Mercedes Benz

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Hannover/Stuttgart, Germany, Sep 26, 2008

* Daimler stages event for 300 suppliers to its commercial vehicles business from around the world

* A focus on dialogue

* Strengthening the partnership with suppliers


At the 62nd IAA Commercial Vehicles Show in Hanover, the procurement unit of Daimler Trucks and Daimler Buses is today inviting some 300 selected suppliers from around the world to come along to the Mercedes-Benz stand and take part in the first ever "Daimler Trucks and Buses Supplier Dialogue." In line with the events’s slogan - "Intensify our Dialogue" - the purpose of the event is to promote and strengthen the dialogue between Daimler's top management and suppliers, and also between suppliers themselves.

As Andreas Renschler, Daimler Board of Management member with responsibility for Daimler Trucks, explains: "Today's most important message is that we're all part of one team - and, make no mistake, a winning team. By joining forces, we can meet the challenges facing the commercial vehicles business, such as the extremely cyclical nature of the market, the rising cost of raw materials, and the capture of new markets."

The objective of the event is to enhance the dialogue with the suppliers of Daimler Trucks and Daimler Buses. In Renschler’s speech, he said that there is no intention of trying to provide general price concepts or areas for potential savings. The priority of today's event is to deal fairly with suppliers. "We need to work together to increase efficiency in areas where the manufacturer and suppliers cooperate. And for that, we need suppliers who are innovative while also able to deliver high quality and competitive prices."

The value input of suppliers has increased significantly in recent years. Many suppliers now make a major contribution in the areas of research, design, and production as well as delivering complex systems and modules. Therefore the business success of the world's largest commercial vehicles manufacturer is strongly reliant on the quality of the cooperation with its suppliers. For this reason, Daimler intends to further strengthen this close collaboration with core suppliers in the future.

As Stefan Buchner, Head of Procurement for Daimler Trucks and Buses, explains: "We all need to work more quickly and more efficiently while using fewer resources. That's why manufacturers and suppliers need to work together even more closely, so that we can find the right solutions sooner rather than later." According to Buchner, the aim of today's event is to discuss ideas and opportunities for making this team even more successful in the future.

Daimler managers from procurement, development, and production are available in so-called dialogue lounges to discuss issues with suppliers. This will enable the latter to obtain targeted information about specific topics as well as local requirements and global challenges.

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