Careers at Daimler

MISSION

Daimler AG (“Daimler”) seeks to consolidate its position on the global market as a leading manufacturer of innovative, reliable, and efficient automotive vehicles, and provider of other financial services.

FOUNDING STORY

Daimler has its roots I two separate automobile companies: Benz and Cie, founded in 1883 by Karl Benz, and Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft (“DMG”) founded in 1890 by Gottlieb Daimler and Willhelm Maybach.

The two companies signed an agreement of mutual interest in May 1924, under which they formally merged in June 1926, becoming Daimler Benz AG. The newly-merged company subsequently adopted the brand name Mercedes Benz as a nod to DMG’s Mercedes series of models.

During the Second World War, Daimler was played a key role in designing and producing aircraft, tank, and submarine engines for the war effort, as well as manufacturing automotive vehicles for the military. The company also produced parts for armaments, notably including barrels for the Mauser series of rifles.

Following the war, Daimler sought to distance itself from the Nazi regime, and became involved in the German Industry Foundation’s initiative “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future”, whose work included the provision of humanitarian aid for former forced labourers.

In the latter half of the twentieth century, Daimler expanded its operations and established itself as a leading manufacturer of luxury cars and freight vehicles.

The company produces vehicles under a number of brand names – including Mercedes Benz, Maybach, and Smart – and offers financial services via its subsidiaries. The company employs around 300,000 workers across operations in Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa, and the Americas.

It has a current market capitalisation of approximately EUR 56.6 billion.

Business model of Daimler

Customer Segments

Daimler offers a range of products and services that cater to a varied customer base.

The company’s core customers can be organised broadly into the following customer segments:

  • General Consumers, comprising members of the general consumer population – typically middle income and higher income consumers – who purchase the company’s commercial cars from dealerships;
  • Commercial Enterprises, comprising companies across a range of sectors that utilise Daimler vehicles for corporate purposes;
  • Fleet Management Companies, comprising car service companies, taxi companies, and car rental businesses that offer Daimler vehicles to consumers ;
  • Logistics and Haulage Companies, comprising logistics, trucking and haulage companies, delivery and courier companies, and other distribution businesses that use Daimler trucks and vans to transport goods around the world;
  • Public Bodies, comprising various government bodies and transport operators that use purchase Daimler buses for public transport fleets; and
  • Financial Services Customers, comprising various consumer and commercial customers that utilise Daimler’s various financial services, often in conjunction with other services.

Daimler is based in Germany but serves a global customer base spanning Europe, Asia Pacific, the Americas, Africa, and the Middle East.

Value Propositions

Daimler provides value to its clients in the following ways:

  • Reputation and Track Record – Daimler has an established track record in the automotive engineering sector that dates back as far as the nineteenth century, the company having established itself as one of the foremost automobile manufacturers in the world;
  • Reliability and Quality – Daimler is known for producing high quality automotive products that function reliably and efficiently over long periods of time, ensuring that customers are provided value for their money;
  • Customer Service and Maintenance – Daimler offers ongoing care to its customers, including offering maintenance services and repairs to customers across a network of service centres and dealerships around the world;
  • Prestige and Standing – Daimler’s Mercedes and Maybach brands are targeted at high-earning customers and are associated with affluence and luxury, giving consumers opportunity to display their wealth;
  • International Reach – Daimler operates a network of dealerships and service centres around the world – including in Europe, Asia Pacific, the Americas,, and Africa – ensuring that it is able to efficiently serve a global customer base; and
  • Innovation and Expertise – Daimler invests significant resources in research and the development of innovative technologies, ensuring that the company remains at the cutting edge of the automotive industry.

Channels

Daimler sells its products directly to customers via its dedicated sales organisation, which comprises the operations of an international network of dealerships – including under its Mercedes Benz, Maybach, smart, Setra, Bharatrenz, and Fuso – located across Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific, and Africa.

The company’s dealerships are staffed by dedicated sales personnel who deal directly with customers. Daimler additionally operates a network of sales teams that deal specifically with commercial customers and public enterprises, notably in its van and haulage segments.

Daimler additionally operates a network of service centres around the world, through which customers are able to access dedicated maintenance and engineering support services from trained personnel. It also has various distribution facilities that support its sales operations around the world.

Customer Relationships

Daimler seeks to establish longstanding relationships with its customers by providing high quality and reliable products supported by effective customer care.

The company’s sales personnel across its network of dealerships seek to provide expert advice and guidance, ensuring that customers make appropriate purchase decisions.

Similarly, the company’s commercial sales force maintains close contact with its large public and commercial customers to ensure that they are satisfied with their service.

Daimler operates a website at www.daimler.com, through which it provides customers with information pertaining to its products, operations, business locations, operating segments, brands, and structure on a self-service basis.

The company also communicates company developments to its customers via press releases and news articles that are published on its website.

Additionally, Daimler is able to interact directly with its customers via its various social media accounts, including with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Xing.

Key Activities

Daimler is a prominent automotive engineering company engaged in the development, production and distribution of cars, trucks and vans worldwide.

Daimler organises its operations into five reportable business segments: Mercedes-Benz Cars, through which the company manufactures and sells cars under the Mercedes-Benz brand, including the brands Mercedes-AMG and Mercedes-Maybach; Daimler Trucks, through which the company develops and produces vehicles under the brands Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner, Western Star, FUSO and BharatBenz; Mercedes-Benz Vans, through which the company supplies a range of vans and associated services; Daimler Buses, through which the company sells completely built-up buses under the brand names MercedesBenz and Setra; and Daimler Financial Services, which supports the sales of the company’s automotive brands.

Daimler is based in Germany but serves an international customer base across the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Africa.

Key Partners

Daimler works with a network of partner companies and organisations around the world.

These partners can be organised broadly into the following categories:

  • Supplier and Vendor Partners, including suppliers of resources, tools, and equipment used in the company’s manufacturing processes, as well as providers of third-party services that support the company’s corporate activities;
  • Distribution and Sales Partners, including distribution companies that support the company’s worldwide distribution of vehicles, as well as third-party car dealers that sell cars to consumers on the company’s behalf;
  • Consortium and Joint Venture Partners, comprising a range of other companies operating in the automotive sector with which Daimler works directly under consortia or jointly-owned entities to deliver innovative products;
  • Technology and Innovation Partners, comprising a range of technology and engineering companies with which the company works on the development of new and innovative technologies that can be implemented in the company’s products;
  • Social Responsibility Partners, including various non-profits and charitable organisations with which the company works on social and community projects around the world; and
  • Strategic and Alliance Partners, comprising other companies and organisations with which the company works on other projects, including in branding and development.

In recent years, Daimler has notably launched several partnership in relation to the development of driverless and connected car solutions, including a tie-up with Geely, BMW and Otonomo.

Key Resources

Daimler’s business model depends on its ability to provide consumers with reliable vehicles that offer innovative and efficient functionality. As such, the company’s key resources are its supplies and supply chain, its intellectual properties and proprietary technologies, its network of manufacturing facilities, its research and development facilities, its partnerships, its sales network, and its personnel.

Daimler notably has a number of patent applications registered with the US Patent and Trademark Office, including applications for ‘wheel or wheel cover’, ‘headlight for a vehicle’, and ‘taillight for a vehicle’.

The company also owns and or leases a network of physical properties around the world, including manufacturing facilities, dealerships, and corporate offices.

Cost Structure

Daimler incurs costs in relation to the procurement of supplies and equipment, the operation of its manufacturing facilities, the development of proprietary technologies, the operation of its sales and distribution network, the operation of its research and sales locations – including occupancy and utility costs, the management of its partnerships, the implementation of marketing and advertising campaigns, and the payment of salaries and benefits to its personnel.

In 2018, Daimler recorded annual cost of sales totalling EUR 134.3 billion. The company also recorded selling expense of EUR 13.1 billion, general administrative expenses of EUR 4.0 billion, and research and development costs of EUR 6.6 billion.

Revenue Streams

Daimler generates revenue through the production, marketing, and sale of automotive vehicles and the provision of related financial services. The company derives revenue primarily in the form of sales or lease costs charged to consumers and businesses under contracts agreed individually.

The company also derives revenue through fees and charges associated with its financial services, as well as in the from licensing and patent activities.

In 2018, Daimler recorded annual revenue of EUR 167.4 billion, up on the 164.2 billion generated by the company in 2017.

The bulk of the company’s revenue, approximately EUR 93.1 billion, was generated by the company’s Mercedes Benz Cars segment, while the majority of the company’s remaining revenue was attributed to its Daimler Trucks and Daimler Financial Services segments, which generated EUR 38.3 billion and EUR 26.3 billion respectively.

Our team

Dieter Zetsche,
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Management

info: Dieter Zetsche (“Zetsche”) has been a member of Daimler’s Board of Management of since December 1998, and has served as Chairman of the Board of Management at Daimler since January 2006. He also serves as Head of the Mercedes-Benz Cars Division. Zetsche is responsible for leading the company’s overall strategic direction, and heading the company’s commercial automobile operations. Zetsche is a long-serving employee of Daimler and its subsidiaries. He first joined the company in 1976, working in its Research Division. He went on to hold roles of increasing responsibility, including spells as Head of the Development Department and Chief Engineer of Mercedes-Benz do Brazil, President of Mercedes-Benz Argentina, President of Freightliner Corporation, and Chief Executive Officer and President of the Chrysler Group.

Martin Daum,
Head of Daimler Trucks and Buses

info: Martin Daum (“Daum”) has been a member of the Board of Management at Daimler since March 2017. In this capacity, he serves as Head of the Daimler Trucks and the Daimler Buses Divisions, overseeing the operations and strategic growth of the company’s truck and bus manufacturing business. Daum began his career as a management consultant, having completed an internship as a banker. He joined Daimler in 1987 as part of the company’s International Management Associate Program, following which he was appointed in 1988 as a manager in the company’s Sales Companies Overseas Division. He has since held a number of leadership positions at Daimler, including spells as Commercial Director of Marketing Services GmbH, Vice President of Product Unit Unimog, Special Vehicles and Controlling, Vice President of Operations for Mercedes-Benz Trucks, and Executive Vice President, President and Chief Executive Officer of Daimler Trucks North America LLC.

Ola Kallenius,
Head of Group Research and Mercedes Benz Cars Development

info: Ola Kallenius (“Kallenius”) has been a member of Daimler’s Board of Management since January 2015. In this capacity, he is responsible for leading the company’s Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development operations since January 2017. Kallenius has worked at Daimler for the entirety of his career, beginning in 1993 as a trainee in the company’s International Management Associate Program. In 1995, he was appointed as a manager In the Corporate Controlling Division of Mercedes Benz US International Inc. He has since held numerous leadership positions at Daimler and its subsidiaries, including spells as Executive Director of Operations at McLaren Automotive Ltd, Managing Director of Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines Ltd, Vice President, President and Chief Executive Officer at Mercedes Benz US International Inc, and Vice President and Managing Director at Mercedes AMG GmbH.