The Hoşdere Bus Plant, which was inaugurated in 1995, is still one of the most modern bus production factories in the world. The second stage of investment in the plant was completed in 2005, which included parts production facilities, a bodyshop, an energy centre and a sophisticated cathodic dip priming installation.
The cathodic dip priming installation can handle entire bus and coach bodies, so no part of the vehicle is missed when the primer is applied, even those areas that are inaccessible in conventional, manual application processes. This installation is a first in the Turkish bus production industry. Furthermore, the plant has an in-house electricity generating plant, which supplies the Hoşdere Plant with all the electrical energy it needs.
The combination of conveyor belts and stationary working sites (box) instead of the conventional band production provides the plant necessary flexibility to produce different models simultaneously, as well as minimizing time losses during manufacturing.
Mercedes-Benz Türk, for the first time in the world, has applied the air cushion technology in bus production at the Hoşdere Plant. Having a very favourable effect on working conditions in ergonomic terms, the air cushions are used not only for conveyance of bodies between the assembling stations but also for various stages of assembly. Storage and materials units are integrated with the manufacturing halls with the purpose of providing optimum material flow. The Hoşdere Bus Plant is a model facility with regard to both the technology and systems selected and environmental protection, owing to the special measures taken and the purification plants.
The Hoşdere Plant is responsible for the production of the Travego, Intouro and the new Tourismo coaches as well as the new city-bus Conecto.
Today 65 % of the buses produced by Mercedes-Benz Türk are exported to 70 countries. €150 million have been invested into the Hoşdere Plant, which has a production capacity of 4.000 vehicles a year.
The Hoşdere Plant has 115.000 m² of covered area built on a total of 360.000 m² of land.