Daimler Buses opens North American headquarters in Jacksonville (Courtesy of the Florida Times-Union) — Motorists exiting Interstate 295 onto Pritchard Road in Jacksonville might feel like they’re getting off the autobahn in Germany.
East of the highway interchange is the Volkswagen Group Of America’s parts distribution warehouse with the VW logo on the side of the building.
West of the interchange is the new Daimler Coaches North America headquarters building that will soon get the familiar Mercedes-Benz star out front, marking the spot where Daimler Coaches aims to sell more than 300 motorcoach buses per year.
The big Tourrider motorcoaches are made in Turkey, shipped to the U.S. through Georgia ports and taken to Jacksonville for final inspections and installation of features such as audio-video equipment and wheelchair lifts.
Company leaders said the new facility, which will start with 50 employees, shows a commitment to make Jacksonville a hub for Daimler Buses expansion in the U.S.
“We are really proud to be part of this community now, and first-class coaches from First Coast certainly has a nice ring to it, I’d say,” Daimler Buses CEO Till Oberworder said at a Feb. 10 grand opening ceremony.
“It really is a dream for us that we are now making our first real footprint — our own footprint — into the United States of America and the state of Florida,” Daimler Coaches North America CEO Dietrich Muller said to attendees who included Christofer Burger, consul general of the Federal Republic of Germany in Miami.
Daimler Coaches North America is a subsidiary of Daimler Buses, which in turn is part of Daimler Truck AG which employs about 100,000 people worldwide. Daimler Truck AG manufactures commercial vehicles and is a separate entity from Mercedes-Benz Group that makes luxury automobiles.
Even though Daimler Truck and Mercedes-Benz Group operate as standalone companies, Daimler Buses makes buses and motorcoaches under the Mercedes-Benz brand, such as the Tourrider that will be sold and serviced in Jacksonville.
The new 43,700 square foot facility on an 11.9 acre site encompasses a 16,000 square foot shop and maintenance center along with a two-story administration building and a training and delivery center for customers.
The Westside site joins the Mercedes-Benz USA facility on the Northside at the International Trade Port as places where the Mercedes-Benz three-pointed star is displayed. The car maker’s Quality Evaluation Center and other operations date back to 2010.
Mayor Donna Deegan noted that Holon, a German company specializing in making autonomous transit vehicles, plans to build a plant this year in Jacksonville.
“We’re starting to be sort of a German thing here, aren’t we?” she said in her remarks.
She said Daimler Coach’s decision to put its headquarters in Jacksonville will “reinforce Jacksonville’s reputation as America’s logistical hub.”
Muller said the main market for the Tourrider motorcoaches is in Florida, the Northeast, the Midwest and West Coast, primarily for companies that operate the transportation service for tourism companies that might be taking passengers to the Florida Keys or Niagara Falls.
Sports clubs also use the motorcoaches for transportation as do operators of services that take travelers to airports.