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- Daimler Trucks and Buses will be celebrating its 60th anniversary in South Africa in 2022.
- The company kicked off celebrations last week by announcing special 'limited edition' models for SA.
- In 2022, all trucks and buses coming out of the DTBSA plant in East London will carry "anniversary" branding.
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Since 1896, Mercedes-Benz' trucks have been known as 'prime movers', helping companies across sectors mobilise. Globally, the company boasts one of the leading portfolios of truck and bus solutions for businesses, and in SA, Daimler Trucks and Buses Southern Africa (DTBSA) has remained a leading supplier of Merc's commercial vehicles for the past 60 years.
Last week, the company kicked off celebrating its 60th year of operations in South Africa at its bespoke manufacturing and assembly facility for trucks and buses in the Eastern Cape. Daimler's spokesmen said this momentous occasion, the company's "Diamond Anniversary", celebrates 1962, when the first L-type Mercedes-Benz truck rolled off the East London production assembly line.
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Now one of the world's leading commercial vehicle assembly plants
Today, after nearly 60 years of producing commercial vehicles, the Daimler Truck and Bus Plant in East London is considered one of the cornerstones of the Daimler CKD (completely-knocked-down) production networks outside of Germany. Located three kilometres away from the East London Port, Daimler representatives said the plant serves as a shining example of solid workforce and manufacturing excellence.
Michael Dietz, president and CEO of Daimler Trucks and Buses Southern Africa, says he is incredibly proud of the rich history and the strong heritage that Daimler has built over the years. "This significant milestone serves as a strong reaffirmation of our ongoing commitment to offering innovative trucks and buses that are engineered, developed, and rigorously tested to meet the unique requirements of our customers."
"Looking back, I can safely say that our plant, which boasts first-class facilities and the best equipment, has been successful because of our people, their exceptional performance, passion for excellence, and willingness to go the extra mile to ensure high-quality. It is for this reason that we will continue to invest in the Eastern Cape region and its people to ensure positive economic impact," he expounded.
Special trucks to celebrate 60 years of operations in SA
To celebrate 60 years in SA, Daimler Trucks and Buses will be launching 60 Mercedes-Benz Actros 2645LS and 2652LS models, which currently boast a range of state-of-the-art features that will be further enhanced with the "60th Edition" features and fitted with high-quality accessories. Daimler Trucks and Buses will release the full specs on these special edition Mercedes-Benz trucks soon.
Looking ahead into 2022, the official celebratory year for its 60th anniversary in SA, DTBSA will be emblazing a 60th Anniversary badge on every Mercedes-Benz and FUSO truck produced at the East London plant throughout the year. All Mercedes-Benz buses built in 2022 will also receive special "60th Anniversary" branding.
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