Daimler Trucks' "Convoy of Hope" Comes to the Aid of Syrian Refugees in Turkey

STUTTGART -- June 22, 2015: Under the banner of "Wings on Wheels - Convoy of Hope 2015", a fleet of eight Actros semitrailer trucks with some 120 tonnes of relief supplies on board set off today from the Mercedes-Benz plant in Untertürkheim to head for the Turkey-Syria border region. Once again, the mobile relief effort has been initiated by Daimler Trucks in collaboration with the Frankfurt-based aid organisation "Wings of Help" (Luftfahrt ohne Grenzen e.V., or LOG), who also joined forces to organise the first truck aid convoys back in September and December 2013.

In 2013, when Daimler and LOG sent off those initial relief convoys, some 2.2 million Syrians had fled into neighbouring countries. The figure now is closer to four million refugees. The majority of these have fled to Turkey, where there are currently 1.7 million Syrians living in refugee camps.

Dr Wolfgang Bernhard, member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of the Daimler Trucks and Buses division, who was in Untertürkheim to see the aid convoy get under way, had the following to say about the current situation: "The situation in the Syrian crisis region remains dramatic. Since our first aid convoy in September 2013, the plight of the refugees has not improved at all; on the contrary, matters have got even worse. Our third aid convoy, made up of a further eight trucks, is therefore setting off today to bring vital supplies and help to these people where they are most needed: there, on the ground."

Hans-Joachim Fuchtel, Parliamentary State Secretary to Germany's Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, added: "The Federal Government and my own party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), are of course acting as a matter of great urgency to deal with the international refugee drama. But, faced with the scale of this task, politicians need every support they can get. With the support of non-governmental organisations, private individuals and companies we can do even more for the refugees – particularly here in Germany. Which is why efforts such as today's aid convoy initiated by Daimler and Wings of Help are so tremendously important."

With this third aid convoy to the Turkey-Syria border, Daimler AG is underlining its sense of global social commitment, and continues to give support not only through regular fundraising campaigns but also by providing specific support in areas where there is a demand for its core competence of "Transport and Logistics": Daimler Trucks takes emergency supplies to where they are most urgently needed.

On this occasion Mercedes-Benz Trucks will be delivering relief supplies collected by LOG for around 30,000 Syrian refugees in the Turkish camps at Gaziantep and Suruç – some 4000 kilometres from Stuttgart. Their 120-tonne load is made up of baby food, nappies, clothing and shoes, as well as blankets and tents. These aid supplies, with a value of more than 1 million euros, are urgently needed there.

Daimler has a very special sense of social responsibility in this particular case. Mercedes-Benz Türk has been producing Mercedes-Benz trucks at its plant in Aksary since 1986 and, with around 1700 employees there, is an integral part of Turkish society. Daimler sees it therefore as a very personal duty to help its Turkish friends in this difficult situation.

The semitrailers loaded with the relief supplies are being drawn by five Actros 1842 LS and three Actros 1845 LS tractor units. Each of these is powered by a 12.8-litre six-cylinder in-line diesel engine which, in the case of the 1842 LS, delivers an output of 310 kW (421 hp) and, in the 1845 LS, 330 kW (449 hp).

The 18-tonne vehicles have been provided by Mercedes-Benz CharterWay. Since 1992 CharterWay has been offering the seamless provision of services and mobility in connection with the acquisition, servicing and management of Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles.

The CharterWay trucks are fitted with the FleetBoard telematics system. The telematics-based internet service facilitates a more efficient transport operation, since the vehicle scheduling function and the evaluation of driving style support the transport companies in achieving a standard of driving that is both environmentally friendly and saves fuel, so keeping costs down. Furthermore, the vehicles are fitted as standard with the Mercedes PowerShift 3 automated transmission as well as with the safety and assistance systems Active Brake Assist 3 and Attention Assist.

This means that the Actros vehicles are not only able to guarantee a high level of safety on the seven-day trip to Turkey, but also outstanding efficiency. The journey will take the fleet via Amstetten/Austria, Arad/Romania, Bucharest/Romania and Harmanli/Bulgaria to Istanbul and Aksaray in Turkey, and from there on to the refugee camps of Gaziantep and Suruç. Following a journey of almost 4000 kilometres they are expected to arrive there on 28 June to help alleviate the most urgent need.

Wings of Help is a humanitarian relief organisation based at Frankfurt Airport that has been working around the world for more than ten years now to provide emergency aid in crisis situations. The organisation flies out much needed relief supplies to people in urgent need of help.

Daimler has been working with Wings of Help for the last three years, organising the transport of relief supplies to refugee camps in Turkey. On 20 September 2013, World Children's Day, the Stuttgart-based company dispatched a first aid convoy into the border region between Turkey and Syria.

At the end of 2013, Daimler employees launched an initial fundraising campaign in aid of Syrian refugees. Through this campaign, the workforce raised 52,870 euros, which the company then matched. This made it possible for a further convoy to leave for the area worst-hit by the refugee crisis on 10 December 2013, supported by Daimler with relief supplies to the total value of 105,740 euros.

The second Daimler fundraising campaign ran about a year later: the employees donated 121,073 euros, and Daimler stepped in to double the amount with a further contribution of at least 125,000 euros. This donation made it possible to charter two cargo aircraft loaded with emergency supplies, which took off for Erbil in northern Iraq on 19 December 2014 and then on 30 January 2015.

Daimler AG's social responsibility extends not only to areas of crisis but also to the Stuttgart area where its headquarters is based. This is demonstrated by the most recent example of the establishment of a Welcome Fund for refugees.

For the next three years, Daimler will be making the sum of 100,000 euros a year available to the city of Stuttgart to set up a Welcome Fund. Support will furthermore be provided for a staff position to coordinate the work of this fund. In addition, the company has donated two Mercedes-Benz vans, which will be available for use by organisations involved in refugee support work. A further 100,000 euros has been donated to the Civic Foundation (Bürgerstiftung) of the town of Sindelfingen, a sum which will be used to support, for example, projects to integrate newly arrived refugees.