Industry reporter talks Mercedes impact, future of Alabama auto sector
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — For the past six years, Dawn Kent Azok, a reporter for the Alabama Media Group, has covered the twists and turns of the Alabama auto sector. Reporting on scores of events and interviewing people both in the drivers’ seat and the executive chair, she has told story after story of how one industry…
Alabama Mercedes worker: ‘This job has changed me as a person.’
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – Tanya Cabiness was 22 when she stepped into the Mercedes-Benz plant back on July 7, 1997, not long after the first M-Class sport utility vehicle made in Alabama rolled off the factory’s assembly line. Cabiness had been to college and previously worked in a mobile home manufacturing facility. For her, this place…
Mercedes accelerating Alabama operation with two new models, workforce expansion
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – For Mercedes-Benz in Alabama, it all began with the M-Class, a groundbreaking automobile that’s credited with creating the premium SUV segment. Then the automaker added the GL-Class sport utility and the R-Class crossover to an Alabama line-up now being produced in record numbers. So it’s no surprise that Mercedes is accelerating its…
Mercedes decision lifted Alabama international business profile
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – When automaker Mercedes-Benz announced in 1993 that it had picked a 966-acre tract of land near Vance, Ala. – population 300 – to house its first assembly facility outside of Germany, the news instantly raised Alabama’s profile in the international business community, according to economic developers. “It was clearly Day One for…
Mercedes-Benz set foundation for Alabama auto industry growth
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – The three-pointed star of Mercedes-Benz is still casting a glow over Alabama 20 years after the global automotive giant picked the state for its first U.S. passenger car factory. Mercedes’ decision, announced in Tuscaloosa on Sept. 30, 1993, represents the moment the foundation was laid for an auto industry that continues to…
Alabama used teamwork, training and trust to win landmark Mercedes-Benz plant
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – Alabama’s pursuit of Mercedes-Benz’s first U.S. auto plant featured code names, clandestine meetings and plenty of behind-the-scenes drama, but it was teamwork, training and trust that landed the groundbreaking project, according to leaders who were involved in the recruitment. Next week, Mercedes and Alabama will celebrate 20 years since the company announced…
Logistics hub at Mercedes-Benz’s Alabama plant will create 600 jobs
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – A new $70 million logistics hub at Mercedes-Benz’s Alabama plant will lead to 600 new jobs from the automaker and its contractors and service providers, officials said today. Alabama Governor Robert Bentley joined executives from Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, the official name of the automaker’s Alabama operations, to break ground on the expansion…
Mercedes-Benz adding Alabama logistics facility with 500 jobs, Tuscaloosa News says
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – The Mercedes-Benz Alabama unit plans to build a 900,000-square-foot logistics facility at the German automaker’s assembly plant in Vance, creating 500 jobs, according to a report in The Tuscaloosa News. Site preparation already has begun, and Mercedes-Benz officials told the newspaper they expect to have the auto parts staging facility operational by…
