Jörg Burzer, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz AG, responsible for Production and Supply Chain Management: "At Mercedes-Benz Cars, we have started small-series production of face shields to support doctors, nursing staff, police and emergency services, for example. Our highly motivated team is using its expertise in 3D printing technology quickly and flexibly to combat the COVID-19 pandemic." What began at the Mercedes-Benz passenger car plant in Sindelfingen quickly spread to other Daimler locations, including the Mercedes-Benz plant in Wörth am Rhein.

Dr. Matthias Jurytko, Site Manager Mercedes-Benz Wörth plant: "Unusual times call for unusual measures: In the international 3D printing production network, know-how and capacities for additive manufacturing are available in many places, which are now being used for the production of face shields. We in Wörth are also proud to make a contribution to this. The face shields are now benefiting those who work in the so-called system-relevant professions."

"What our companies achieve is fantastic. Our Rhineland-Palatinate economy is characterized by technological expertise and an eye for cooperation within the state," said Minister of Economic Affairs Dr. Volker Wissing. "The automotive industry is efficient - together we will find answers to current and future challenges. This is especially true in this crisis," emphasized Wissing and thanked Daimler AG on behalf of the state government for its support.

The 3D printers usually produce prototype parts and equipment for vehicle production. Now they are producing support elements for face shields based on an open source data set. During the shutdown and subsequent short-time working, a group of dedicated employees started work on the shields. Since then, the Wörth plant alone has been producing the urgently needed kits around the clock on twelve 3D printers. The face shields are then assembled centrally in the site's training workshop. Daimler provides the face shield kits free of charge. In Germany, they are distributed via the state governments to medical and system-relevant institutions such as the police and emergency services. The face shields create a physical barrier to prevent droplets or saliva from being transferred to the wearer's face.