Built by Turkey's ESTA Construction, German automotive giant Mercedes-Benz's 250 million euro ($280.5 million) Russia plant will be inaugurated by President Vladimir Putin on April 3.
Located at the Esipovo Industrial Park, about 40 kilometers north of Moscow, the plant was built on an 85-hectare plot of land. It is equipped with Industry 4.0 technologies and full flexible assembly technology that will enable the production of a large number of vehicles on a single assembly line. The plant also covers all production stages, from the paint shop to the final assembly.
Chairman of ESTA Construction Bahattin Demirbilek said that Turkey's contracting sector features serious infrastructure, technical equipment and human resources, stressing that the Turkish companies come second in the global construction sector, right after China. "Frankly, I see great potential in this sector for Turkish construction companies and I believe this should not only be limited to Russian geography," he said, pointing to Europe, Africa and the U.S. as major markets on this regard. "Because there is now very aged infrastructure all around the world, Turkish companies have a lot of work to do to renovate all of them," Demirbilek added.
Mercedes-Benz Russia CEO Axel Bense said they have put so much effort into building this plant for about two years, adding they are now at the production stage thanks to the Turkish company. "This is an international project carried out in cooperation with ESTA Construction, one of the important actors in the sector," he said.
"I would like to say that I am very happy for their support and that we see them as a reliable partner. I believe this will be a long-lasting partnership that will continue not only in Russia but also in different parts of the world," Bense added. The plant, which stands out as Mercedes-Benz/Daimler's largest investment and first automobile factory in Russia, was named after Sirius, the brightest star visible from any part of Earth. Here, Mercedes-Benz E and SUV models will be manufactured with the CKD (complete knock-down) technique.