Metro Jacksonville

QuoteMercedes-Benz opening 415,000-square-foot facility near Jacksonville airport
Source URL: http://jacksonville.com/business/2010-06-28/story/mercedes-benz-opening-415000-square-foot-facility-near-jacksonville

By Mark Basch

Mercedes-Benz USA today announced it is opening a 415,000-square-foot facility near the Jacksonville International Airport that will house several of its business units.

New Jersey-based Mercedes-Benz USA is responsible for distribution, marketing and customer service for all Mercedes-Benz and Maybach automobiles in the U.S. It will employ 160 people at the newly constructed Jacksonville facility at 13470 International Parkway, which the company is leasing. Mercedes-Benz will have four business units operating out of the facility when it officially opens in July:

- The Southern region sales office, which supports 102 dealerships in 12 states. It’s one of four regional U.S. sales offices for Mercedes-Benz.

- A parts distribution center, which supports 70 dealerships in the Southeast. It’s one of five parts distribution centers and will house about 15 percent of the company’s overall parts inventory.

- A quality evaluation center with more than 70 people from various engineering and logistics disciplines. The company said it’s one of only two operational units of its kind for Mercedes-Benz outside of Germany.

- A learning and performance center which serves as a training center for dealership and corporate personnel. It’s one of five in the U.S.

“Now we have one common look and feel for our corporate operations in the region across all our key business units,” Mercedes-Benz USA chief executive Ernst Lieb said in a press release.

“By linking our core operations in one building, we can also create better efficiencies that will benefit our dealer network and our customers,” he said.

That is a great addition to the city.  I think they already have a large facility off of Western Way for car delivery.  Hopefully Mercedes, along with SE Toyota will continue to solidify Jacksonville as a first class regional auto logistics center.

Now if they just add an AMG driving school here, we would be set.

I'm wondering if they'll close the facility on Western Way and consolidate operations.

Western Way is closing. The buildings are for sale. The net loss is thousands of jobs, since the processing center left for Brunswick a few years ago, so the 160 jobs is part of a consolidation of jobs in Jacksonville. Sad thing is that MB is leaving all of the racking and conveyors in its Western Way facilities, in the 125,000 sq ft building just south of the main building.

Yes, this is actually a loss of jobs for Jacksonville and a gain for Brunswick.  However, the article puts a nice spin on it.

You can spin BS any way you want, but a net loss, is still a net loss unless you speak to Mayor Peyton.

Bummer, I thought they were growing their operations in Jacksonville.  Still Brunswick is not too far and this facility will still help keep some presence and jobs in town.

Mercedes-Benz not hiring new workers at new facility
http://jacksonville.com/business/2010-07-01/story/mercedes-benz-not-hiring-new-workers-new-facility

http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1&videoId=605563578001&playerID=10363234001&playerKey=AQ%2E%2E,AAAAAETmbMg%2E,6otZKqklCcAvvNVCmc_de81kJnBZveKO&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true

I know several guys who have been commuting to Brunswick since most of the Mercedes operation was moved.  Those were good jobs that moved.

This appears to be the official poop on the new Mercedes facility here.  Looks to be the only place in the country with all these operations in the same place.

QuoteMercedes-Benz USA Opens New Facility in Jacksonville
Multiple Operational Units Brought Together Under One Roof in New State-of-the-Art Facility Minutes from Airport

MBUSA
Mercedes-Benz USA

09 September 2010 | JDavis

Mercedes-Benz USA today held a grand-opening ceremony for a new cutting-edge facility in Jacksonville, Florida. Strategically located less than three miles from the Jacksonville airport, the new Southern Region facility centralizes several business units into one complex for more efficient dealer support and correspondingly higher levels of customer satisfaction.

The recently constructed building totaling a combined 415,000 sq. ft., is a leased facility built to accommodate MBUSA’s needs. It is located off Interstate 95 at 13470 International Parkway. MBUSA took official occupancy in July with four business units operating from the site including: Sales Operations Southern Regional Office; Parts Distribution Center (PDC); Quality Evaluation Center (QEC); and Learning & Performance Center (LPC). Approximately 160 employees work at the new facility, which incorporates innovative environmental systems and design using the same criteria as LEED certified buildings within each of the four business areas.

“This new facility is an integral part of our commitment to more efficiently and effectively support our dealers so that they in turn can provide the unparalleled ownership experience that our buyers expect from Mercedes-Benz,” said Ernst Lieb, president and CEO of MBUSA, who presided over the ceremony. “This facility represents our best thinking in terms of how Mercedes-Benz looks and functions.”

The new complex incorporates the company’s unique Autohaus design which has been adopted by Mercedes-Benz dealerships across the country. The modern aesthetic concept skillfully incorporates signature design elements in a way that is designed to promote interaction and create an appealing functional environment…

The new Jacksonville facility houses the following business operations:

  * SALES OPERATIONS SOUTHERN REGION OFFICE â€" The Southern Region MBUSA office supports 102 MBUSA dealerships with sales and fixed operations across 12 states including Florida, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Texas as well as Puerto Rico. MBUSA has three other regional offices in the U.S.: Parsippany, NJ, Rosemont, IL and Costa Mesa, CA.

   * PARTS DISTRIBUTION CENTER â€" A new addition to MBUSA’s operation in Jacksonville, the Parts Distribution Center (PDC) supports approximately 70 MBUSA dealers in the Southeast with parts supply. The PDC will house about 15 percent of MBUSA overall parts inventory, shipping over 1.3 million lines annually. The company has four other Parts Distribution Centers in U.S.: Carol Stream, IL, Fontana, CA, Fort Worth, TX and Robbinsville, NJ.

   * QUALITY EVALUATION CENTER â€" With more than 70 personnel from various engineering and logistics disciplines representing a diverse collection of work experience and backgrounds, the Quality Evaluation Center in Jacksonville is one of only two operational units of its kind outside of Germany. The QEC team includes Daimler Quality personnel, placing engineers closer to the market and to the dealers served by MBUSA. This market proximity brings greater knowledge of market-specific issues directly into the quality management process through faster parts evaluation and feedback to Daimler development. Local parts analysis also helps to improve diagnostic tools and technical information while the resulting rapid feedback to dealers increases the diagnostic skills necessary for improved “Fixed First Visit” performance â€" a key customer satisfaction component.

   * LEARNING & PERFORMANCE CENTER â€" The Learning & Performance Center is a leading edge training facility for dealership and MBUSA personnel. MBUSA facilitates over 120 classes per year in the Jacksonville Learning & Performance Center, with a total of about a thousand participants from across the Southeastern United States. Classrooms, workshops, a computer lab, a virtual classroom webcast area, a student lounge, offices and a cafeteria are designed in an intelligent and integrated fashion all for the learners’ benefit while at the same time providing increased operational effectiveness and efficiencies. MBUSA operates five Learning & Performance Centers in the U.S.: Houston, TX, Itasca, IL, Jacksonville, FL, Montvale, NJ, and Rancho Cucamonga, CA.

“I am extremely pleased that Mercedes-Benz chose Jacksonville for its Southern region headquarters,” said Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton. “This is a testament to the favorable business climate we enjoy in our city and our talented workforce. I am proud to have Mercedes-Benz as a member of our business community.”

http://www.emercedesbenz.com/autos/mercedes-benz/corporate-news/mercedes-benz-usa-opens-new-facility-in-jacksonville/

Makes me wonder if the "Harden Team" had a finger in that pie...........I don't remember seeing MBUSA listed as a client of his..........anyone else?