Mercedes halts the rise of the robots as it brings back the human touch

The seemingly unstoppable march of robots replacing humans may have hit a snag: high-end customisable cars. Mercedes says it is replacing many of its production line robots with humans in a surprising reversal of recent trends. That is because its S-Class sedan has a growing array of options such as carbon-fibre trim and heated cupholders, which humans are better at dealing with. Head of production Markus Schaefer said: “Robots can’t deal with the degree of individualisation and the many variants that we have today.”

We’re saving money and safeguarding our future by employing more people.

Markus Schaefer, Mercedes head of production

The manufacturer’s main plant in Sindelfinger is highly reliant on automated processes, dealing with 1,500 tons of steel each day and producing 400,000 vehicles each year. Cars including the luxury S-Class Maybach sedan and GT sports car are produced at the 101-year-old site. But while robots are good at reliably performing repetitive tasks, they can struggle to adapt to new processes and techniques. Mr Schaefer said: “The variety is too much to take on for the machines.”

They can’t work with all the different options and keep pace with changes.

Markus Schaefer

mercedes