Partnership with Unimog Builders Optimised

STUTTGART/WORTH -- August 12, 2015: „It’s better together“ – under this program name Mercedes-Benz has optimised its cooperation with bodybuilders, introducing two different levels of partnership: to achieve „Mercedes-Benz Unimog ExpertPartner“ status, higher requirements must be fulfilled than for the „UnimogPartner by Mercedes-Benz“ status. The basis for assessment is a range of requirements covering sales, service, quality and technology. To this end, a team from Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks paid advance on-site visits to several selected bodybuilders for the Unimog model series in order to learn what they expect from a partnership model. Bodybuilders wishing to become partners are able to register in the bodybuilder portal and begin the assessment process. Contacts at the manufacturer, the Daimler AG plant in Wörth, are available should they have any queries.

The first partnership certifications were awarded at the Interschutz and Demopark shows. Certification was presented to three new „Mercedes-Benz Unimog ExpertPartners“ at Interschutz, and shortly afterwards, at the Demopark show, no less than 13 companies who had also qualified as „Mercedes-Benz Unimog ExpertPartners“ also received their certification.

Following these first awards, the 270 worldwide body and equipment manufacturers can now register for the assessment process for the entry-level „UnimogPartner by Mercedes-Benz“ in the Mercedes-Benz bodybuilder portal.

As a next step, a new portal for the Unimog Partnership is scheduled to go online at the end of 2015. Within the portal, each „UnimogPartner by Mercedes-Benz“ and „Mercedes-Benz Unimog ExpertPartner“ will be presented to joint customers together with information about the partner company and its product solutions. As early as November, Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks will be integrating certified partners more strongly into its own exhibition appearances, for example at Agritechnica, the world's largest agricultural exhibition.

As soon as a body manufacturer has been awarded the certification as a „Mercedes-Benz Unimog ExpertPartner“ or „UnimogPartner by Mercedes-Benz“, the relevant company can actively communicate this and present itself as a certified partner for the Unimog model series by using a specially developed label. The areas of application arising from the partnership for bodybuilders range from show presentations to the content of image and product brochures and the design of websites. To this end each partner certified receives a comprehensive Brand Book which provides guidance and instructions. A webspecial has also been produced at „It's Better Together