Mercedes Benz

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Stuttgart/Frankfurt, Germany, Sep 16, 2008

* The motto for the Messe Frankfurt trade fair exhibition stand is “Success through professionalism and partnership”

* Product innovations, services and processes presented in a typical dealership environment

* Live demos of repair jobs on passenger cars and vans will illustrate
day-to-day life at a workshop.


At the Automechanika trade fair from 16 to 21 September 2008, Mercedes-Benz will present innovative products, services and processes for the after-sales business. This year, the comprehensive range of services for both the dealer organisation and independent workshops will be presented under the motto “Success through professionalism and partnership”. For this purpose, Mercedes-Benz has turned the 1,500-square-metre Forum hall at Messe Frankfurt into a “real workshop”. Automechanika is the largest international trade fair for the global After-Sales market.

According to Dr. Frank Reintjes, Head of Global Service & Parts Mercedes-Benz and smart: “Quality and customer satisfaction are at the heart of everything we do at Mercedes-Benz, and at this year’s Automechanika we will again be presenting numerous product innovations, services and workshop processes that will support our partners, providing them with new ways of offering our customers the very best service and support.”

This year, Mercedes-Benz has already achieved excellent results in three large tests of workshops in Germany. Two tests in April – carried out by the AUTO BILD and AUTOZEITUNG magazines – as well as the German Automobile Association (ADAC) workshop test in August awarded top marks to Mercedes-Benz businesses. This is the result of a long-term quality improvement plan, intensive training programmes for workshop staff, regular internal quality checks and consistent efforts to further improve customer satisfaction. The result: the Mercedes-Benz star will also shine on your workshop visit!

Experiencing innovation in a real workshop setting

The central elements of the Mercedes-Benz exhibition stand this year are state-of-the-art workshop processes, new workshop systems and securing competence in the service and parts business. Staff from the Mercedes-Benz service organisation will give live demonstrations on exhibits, passenger cars and vans, highlighting the factors that need to work in tandem in order to ensure optimal service and support quality. They will guide trade fair visitors through different diagnostic processes and repair jobs that are part of everyday life in a workshop, giving the visitors the opportunity to experience After-Sales processes up close in a typical dealership setting.

SmallRepair: Small repair jobs now also for vans

The live demonstrations will also include several small repairs jobs for vans, for example on seats, bumpers and windscreens. Originally available for passenger cars, the SmallRepairs will now also be available for vans. Special repair methods provide affordable solutions to scratches, small dents and stone chip or internal damage. Visitors will be able to observe service staff as they seal nano paint and nano-wheels on passenger cars.

New MoTelDis test adapter checks telephone and infotainment systems

A further Mercedes-Benz innovation is the MoTelDis test adapter, which enables service staff to check infotainment systems, vehicle components and the customer’s mobile telephones. The tool can be used in conjunction with the trusted Mercedes-Benz Star Diagnosis, and will allow service staff to carry out simulations and tests either via a wireless connection or directly connected to the car. It will improve the troubleshooting process, e.g. isolate or exclude faults more easily, or identify a known fault pattern. It can also update component software, which up until now would had to have been exchanged.

“Digital Service Booklet” for all Mercedes-Benz passenger cars throughout Europe

At the Automechanika, Mercedes-Benz will present the “Digital Service Booklet” online system. Previously available only for the E, CLS, SL and SLK-Class, on July 1, 2008 the proven After-Sales service documentation was extended to all passenger car model series in 35 European markets. The After-Sales system makes the documentation of service and maintenance jobs even more secure and convenient.

The “Digital Service Booklet” replaces the conventional Mercedes-Benz passenger car maintenance documentation, and makes it possible to document all service jobs online. Mercedes-Benz partners can now call up a complete overview of the service history and vehicle data information on the computer screen in seconds.

Mercedes-Benz Contact: prompt assistance at the push of a button

The new “Mercedes-Benz Contact” telematics service has been available since the beginning of June. In the case of a breakdown, the driver can now get assistance by pushing a button in the car which establishes a direct telephone line to the Mercedes-Benz customer service centre, ensuring faster breakdown assistance and answers to questions about the vehicle – 24/7. What makes this service so special is the option of having all relevant vehicle and positioning data sent to the Mercedes-Benz customer service centre in advance. The Mercedes-Benz representative will thus have to hand information such as the chassis number, kilometre reading, a service code and – where there is a navigation system – the vehicle’s position data before the call has even begun, ensuring very quick response times, personalised service and fast on-site assistance.

The new service can be used as soon as the mobile telephone has been connected to the hands-free kit of the radio. Mercedes-Benz Contact is saved as the first entry in the phone book, and dialling is thus quick and trouble-free. The service is free – customers pay only the cost of a call to the landline telephone number of the Mercedes-Benz customer centre, according to their mobile service plan.

A comprehensive range of parts and logistics services

In addition to these innovations, the Automechanika 2008 will see presentations by Mercedes-Benz on the following core topics:

* Parts: High quality and advantages of Mercedes-Benz original parts, remanufactured components, used parts and all associated processes
and systems.

* Prices: Creating opportunities with fixed prices to attract new customers, consolidate existing relationships and improve customer satisfaction.

* Logistics: Planning and advice for dealer parts and accessories warehouse, the range of services offered by the logistics centre, the Logistikbus software for ordering and inventory management and associated training measures.

Ready for the future, thanks to through professionalisation and training

A competent and customer-focused service and parts business can be achieved only with competent and service-oriented staff. To remain competitive in a business that relies on state-of-the-art technologies and deals with an extensive product portfolio, it is essential that apprenticeships and advanced training are of the highest quality. At the exhibition stand, there will be presentations by Global Training, the Daimler AG department responsible for training specialist After-Sales staff. These will focus on both content and methods used at seminars and events that are aimed at securing the competencies needed in the future.

Another focus will be on the Mercedes-Benz job profiles. Apprenticeships and training for workshop staff need to be adapted, particularly in light of the complex interaction between mechanics and electronics. Several job descriptions have been created to meet the new requirements, including certified service advisors, service receptionists, car body technicians, maintenance technicians, systems technicians and certified workshop diagnosis technicians, as well as parts process specialists in the Mercedes-Benz service logistics department. The job profiles are based on one another, creating a career path in the Mercedes-Benz After-Sales business.

A further presentation at the Automechanika will focus on the Mercedes-Benz Global TechMasters, a training and motivation competition for Mercedes-Benz workshop staff around the world. The competition has proved a success and will be held for the fourth time this year. Since 2005, the Global TechMasters have made a significant contribution to skill development, motivation and the service attitude of workshop staff, and also highlight the appeal of technical service professions.








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