European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 10, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Factory visits going to the source by Allen Cowan staff writer Germany picking up a car at the factory can be if the Mercedes Benz Plant is its the Disney world of the car said one american picking up a i90d in late employees smile there thoughtful and the facility is spotless and inconvenience is Tours Are for the experience begins at the Sindel Fingen train from visitors go out the front walk about 100 Yards on turn left into the pickup Point and wait at station the first bus arrives at buses depart about 20 minutes apart after that until 3 when the last one in five owners arc at the service Luggage and Coats can be showers and cots arc theres a serving meals on Rose Plhal theres windows Are open to Check documents and arrange for the clerks Are courteous and cheerful despite the repetitive nature of their Between 400 and 600 cars a Day or about 20 percent of Mercedes annual Auto output Are picked up on lines Are longest on thursday and other Early morning hours offer the shortest waiting owners can tour the factory and then get their they can get their car and then tour the or they can skip the that would be a the tour lasts 90 a fascinating behind Hestenes View on the test Assembly and construction of a More than people tour the Plant each not All of them reservations Are orientation begins with a 25minute color its in Ger but Mercedes provides a tape in English and a tape guests Are loaded into buses for a drive and walk through the guides speak several  answer and Lucky visitors might get Juergen wag who delivered the stars and stripes As a Young Man and loves to talk Hes a walking data from visitors learn that photo by Dave Didio body shells Edge along the Assembly line at the Mercedes Benz employees and 320 robots work two eight hour Between they Crank out cars every 16 the Plant exceeds 22 million Square or about 500 it contains 230 each costing Between million and the largest produces tons of All Sheet More than tons a is stamped cold to minimize paint and 30 tons Are sprayed on the one building houses a training Center where apprentices learn the factory opened As an aircraft Plant in it was heavily damaged in world War and much of it was visitors see the stamping Section and portions of the Assembly its like watching a Puzzle being put Ogeth everyone knows what the car is supposed to look and its fun seeing its birth in various the entire process is controlled by about two months before car specifications Are fed into a As the Chassis goes Down the the computer orders the parts and pieces and there automatically supplied to allowing them to build different with different on the same Assembly the Plant is when new owners pick up their one of 18 technicians explains its How it maintenance and other pertinent customers get a chit for 10 free liners of and theres a filling station right outside the for military customers with theres an Esso station less than 2 Miles from the want to go Mercedes offers Tours monday through Friday beginning at for Call Check out your shipper photo by Dave Didio Arthur Brexendorf by Allen Cowan staff writer Page i the stars and stripes Bremen there Are scores of commercial warship Ping firms in and their say shippers Peter Lampke and Arthur can cause havoc for unwary they walk around like Sharks in Frankfurt and other areas trying to talk gis into shipping Lampke what upsets me is that so Many of them Are Here today and gone a lot of our business is done on and these flyby night operators Hurt the legitimate last for one shipping firm went out of business without paying Many of its nearly 50 cars were held in storage by agents until shipping charges were in some people had to pay twice to ship the same so its Little wonder that Lampke and Brexendorf want the Sharks driven there Independent and their suggestions came from separate while Lampke and Brex Endorf Deal with each they also contract with Many other freight but they have at least one belief in and that is that any blemish on the shipping Industry hurts their there Are about fifty companies engaged in the Auto Mobile shipping Brexendorf in my about 50 percent Are More than we want to get rid of the Black that my if there Are experts in the freight Lampke and Brexendorf so their words take on added May a rotund is co owner of a firm that bears his a firm with nearly 35 years experience in finding cargo for the owners of cargo Hes paid a commission by the owners on the freight he he is legally certified As a shipping Brexendorf is a manager for Karl a freight for warding firm with nearly 30 years forwarders work for people who have freight to and they get paid a commission for passing on cargo to shipping agents like each has horror stories to the american customers drop off cars and they dont Brexendorf they dont ask there not Lampke agrees that some americans Are you dont go to someones give him documents for your and Hope to see it in Lampke they pay the first idiot who crosses their americans must realize they May be turning their car Over to a Possi ble the question is How to find a reliable Compa this is where it becomes its not for us to recommend one company because we might get sued by another but we can find a Way to eliminate asking the right they is the service members looking for a commercial warding firm to ship their cars should ask lots and not sign contracts or hand Over Money until