Daimler Trucks to Invest US$30 Million in Tianguistenco Plant

Daimler Trucks México and the Governor of State of Mexico, Alfredo del Mazo, announced the company's US$30 million investment in its Santiago Tianguistenco plant. "We held a meeting with Daimler's executives, who informed us of the investment in Santiago Tianguistenco, where they develop, produce and sell heavy-duty trucks with state-of-the-art technology," said del Mazo via social media.

Daimler Trucks is Mexico's most relevant player in production and market share in the heavy-duty truck segment. The Freightliner brand alone represented 62 percent of sales and 57 percent of production in 2020. According to the Government of the State of Mexico, Daimler's investment is destined for the e-coat project and its chassis and logistics areas.

E-Coat, also called electrocoating, is a specific coating process in which paint is deposited through electric currents. The process is divided in four steps that include pretreatment, where the metal is cleaned and phosphates are applied; rinsing in a bath of 80-90 percent deionized water and 10-20 percent paint solids; post-rinsing, where excess paint is recovered and voltage is regulated to achieve the planned film thickness; and placing the piece in the oven. In other markets, such as Russia, e-coating processes taking place at Mercedes-Benz (part of Daimler AG) facilities are carried out with the assistance of German coating company BASF.

In Mexico, the Santiago Tianguistenco plant is one of Daimler Trucks’ most flexible in North America, according to the company. It assembles Freightliner models. During the announcement, state officials also highlight the role the automotive sector plays in the state as it represents 12.6 percent of the State of Mexico’s GDP, 25 percent of the manufacturing GDP and 2.6 percent of total jobs.

Daimler Promoting Vehicle Park Renewal

Daimler Trucks Mexico actively promotes vehicle park renewal. Earlier this week, Marcela Batteiro, President and CEO of Daimler Trucks Mexico, personally delivered the first 20 of 50 Freightliner Cascadia units to Mon-Ro in Nuevo Leon. "We continue pushing the Mexican industry toward vehicle park renewal, hand in hand with our dealership networks, which improves the national market. Mon-Ro is an important customer with presence in different states, which aligns with our purpose to keep Mexico on the roads," she said during the announcement.

The trucks' engines will have EPA'10 technology, which is one step further of the current EPA 07/Euro V environmental standards set for the Mexican auto sector by SEMARNAT. The EPA'10 technology will place Mon-Ro on an advantageous position should the NOM-044 be enforced, as the norm forces production and sales of only vehicles with EPA'10/Euro VI technologies.