Daimler Annual Report 2011 - Alle jaarverslagen

Playing a leading role with green innovations is a strategic goal of the “Fuso 2015” program for the future.
The Actros – the new flagship for Mercedes-Benz
Trucks. Gottlieb Daimler sold the world’s first truck in 1896.
More than 100 years later, in Europe and Latin America,
Mercedes-Benz trucks remain synonymous with the utmost
reliability and economy combined with top-class products
and service quality. The Actros, Axor and Atego models demonstrate
their outstanding capabilities in many ways. For
example, they offer versatile, customer-focused transport solutions
in the medium- and heavy-duty truck segments for longdistance
haulage, construction site operations and local distribution.
The same claim can be made by Mercedes-Benz’s
Econic, Zetros and Unimog special trucks.
Our innovation leadership is impressively demonstrated by the
all-new Actros truck, which was voted “Truck of the Year” only
a few weeks after series production began at the Wörth plant
in late September. According to the international panel of
experts that decided which truck should be awarded this prestigious
award, the new Actros “…sets new benchmarks for
efficiency, safety and comfort.” The new Actros was developed
as a completely new truck design. Its main strengths are
performance in terms of economy, driving dynamics and comfort.
Compared to the tried-and-tested predecessor model,
the Euro V version of the new Actros reduces fuel consumption
by up to 7%, while the Euro VI version cuts fuel consumption
by up to 4%. Per ton of payload, this means that the new Actros
consumes only about one liter of fuel per 100 km. It was
particularly this low fuel consumption in conjunction with the
unique Euro VI technology that enabled the new Actros also
to claim the “European Transport Sustainability Prize.” But the
new truck has a lot more to offer, better handling for example
with the new PowerShift transmission, as well as a fully automated
12-speed unit that shifts gears faster and more accurately
than even a highly skilled driver can. With its increased
comfort, the Actros sets benchmarks not only with regard
to spaciousness and ergonomics, but also in terms of material
quality and interior appointments.
The new Actros is a pioneer also in terms of safety. Standard
equipment includes both the proven electronic brake system
and a new engine brake with improved performance. All in all,
customers are offered a total of 13 braking, safety and assistance
systems (see pages 30 ff).
Global Excellence program helps to generate growth,
synergies and flexibility. Thanks to the Global Excellence
program, we have achieved an outstanding strategic position
that enables us to flexibly adapt our product range and production
systems in line with demand and market conditions
worldwide. As a result, we can offer the right product lineup and
appropriate technology for every market. The Global Excellence
Program encompasses four initiatives.
The first initiative – Management of Market Cycles – is designed
to lessen the impact on Daimler Trucks of the sharp market
fluctuations that are typical of the sector. External factors such
as fleet lifecycles, exchange-rate fluctuations, and in particular
the increasingly tough emission legislation and the development
of the global economy, cause demand for trucks to rise and
fall very quickly. Various instruments, including flexible production
capacities, working-time models and a global production
network, enable us to adjust our production volumes of commercial
vehicles and powertrains at short notice. The effectiveness
of these measures has been clearly demonstrated by our
fast and sustained recovery following the economic crisis
in 2009 and by our successes in 2011.
In recent years we have especially focused on the program’s
second pillar, Operational Excellence. The basis for this is our
management system entitled Truck Operating System (TOS),
which is used not only in production but in all specialist departments.
In addition to affecting our organization, TOS therefore
also has an impact on our products. A current example of TOS
implementation is provided by the activities associated with
the reorganization and global integration of the Procurement,
Powertrain Manufacturing and Production Planning units. By
extending the production network across company locations
and products, we are boosting efficiency, flexibility and quality
while substantially reducing complexity. Our successful strategy
is also reflected in our products. The introduction of a new
generation of heavy-duty truck engines has streamlined the
previous portfolio of four engine families produced at four
plants to just one family of engines manufactured at two locations.
The engines are already being successfully used by Fuso
and Trucks NAFTA and were presented as a European version in
2011. They already meet the Euro VI emissions standard,
which will go into effect in 2014.
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