Mercedes-Benz celebrated a milestone of sorts earlier this month in “completely knocked down” (CKD) units when truck number 800 000 rolled off the assembly line in East London, the preferred plant for the occasion, Daimler Truck South Africa said.
The CKD unit in question – an industry term describing a manufacturing and shipping process where a vehicle is disassembled into its individual parts before being exported to another country for assembly – was an Actros 2645LS/33.
The plant in East London was specifically chosen for the auspicious occasion by Mercedes-Benz’s largest plant in Woerth am Rhein in Germany.
A company statement said: “It was not only a joint celebration for the East London-based DTSA manufacturing plant and its source plant in Woerth, but also a celebration with their loyal customers, Sesfigile Logistics and Safety One Logistics, who bought the truck in commemoration of their respective 20th and 10th anniversaries.”
The Actros 2645LS/33 is widely recognised as one of the best trucks in the heavy-duty segment, supported by various commendations and accolades from independent sources, and the decision by Woerth to choose East London for this milestone says something about the ability of the local assembly line, coming as it does from a leading research and development plant in Germany.
According to DTSA, the Woerth plant in 2021 commenced with the series production of the battery-electric eActros 300/400 for distribution.
The second Mercedes-Benz eEconic electric series production truck for municipal use followed in 2022.
In October 2023, the eActros 600 for long-distance haulage was presented to the global public and will go into series production in Woerth at the end of this year.
