OREANDA-NEWS. In one of the biggest single investments that Daimler has made in a van plant in recent years, Daimler AG will spend around EUR 190 million on the Mercedes-Benz facility in Vitoria, Spain. The Vitoria facility will use these funds to prepare for the production of the new generation of medium-size vans, which will start in 2014. The investment will primarily cover the modernization and reorganization of the plant's body shop, paint shop, and assembly units. The site's logistics will also be optimized. Currently the plant has over 3,100 employees.

While visiting the plant in the Basque region, Volker Mornhinweg, Head of Mercedes-Benz Vans, said, "With the investment of approximately €190 million we are strengthening our Vitoria facility and making it fit for the future. At the same time we are emphasizing the importance of the second-largest van plant in our global production network."

The Viano and Vito models have been produced at the Vitoria plant since 2003. The Mercedes-Benz Viano is a premium full-size MPV for private customers, and the Mercedes-Benz Vito is a van designed to meet the needs of commercial customers from the skilled trades, services, and professional passenger transport sectors.

Rainer Ruess, Head of Production at Mercedes-Benz Vans, commented as follows on Daimler AG's investment decision: "The Mercedes-Benz plant in Vitoria is the only automobile manufacturer in the Basque region, and its 3,100 employees make it one of the biggest industrial companies in the region. We are totally committed to this location, and we are now working hard to prepare ourselves for the production of the next generation of medium-duty vans."

The Vitoria plant, which is located in the heart of the Basque region in northwestern Spain, was built in the early 1950s. The plant produces about 75,000 vans annually in a production space of 370,000 m2 on a plant site covering 600,000 m2.