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International Ausgabe 09/2015 B 30470 www.automobil-produktion.de

09

2015

erstes NEUES FCA-Werk

MusterWerker Stefan Ketter, Produktionsvorstand bei Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, errichtete in Brasilien die modernste Fabrik im Konzern.

Eine ungewöhnliche Geschichte.

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TITELTHEMA

Clear sign of upward movement for Jeep: FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne and Agnelli grandson John Elkann at the factory opening in Brazil. It was not something that President Dilma Rousseff could miss.

TITELTHEMA

The best of all production worlds has been assembled in the GOIANA SHOWCASE FACTORY in Brazil. A quite unusual story unfolded in the run-up to its official opening. The human factor stood at the center of the planning.

F

iat-Chrysler Production Chief Stefan Ketter has been in Brazil for two years, supervising the implementation of the “largest project in Fiat history” in terms of size and complexity. In 2010, FCA decided that he would spend a few years in the Pernambuco region, at the tip of the northeastern corner of Brazil, and 7,500 kilometers from Italy. The group’s top management had decided to build a new factory there. And this despite the fact that the Italians were already operating one of the largest plants in the world in southern Brazil: the mega-production facility Betim with an annual output of 800,000 vehicles. FCA’s top leadership argued that this was too little for the alliance’s growth plans in the medium term. As Ketter put it, it did not make sense to push capacity in the existing facility of Betim over the threshold of 1 million units.

With the best of FCA’s employees

Bilder: FCA

Trendsetting 2

Automobil Produktion · September 2015

And so began the search for a suitable location. It was the start of an unusual site selection process and ended in the little town of Goiana. It was there that the government made a 12- millionsquare-meter (!) property available to the automaker. FCA, one of the largest automakers in the world, invested 1.3 billion euros there and guaranteed 4,500 new jobs. As a dowry, the OEM promised in-depth localization of 80 percent.

After the terms were negotiated, Ketter’s team got started and made history with the first plant for the FCA entity.

A history that is so different from the brownfield plants elsewhere in the world.

At the end of the story in April 2015, with great fanfare, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, Sergio Marchionne and Fiat heir John Elkann pressed the start button to launch the production of the current Jeep Renegade. A happy ending. Mission accomplished. But in this case, the project’s end is just the beginning.

At the start of the planning, Ketter brought his top 200 experts from around the world into the project. The group’s goal: The realization of not just “a facto-

ry,” but the “FCA model” factory, a plant that shined with the most advanced and most flexible production technology, and optimally combined human beings and machines. In the process – and here the human factor comes into play – it was also imperative to meet additional criteria such as superb scores for ergonomics, safety and sustainability in manufacturing – okay, what else?

Today, the most advanced factory in the FCA empire in fact stands in Goiana, Brazil, and it should retain that title for the foreseeable future, according to Ketter. “In addition, Goiana is serving as a hub for additional developments in other plants,” he said. In this way, Goiana serves as a kind of parent plant for other factories, in China, India and the U.S., for example. “They are naturally watching how the three planned model lines develop here,” Ketter added.

Besides the Jeep Renegade, two other models based on the so-called small-wide platform should soon roll off line. In October, production is starting on the stillsecret Jeep pickup, sized between the Fiat Strada and the Toyota Hilux. And in January 2016, they will be joined by a Fiat model. But everything is still strictly confidential.

22,000 Best Practises

To breathe life into the expert group’s noble objective, Goiana Plant Manager Giuseppe Figliuolo has assembled 22,000 best practices from the 177 current FCA plants. Figliuolo is continually working on implementing the latest practices at Goiana as quickly as possible. As a result, the Goiana plant is the blueprint for all future FCA plants.

The first “copy” is already standing in Guangzhou, China. Jeeps will also be built there. The joint factory, operated by FCA and Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC), will launch production in early 2016. That’s the reason 40 Chinese have just been trained there. But they don’t have much time. Jeep is planning to build and sell eight competitive SUV models in China in the B- to E-segment in China by 2018. But back to Goiana and the main players. The plant is due to manufacture 250,000 units a year.

Automobil Produktion · September 2015

3

TITELTHEMA

TITELTHEMA

Denny Monti, B&U Direktor: Produced the most innovative and flexible body-in-white operation in the Fiat Chrysler Group.

Adauto Duarte, HR Director: Developed a system to appeal to new employees and test and evaluate them.

Alfredo Fernandez, Supplier Park Director: Organized linkages among suppliers and with processes in the plant

the employees had never had a regular job, but labored in hard, physical work, often as day laborers on sugar cane plantations. Or as fishermen, handymen or simply housewives.

The regular employees in Goiana average 30 years of age. And their joy and pride in the job and in being a “member of the Jeep team” can be clearly felt. Ketter’s team is even surprised at their motivation and readiness to learn – and will likely send the major portion of the expatriates back to their old jobs sooner than planned. But that’s not the only new aspect.

The plant’s HR managers have established a closely knit team leader structure to pass knowledge onto the novices and to anchor every process innovation into the manufacturing operation immediately.

That will require the right staff. FCA opened a new chapter that is likely unique in the automotive world. Lacking trained automotive experts for production work, HR Manager Adauto Duarte sent employees with megaphones into the poor neighborhoods of Pernambuco to recruit new hires. People who seemed to be smart, respectful and polite in a spontaneous interview on the roadside were invited to the next steps in the selection process. At the same time, an Internet search was underway for university graduates. At least 10 applications per position were generated with this recipe. Exactly 80 percent of the factory staff is now from locations around the factory. Three-quarters of all the employees had never been in a leadership position. And a portion of

Miriam Silva: Works on the assembly line. For this single mom, the job at Jeep is a life-changing experience.

Every team leader supervises six employees. There are about 250 team leaders in all, and 165 from the plant were allowed to travel to the Jeep factory in Melfi, Italy, and look over the shoulders of their experienced colleagues. By the end of this year, there should be about 9,000 employees (6,368 at the production launch in April).

To meet the further need for experts, FCA has established an entire network of measures to teach automotive subjects so it can build up expertise and – a further goal – operate a development center on its own. That is even fixed in the agreement with the Brazilian government. It stipulated that 2 percent of revenue must be invested in “localized R&D” in the medium term.

Source: IHS Automotive

The Jeep brand on track for growth Vehicle Sales: Region

Vehicle Sales: Sales Brand

CY 2014

CY 2015*

CY 2016*

CY 2017*

CY 2018*

CY 2019*

Europe

Jeep

52.474

92.842

98.318

104.224

104.596

103.494

CY 2020* 109.023

Greater China

Jeep

78.782

84.171

181.136

250.171

265.954

243.158

254.302

Japan/Korea

Jeep

11.566

9.817

9.242

8.360

7.227

6.757

7.445

Middle East/Africa

Jeep

19.132

20.938

21.478

22.048

20.607

20.128

23.922

North America

Jeep

787.172

899.359

882.011

966.926

864.989

892.617

870.472

South America

Jeep

20.111

43.139

66.687

69.358

65.798

65.190

69.686

South Asia

Jeep

32.319

31.123

33.467

40.609

61.964

57.490

60.387

Total

1.001.556

1.181.389

1.292.339

1.461.696

1.391.135

1.388.834

1.395.237

The group’s plans foresee sales of about 1.9 million vehicle worldwide by 2018. The HIS forecasts are somewhat more skeptical.

Source: IHS Automotive

Market leader in Brazil – Fiat still in the lead Vehicle Sales: Country

Vehicle Sales: Sales Brand

CY 2014

CY 2015*

CY 2016*

CY 2017*

CY 2018*

CY 2019*

CY 2020*

Rank 2015

Brazil

Fiat

697.898

449.401

431.523

483.102

509.532

525.795

538.165

1

Brazil

Volkswagen

577.172

384.611

363.476

351.412

407.163

431.977

471.449

2

Brazil

Chevrolet

578.673

378.417

316.198

306.719

299.051

327.001

385.843

3

Brazil

Ford

308.560

273.415

260.385

240.200

225.471

244.568

275.901

4

Brazil

Hyundai

236.629

194.901

186.504

197.330

193.950

216.807

230.772

5

The Brazilian market is an important building block in the overall corporate strategy. Here Fiat is even likely to be able to outdistance Volkswagen

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Automobil Produktion · September 2015

Egon Daxbacher is working on the preparations for it. In the nearest large city, Recife, he is setting up what he calls a kind of Brazilian “Silicon Valley.” He is assembling software specialists from throughout the world and has persuaded companies such as Microsoft, IBM, Accenture, Motorola, Hewlett Packard and Samsung to found an academy.

The preliminary stages will be launched in two years, at the latest, Daxbacher hopes that the planned R&D center could supplement the triad of Turin, Auburn Hills and Betim and later establish itself as the group’s fourth development center. That would make the location even more attractive to young, motivated employees. A test track will also be completed on the eastern side of the factory property in May 2016. There FCA can certify fuel consumption for all its brands. In addition, a powertrain and a tech center are planned. By 2020, 500 highly qualified engineers are expected to work there.

This fall, FCA is launching various engineering programs in concert with several universities and has already established an exchange program with students from the Polytechnic University of Turin. The goal is to have the right job applicants ready to go. With the help of subsidized programs for schools and universities, the major objective of all the FCA initiatives is to train 7,000 students and 700 instructors on automotive subjects and enrich the curricula at 44 schools with key natural sciences.

The relative young workforce is working in a highly modern factory layout even by European standards. The core is the Communication Center. There an ample showroom with a welcome desk greets visitors. Behind them, the first break with various customs and taboos is visible: The entire office landscape combined into a kind of factory hall. No employee has his own desk. You sit down wherever you find an open seat. You mostly discuss things while standing or in small conference room units. The advantage: The Communication Center is centrally located and is linked to the four production halls – press shop, body in white, paint shop and assembly line – over extremely short paths.

Newcomers and professionals are mixed together in the entire plant. One example is the domain of Nildo Ribeiro, who reigns over well-known things like meisterbocks and tool tables. He is at

Bild: FCA

A fourth group development center?

Young workforce: At the Goiana plant, 80 percent of the staff comes from the Pernambuco region. The average age is 30 years. The motivation and commitment are noticeable here.

home in his field. He worked for Volkswagen and Audi in Germany before Ketter brought him to Fiat. Ribeiro checks and improves the quality of parts and their processing. Parts only go onto the line if he and his team bless them. His credo: “We love problems. But only when they show up here first.”

In the plant hall next-door, Paulo and Miguel occupy the Process Center above a kind of miniature factory with 16 sections. New work steps are rehearsed there and checked for their efficiency.

Both currently have plenty to do. After all, the next vehicle launch is scheduled for October.

The Vehicle Center is one department further. It is a kind of vehicle test department, and Francisco is in charge here.

The staff regularly tests vehicles coming off the line. If there is a complaint from a customer, they maintain direct contact with the dealer and sometimes even with the customers themselves, to immediately get to the bottom of phenomena that have never appeared before.

Ketter’s troops are especially proud of the body-in-white department. It is ultramodern – even in comparison with Europe – and offers the greatest possible flexibility. Erika is sure that it is most innovative body-in-white operation in the entire group. The 22-year-old is one of three shift managers. Her colleagues José Marcos (22) and Fabio (29) are not much older. The body-in-white area is currently managing to complete 45 vehicles per hour, with support from 577 robots.

Jeep claim: “Make history”

If FCA’s plans bear fruit, the Renegade will become a successful model – worldwide. In the process, the company’s strategists are banking on the positive image of the legendary Willys Jeep, which was built in Brazil during the 1960s. Jeep is using this history to inspire customers in Brazil as a quasi-local brand and as the only true SUV – with the best 4x4 capabilities.

And it is working: The first 25,000 orders (as of the end of July) have arrived in Goiana. The waiting period for a Renegade in Brazil is up to three months.

Jeep’s global goal: Sales of 1.9 million vehicles a year by 2018. And thus, if the Brazilian market doesn’t bounce back the way the FCA strategists believe it will, exporting from Goiana is not a problem, Ketter said. “We can switch over to ‘export’ at any time.”

Bettina Mayer ■

Automobil Produktion · September 2015

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Interview mit Stefan Ketter, FCA Chief Manufacturing Officer and Member of the Group Executive Council (GEC) we’ve built the vehicle with the latest changes and improvements. That is why it is better to take Goiana as the model and copy all the best practices from here. You could also say it is a training ground for further expansion.

„... we made a kind of ideal plant ...“

AUTOMOBIL PRODUKTION: Are even more factories planned?

Not at the moment. This will give us enough capacity worldwide for our growth.

AUTOMOBIL PRODUKTION: In Goiana, you are initially building nearly 300,000 units a year. But you have enough space to duplicate the whole factory and could thus expand to almost 600,000 units.

The first step is really not to double the number. The next stage would be to go from 45 to 60 vehicles per hour. Some areas are already prepared for this. For example, the paint shop has already been already designed and constructed for 60 units. And 60 units per hour already yields about 350,000 to 360,000 a year.

To come close to have the PERFECT PLANT, FCA production director Stefan Ketter assembled the best 200 experts in the Fiat Chrysler Group and integrated over 20 000 best practices in the latest FCA plant. Surprisingly, the plant is in Brazil.

AUTOMOBIL PRODUKTION: And that is your goal by the end of 2016?

No. The goal is between 270,000 and 300,000 units by 2016. We will get there with 45 vehicles per hour.

Automobil Produktion: AUTOMOBIL PRODUKTION: Mr. Ketter, the Goiana Plant in Brazil has served as a beacon for FCA. Why?

It has also become the largest project in Fiat’s history – in all its dimensions: in its size, complexity and in the conditions that we found there. No automotive infrastructure whatsoever was available in the Pernambuco region. Until now, people only knew the sugar cane business. So we started at zero and went to the drawing board to plan a factory, a supplier park and a development center. And, in South America, we are the market leader. South America is very important strategically to FCA so it can become more independent of Europe and the U.S. AUTOMOBIL PRODUKTION: So it‘s a project that you have poured your heart and soul into…?

It is simply the largest project and, accordingly, it demands the greatest share of my presence. With this project, we have carried out everything that we imagined as ideal solutions over the years. I’ve always had this kind of ideal plant in mind – into which all the best practices can flow. Goiana is our showcase project and will always be the most modern and advanced of all our factories.

About Stefan Ketter Stefan Ketter has been Chief Manufacturing Officer at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) since 2008 and a member of the Group Executive Council since September 2011. Previously he was, inter alia, Head of quality control at Fiat and prior to that at BMW. In his position as Manager at Audi he opened a new plant in Brazil for export to the USA in 1996. Stefan Ketter was born in Sao Paulo Brazil, and went to a German-Brazilian High School. He then studied at the Technical University of Munich as well as the Insead in France. He speaks perfect Portuguese, which is essential for the coordination with government and other stakeholders.

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Automobil Produktion · September 2015

AUTOMOBIL PRODUKTION: But what does this showcase project mean concretely for everyday production work on behalf of your brands?

One of the core messages of our medium/long-term planning is: We want to grow our volume considerably. Not just in the main markets, but also in the so-called emerging markets. The Jeep brand, which will expand very significantly, is a key growth driver in our strategy. Our sales goal for Jeep is 1.9 million vehicles by 2018. And South American markets such as Brazil are one of our cornerstones. Besides our existing plant in Betim, which has a capacity of 950,000 vehicles and thus one of the largest production levels worldwide, we have established a completely new “greenfield” manufacturing operation in Goiana, which is laid out for more than 200,000 units. It made no sense to expand Betim.

AUTOMOBIL PRODUKTION: What models are you building at your new plant in Goiana?

There will be three models. We also did the project here to expand our presence in South America. And, at the same time, we are now expanding the Jeep brand by investing here.

AUTOMOBIL PRODUKTION: How many units are you currently producing per day?

At the moment, we are building 350 cars a day. At the final expansion stage, we want to be at 45 an hour. That works out to 260,000 to 270,000 vehicles a year.

AUTOMOBIL PRODUKTION: You have three supplier parks planned?

Yes. In addition to the supplier park on our property, two more are planned within a radius of 20 kilometers, and they are just now being built. We already have a great many interested suppliers that would like to settle there. We estimate that the first one will be established there in nine to 12 months at most. They are mostly Tier 2 or even late arrivals from suppliers that we do business with in Betim.

AUTOMOBIL PRODUKTION: Then the 60 are for 2017 or 2018?

Goiana is our flagship project and will always be the most modern plant.

AUTOMOBIL PRODUKTION: In Guangzhou, China, you are building another factory with the Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC). Is this factory taking Goiana as a model?

Yes, a great many standards from here will be adopted there.

Only Guangzhou has experience with the automotive industry available. Together with our partner, we have already recruited many employees from our joint factory in Changsha, along with experienced people that GAC has from its collaboration with Honda and Toyota. The new plant in Guangzhou is a total copy of Goiana. We are establishing the same training and implementation methods. More than 40 people from China recently came here to learn from Goiana.

AUTOMOBIL PRODUKTION: At the same time, is Goiana the lead plant for the Renegade?

No. The Melfi plant built the Renegade first. But we are the lead plant for the two other vehicles that are being built here. To some extent, we are also the lead for the Renegade because

No, the 60 are planned for growth in the future. The plant is already designed in a way that it can grow. Until now, the main problem in all our factories was that any growth was immensely expensive. Because we had to convert something or the paint shop had to be built out on the parking lot. Goiana or a new factory in general is an investment for the next 50 years. We must have the capacity to expand – without knowing at this point when and how we will need it.

AUTOMOBIL PRODUKTION: Could you build vehicles in Brazil for other markets as well?

The vehicle that we are building here is capable of being exported – anywhere we want. But we are going to supply the Brazilian market first. But we could switch over to “export” at any time.

AUTOMOBIL PRODUKTION: Would that actually make financial sense?

Yes, it makes sense.

AUTOMOBIL PRODUKTION: Where would you export? To North America?

Within South America, to Mexico or to Africa. We are naturally in competition with production in Europe. But the following applies: Whoever delivers the best results can export. This is an indication of the reason we are implementing the project like this – another important factor. We’ve made a tremendous investment in quality, which is the absolute priority. Our vehicles have to offer a great deal in terms of quality and be perceived in that way in the market.

AUTOMOBIL PRODUKTION: The key word is localization: What is your goal here?

That is also something that may be unique when you do a comAutomobil Produktion · September 2015

3

parison: We started here with a 70 percent level of localization and were able to rise to 80 percent within 12 months. This goes hand-in-hand with a great many supplier programs that are first and foremost geared strongly to quality.

AUTOMOBIL PRODUKTION: You are expecting sales of 1.9 million vehicles for Jeep by 2018 at the latest. Where do sales stand currently?

We concluded 2014 with a million vehicles. That exceeded the plan.

AUTOMOBIL PRODUKTION: Is it true that you have a waiting list for Jeep Renegades here in Brazil?

Yes, that is correct. It is currently between two and three months.

AUTOMOBIL PRODUKTION: What is the status of the Pernambuco project as of the summer of 2015? When will the factory be done?

The factory is 95 percent and products 55 percent.

AUTOMOBIL PRODUKTION: So you have almost completed the project and you are still supporting construction in China. What are your next challenges?

Don’t worry, I’m not getting bored.. We still have to grow considerably between now and 2018. And the worldwide expansion of major brands is not easy. We have to implement a great many vehicles. We have to integrate a great many vehicles. We certainly won’t be building any more factories. But we have to integrate the new products.

AUTOMOBIL PRODUKTION: You are just producing one brand in the Goiana plant?

AUTOMOBIL PRODUKTION: How deeply are you involved with the growth of Alfa Romeo?

AUTOMOBIL PRODUKTION: When you build on a “green field,” doesn’t that require a greater investment than an expansion of an existing factory?

AUTOMOBIL PRODUKTION: FCA plans to reduce the number of its architectures to three key platforms. Where do you stand on this?

No, and we can say this from experience. When Fiat started out in Brazil, the company went to Belo Horizonte for its Betim Plant, and nothing was really there. It built something like that from nothing, and the decision – after 40 years – has been proven right.

The plan doesn’t just involve the production side. It includes purchasing, production, development, suppliers, quality assurance – this means increasing the synergies of the development costs and the components as much as possible. It means being able to position ourselves worldwide with the same platforms.

But that is nothing new – others are doing that, too.

AUTOMOBIL PRODUKTION: In this way, you are strengthening Brazil as an attractive location for the auto industry.

AUTOMOBIL PRODUKTION: You have to convert both the European and the American factories, don’t you?

We have long discussed whether we should just produce one brand in each of the factories. But we want it both ways: The plant should be able to produce several brands but support just one brand. In our view, the fact that we build Jeeps here is a rationale that makes an extraordinary contribution to brand affiliation.

We also nurture very close cooperation with the government, not just the national government but also with the local governmental bodies. It is in fact true that the new factory is a very important project for the countryside and for Brazil. And it is above all proof that you can carry out something like this in Brazil.

AUTOMOBIL PRODUKTION: You were also planning to set up an engine production operation here by the end of 2016. People are speculating that diesel engines will be built there too.

There is a lot of talk about that. But such a step only makes sense if we can actually assume there will be a new engine generation. But we are still in the discussion phase on that.

AUTOMOBIL PRODUKTION: In these discussions, are you thinking about an engine suited for both the Alfa Romeo and Jeep brands globally?

I think it will rather be an engine that can be sold in good quantities here in South America. And these are small to mediumsized engines.

AUTOMOBIL PRODUKTION: Which you then put into Jeeps with two turbochargers. Or don’t you?

No, we aren’t putting engines with two turbochargers into Jeeps.

Here we have a base engine –the 1.8 liter. We have the base diesel engine, which comes from Europe. And then we have a relatively large four-cylinder, which is imported. But we are going to take a close look at the volumes and prepare appropriately when we need a new generation. But that is not a burning issue. You really don’t have to build an engine plant near an assembly plant.

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Automobil Produktion · September 2015

My organization develops the production planning and works out the manufacturing plants, the assembly lines that are needed, and the support for the launch. We deal with other related areas, such as suppliers and logistics. So we ultimately handle the implementation after development. That is no small thing.

Yes, that’s exactly right. The plans have been made.

AUTOMOBIL PRODUKTION: In your view, what guarantees success in manufacturing?

It is not always just about technology. The human factor is the key. You can invest so much. You can install the best equipment.

But the investment makes no sense if you don’t have the people to not only execute but make continual improvements as well. That applies to all the major projects that we’ve carried out – in Italy and to some extent in the U.S. This only works with a good staff structure.

AUTOMOBIL PRODUKTION: You assembled the top 200 people from the entire group for this project. Where are they headed now?

Most of them are leaving Goiana early next year. Some will be integrated into the management structure. Of the 22 expatriates that we still have here, 70 percent are no longer in a leadership role but are just coaching a Brazilian employee. Why? Because the leadership of a factory functions better if it shares the local mentality. The result is very surprising and very, very positive.

Meanwhile, these young people have already come very far.

And we have to support them. The handover stage is actually scheduled for the end of 2017. We’ve pushed it up to 2016 – because our Brazilians are already fully trained.

Interview conducted by Bettina Mayer ■ There is a German version of this interview: www.automobil-produktion.de/ketter

boulevard

Bild: press-inform

Pebble Beach: Auto-Ikonen unterm Hammer Der Concours d’Elegance von Pebble Beach und die Monterey Autoweek – so sagen viele – das sei jedes Jahr doch dasselbe. Wie Recht sie haben! Beeindruckender, abgehobener und spektakulärer kann man dem Automobil wohl kaum huldigen. Hier im sonnigen Kalifornien spielt beim Autokauf Geld keine Rolle. Bei den zahllosen Versteigerungen von Goodings, RM Sothebys oder Bonhams wird über einen Preis von unter 500 000 Dollar allenfalls geschmunzelt.

Die wirklich exklusiven Stücke gehen mitunter für über fünf oder zehn Millionen durch die Hallen. So brachte eine Lancia Aurelia B 24 Spider von 1955 fast zwei Millionen Dollar. Spektakulär der Ertrag, den ein 1985er Ferrari 288 GTO bei Bonhams mit fast 2,4 Millionen Dollar brachte. Das teuerste Auto blieb jedoch ein Jaguar C-Type Lightweight Roadster Rennwagen, der in Le Mans 1953 den vierten Platz belegte: Versteigerungswert 13,2 Millionen Dollar.

Bild: Privat

Das neue Werk des FCA-Konzerns in Nordost-Brasilien steht inmitten riesiger Zuckerrohr-Plantagen. Dem Anbau der MonoKultur musste einst der Regenwald weichen. Zum Nachhaltigkeitskonzept des Werkes in Goiana zählt deshalb, dass jeder Besucher einen Baum pflanzen soll, um damit den verlorenen Regenwald zurückzuholen. Rosangela Santos Coelho (linke Dame im rechten Bild), verantwortlich für die Umsetzung und Kommunikation der ökologischen Strategie und ihre Kollegin Patricia Barbosa Alves (rechts), insistierten und motivierten auch APRedakteurin Bettina Mayer (Mitte), einen kleinen TropenwaldBaum zu pflanzen. Eine tolle Sache, die zugegebenerweise eine „bleibende Verbindung“ zum Werk in Goiana schafft.

Bild: press-inform

Eigenhändige Regenwald-Aufforstung

VIP-Trutzburg für Fußball-Stars Dass Fußballgötter wie Arjen Robben oder Kevin de Bruyne nicht in einem eng bestuhlten Einheits-Gefährt des öffentlichen Nahverkehrs an den Fußballarenen vorrollen, ist klar. Für die Sport-Millionäre ist das Beste gerade gut genug. Für die geselligen Naturen gibt es Tische mit vis-a-vis-Bestuhlung oder ganze Sitzgruppen. Die Skat-Tische sind elektrisch versenkbar und können auch als Massagebank genutzt werden.

Da zocken die Kartenspiel-Freaks schon mal die ein oder andere Runde. Legendär ist die Schafkopfrunde des FC Bayern mit Philipp Lahm und Thomas Müller. Wer eher auf multimediale Ablenkung steht, ist auch bestens versorgt: Pay-TV, WLAN und riesige Flat-Screens sind hier Standard-Ausstattung.

Mercedes-Benz will dem breiten Publikum die Markteinführung von GLE, GLE Coupé und GLC mit prominenten Beispielfahrern schmackhaft machen. Nach dem Motto: „Auf jedem Gelände in ihrem Element“ werden in einem TV-Spot und in Webspecials „die Lebenswelt jedes SUVs in Verbindung mit einem prominenten Botschafter“ gezeigt. Auf der Besetzungsliste der Stuttgarter stehen Profisurfer Garrett McNamara, Topmodel Petra Němcová, Formel-

114

Automobil Produktion · September 2015

1-Weltmeister Lewis Hamilton, Springreiterin Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum und Abenteurer Mike Horn. Jeder folgt hierbei seiner Berufung – zum Beispiel Garrett McNamara beim Big Wave Surfing oder Petra Němcová beim ModeShooting. Dabei unterstützt das Fahrzeug, welches sich ebenfalls ganz in seinem Element zeigt. Im Web-Special geht es noch ein wenig weiter. Hier vermitteln die VIPs einen persön­ lichen Ausblick.

Bild: Mercedes-Benz

Prominente Kampagne für SUVs