern factory, equipped with a "360-degree networking system" that provides comprehensive networking across the entire value chain, from development and design to suppliers, production and customers.

"In coordination with our suppliers, we utilize tracking and tracing technology, which allows load carriers to be traced digitally around the world," said Mercedes. "This enables early detection of discrepancies in the supply chain and quicker response times."

The German carmaker plans to launch a program in January 2025 that allows customers to pick up their cars at Factory 56 after touring the plant.

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]