Van der Merwe succeeds Peter Schabert, who retires after 31 years at Daimler AG. Schabert has been president and CEO of BBAC since August 2015.
"We have reached one of our most significant milestones to date under the lead of Peter Schabert: last year China became the largest market for Mercedes-Benz Cars. Schabert successfully and continuously increased the capacity, productivity and flexibility of our plant in Beijing. We are deeply grateful for his commitment in Germany and in China and we are now looking forward to the collaboration with Mr Van der Merwe," says Hubertus Troska, member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, responsible for Daimler Greater China.
Van der Merwe, designated president and CEO of BBAC, brings many years of experience in automotive production. He has been CEO and executive director manufacturing of MBSA since March 2014. Prior to that, he held the position of plant leader from 2011 to 2014. Under his leadership, the East London plant saw productivity increases and received six consecutive JD Power awards in the US market for quality excellence. He has enjoyed a diverse career path within Daimler since joining the South African operations in 1996.
"It is an honour to have been entrusted with such an important role. The leadership team at BBAC has created an excellent foundation for growth and I am excited to be part of this ongoing journey of collaboration and teamwork," says Van der Merwe of his new role.
Andreas Engling has been with the Daimler organisation for more than 30 years. He is currently head of engine production for Daimler's Untertürkheim plant in Germany and was previously in the position of CEO of MDC Power, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Daimler AG. Before this he held various positions in the company.
"I am excited about this new opportunity to lead the East London plant further on its path of quality and productivity excellence. I look forward to working collaboratively with all stakeholders of the larger Mercedes-Benz South Africa group of companies and building on the rich heritage of the company of more than 65 years in the country."
Both of these appointments are effective 1 April 2017.
