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Tailored solutions.

Mercedes-Benz Custom Tailored Trucks and the customised-truck workshop in Molsheim.

Mercedes-Benz Trucks Molsheim and Custom Tailored Trucks (CTT) are based just a few kilometres from Strasbourg in Molsheim in Alsace, France. This unique site specialises in three business areas. These include the conversion of commercial vehicles for specific customer requirements, as well as the production of vehicle parts (laser cutting, bending, pressing, welding and painting), and finally the assembly of UNIMOG cabs. Concentrated expertise in Mercedes-Benz quality – all centred around a common value, the symbolic Mercedes-Benz star.

A shared site for various corporate structures.

From customer advice to the development and production of vehicle parts and vehicle conversion, the 700 employees at the Mercedes-Benz Trucks site in Molsheim work hand in hand every day to deliver tailor-made solutions. The plant covers an area of 50,000 m² with 76 processing stations and 6 spraying booths.

In organisational terms, Custom Tailored Trucks (CTT) is linked to the Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks business unit in Wörth,where around 1,000 employees produce 3,500 Econic, Unimog and Zetros vehicles each year. Since its founding in 2000, CTT has developed and produced more than 260,000 vehicles representing almost 30,000 assembled axles, 8,000 m of shortened wheelbases and around 30,000 m of extended wheelbases – all with a single goal: to fulfil the needs of customers the world over.

In demand worldwide: the right vehicle for every situation.

Whether on European transit routes or in the most remote regions on Earth: CTT trucks are being used in over 140 countries around the world. This makes Mercedes-Benz CTT the largest truck converter in the world.

Whether for China, Brazil, New Zealand, the Middle East, Switzerland or Europe: all vehicles that are individually converted by CTT according to customer requirements meet strict Mercedes-Benz standards and quality. This quality promise also applies to customer service and spare parts, which are all available through Mercedes-Benz’s worldwide dealer network. 

From heavy-duty tractors to oilfield carriers.

Whether it’s a long-haulage, delivery or construction site vehicle – a Mercedes-Benz truck can adapt to any situation. In an increasingly complex world, however, vehicles may lack some options that would be necessary for developing an ideal vehicle, despite the wide variety offered in the series-production catalogue.

Custom Tailored Trucks (CTT) steps into action here to offer tailor-made, specific solutions. Recognised for its expertise, CTT is the preferred point of contact when it comes to the accompanied production of vehicles to meet each customer’s specific requirements. Conversions are made at CTT true to the motto: "Trucks you can trust".

Depending on the type of conversion at CTT, series-production trucks are transported from the series production plant in Wörth to the conversion plant in Molsheim. As one example, four-axle oilfield vehicles destined for China pass through the Alsace production facilities in order to be converted there and, among other things, to extend their wheelbase. For this purpose, the components installed in the frame and the rear axles are removed so that the side members can be cut before welding in the extension and reinforcements.

Thanks to the modified wheelbase, the drive shaft as well as cables and lines must also be extended. At the same time, further modifications must be undertaken, such as relocating the fuel tank or battery box.

Based on the diversity and complexity of the processes, workshop staff are also highly qualified. Despite the tailored production process, CTT uses the same production system from Daimler Trucks as is used everywhere else. This means that all conversions are subject to the same quality checks as the series-production vehicles. In addition, each step is carefully recorded in the IT system to properly document the entire manufacturing process for each vehicle.

Further examples of conversions by CTT:

  • Increased payload: conversion from 4x4 to 6x4/4 with pneumatic suspension
     
  • Cab conversion: larger cab (double crew cab) for emergency services vehicles, roof cut-outs for refrigerated vehicles, etc.
     
  • Chassis adjustments: chassis reinforcements, additional radiators etc., for heavy-duty vehicles (up to 250 t).

From individual conversions to small-scale series production.

Engineers in Molsheim work closely with the central Development department at Daimler Trucks in Stuttgart. In order to optimise internal procedures and processes in the best possible way, CTT employees also have access to bays for small-scale series production at the Wörth plant. In the case of regularly recurring requests with a certain number of units, the conversion is integrated directly into series production, subject to production feasibility to achieve maximum efficiency.

As with a large-scale production vehicle, every conversion is fully documented. This means that customers can have their vehicles repaired at any Mercedes-Benz workshops the world over, that parts and components are available as spare parts, and that such parts can be identified by reference numbers, just as is the case with series production. In addition, all conversions comply with Mercedes-Benz quality standards.

Parts supply.

The second business area at the Molsheim site is small-scale series production. 9000 different items can be produced annually thanks to operators' expertise and their knowledge of the processes in various areas, such as sheet metal processing, machine welding, assembly or painting.

The latest generation of production facilities, involving fast response times, high levels of flexibility, and recognised expertise in the production of complex parts, make it possible for us to guarantee customer satisfaction, which, in this case, are the various Group sites. Each year, the 90 employees in parts production process around 1,500 t of steel.

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Unimog cab production.

The third business area of Mercedes-Benz Trucks Molsheim is the production of UNIMOG cabs. The cabs of the UNIMOG implement carrier are professionally and fully assembled at the Molsheim site according to a clearly defined process. First, the steel base frame and the separately supplied body parts are joined together to form a cab before they are bonded together.

For better paint adhesion, the cab is then sanded down before it is painted and dried. Finally, the cab undergoes a final step, quality control, under powerful spotlights to ensure a perfect result. This lengthy process ends with the transport of the cab to the Wörth plant, where the UNIMOG vehicle is then fully assembled. Expressed in numbers, more than thirty employees produce over 1,000 cabs every year.

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