Several hundred production team members could be hired as an addition to Mercedes-Benz International’s (MBUSI) manufacturing operations in Tuscaloosa.
MBUSI has launched a hiring campaign which seeks to fill the positions by the year’s end, according to the company. The hires will pave the way for MBUSI to meet its consumers’ increased demand for the luxury brand’s vehicles. The company also says the campaign comes on the heels of the automaker’s strategic growth plan, which in 2022 will begin producing two electric vehicles, the EQS SUV and EQE SUV.
MBUSI is also opening an EV battery pack assembly facility on a second Alabama campus, which is located in Bibb County.
Michael Göbel, president and CEO of MBUSI, outlined the automaker’s need to expand its workforce as demand for its product is on the rise.
“MBUSI’s commitment to being the best luxury auto manufacturer in North America is most evident in our workforce,” said Göbel. “As our production continues to accelerate and evolve, we are growing the team we’ve built with additional support on a local level.”
Immediate positions for which MBUSI is seeking to fill include jobs in assembly, body as well as its paint shops. The company is also actively seeking applicants at its battery plant, where workers will assemble new technology, high-voltage EV battery systems.
MBUSI is encouraging workers with production experience, particularly within the auto industry, as well as less experienced individuals who have completed manufacturing training programs to apply.
New hires as part of the program will become immediately eligible for all MBUSI benefit programs, with a starting hourly rate of $20. The pay rate increases to $25 and higher after regular wage increases over four years, and a shift premium.
To qualify for the positions, applicants must have a high school diploma or GED equivalent, one to three years of manufacturing experience, and must be able to perform the essential functions of the job.
New employees hired as part of the program will immediately qualify for the company’s benefit package which includes health and life insurance, an annual bonus, paid holidays, vacation, and emergency vacation days, along with a paid winter shutdown. Benefits also include tuition reimbursement and on-site childcare, medical center and fitness center.
The Alabama Industrial Training Program (AIDT), part of the Alabama Department of Commerce and the state’s primary workforce development agency, is assisting MBUSI with the hiring campaign.
Ed Castile, director of AIDT and deputy secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce says the present is an exciting time to enter the automotive manufacturing industry.
“This is an opportunity to get in on the ground floor of all the exciting new technologies in the transition of the world’s automobile manufacturing companies as they go from combustion engines to electric,” said Castile. “This historic transition is taking place right here in Alabama, and Mercedes is at the very center of this work.”
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
