Mercedes-Benz Plant donating 15 vehicles valued at $700,000 to Alabama high schools and colleges |
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By Mercedes-Benz US International |
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As Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Inc. (MBUSI) moves closer to the start of production of its electric vehicles in 2022, the Alabama plant is also taking steps to accelerate the number of students who want to pursue a career in the automotive industry. MBUSI is donating 15 sport utility vehicles with a combined value of more than $700,000 to 13 high schools and two community colleges in Alabama for instructors to use as valuable classroom tools.
The majority of the GLE SUVs were previously used to test and ensure Mercedes-Benz quality standards. Once quality tests have been completed, these vehicles cannot be sold for customer use or driven on public roads, but they can be used for training in a classroom.
“Donating these vehicles to our schools is a win-win for everyone,” said Michael Goebel, President, and CEO of Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Inc. “We have found a sustainable solution to re-purpose vehicles -- that would have been destroyed at the end of their test cycle -- and diverted them instead for an educational purpose. These schools are providing hands-on training and helping automakers develop a future workforce that will help us make sustainable vehicle production a reality. They are bridging the gap between the classroom and career readiness.”
“Our Mercedes-Benz SUVs will enable us to bring technology to the students,” said Rolf Wrona, Vice President of Human Resources for MBUSI. “Some of these vehicles will be steered to the Modern Manufacturing for Excellence program, which prepares students for entry-level manufacturing careers with Alabama’s automakers. Our donations are all about providing an avenue for students to become engaged in manufacturing and technology.”
Currently, MBUSI has donated more than 40 vehicles to area high schools that serve as feeder schools to the two-year colleges. MBUSI is also seeing cross-collaboration as some schools and colleges have instructors visiting one another’s workshops to see how they are set up and inspiring some to duplicate or borrow one another’s ideas.
MBUSI Human Resource Specialist Steve Colburn has worked to develop relationships with both secondary and postsecondary educational systems to identify recipients of the vehicles. Colburn works to encourage students to pursue careers in technical education and promote opportunities within the automotive industry, especially within Mercedes-Benz U.S. International.
“We are committed to getting vehicles out in the community when they become available – especially for those schools with automotive tech programs in place,” said Colburn. We want these vehicles to be used and for the students to really learn the technical aspects of our SUVs.”
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Airbus mega-order for 255 jets to boost Alabama production |
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By Charlotte Ryan Bloomberg for Alabama NewsCenter
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Airbus SE notched a mega-order for 255 narrow-body jets at the Dubai Airshow, bolstering the European planemaker’s case that aircraft demand has started to roar back from the lows of the pandemic and boosting production at the company’s Alabama operations.
The deal for Airbus’ larger A321 model is valued at more than $30 billion before typical industry discounts. It will be parceled out among Wizz Air Holdings, Frontier Group Holdings, and two other low-cost carriers that count Bill Franke’s Indigo Partners as their top shareholder, the companies said Nov. 14.
Airbus is trying to persuade suppliers to prepare for an acceleration of narrow-body output past pre-pandemic levels over the next few years. Yet orders so far in 2021 have been dismal, trailing rival Boeing Co. by two-thirds. The Indigo deal is baked into the planned ramp-up, the European planemaker’s chief executive officer, Guillaume Faury, said at the signing ceremony in Dubai.
“It’s a great pleasure to be back on the front foot and looking to the future after the COVID crisis,” Faury said.
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German Officials Visit Alabama |
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Photo Credit: Daily Mountain Eagle From the left: Minister Dr. Hardy Boeckle, Consul General Moltmann, GACC President & CEO Hoffmann, and Heiche's Commercial Director, Dr. Romero.
The new German Consul General Melanie Moltmann, based in Atlanta along with Dr. Hardy Boeckle, Minister and Head of Economic Development for the German Embassy in Washington D.C., and President and CEO Matthias Hoffmann of the German American Chamber of Commerce South visited Alabama in November.
It was Consul General Melanie Moltmann's first visit to Alabama since her appointment, and Dr.Boeckle's first visit outside Washington D.C. The officials visited with executives at Mercedes-Benz U.S. International in Vance as well as Evonik's Birmingham location and toured the newest German company Heiche US Surface Technologies in Jasper, AL. They also meet with several of the state's key executives and community leaders including Birmingham Business Alliance and World Games Birmingham 2022.
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UA, Mercedes-Benz, Alabama Power collaborate on electric vehicle research, development |
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By William Thornton for AL.com |
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As the automotive world transitions to electricity, Alabama wants its automakers to keep pace.
A new partnership between the University of Alabama, Alabama Power, and Mercedes-Benz could make that happen.
The university’s board of trustees has approved forming the Alabama Mobility and Power Center, which its creators hope will be a leading research and development center to speed along with growth in the electric vehicle field.
The move comes at a time when Mercedes has already committed $1 billion to expand its electric vehicle production and plans to begin manufacturing electric SUVs at its Tuscaloosa County plant next year. Alabama’s other auto manufacturers are in the midst of similar moves. Alabama is third in the nation for auto exports, with $7.5 billion in Alabama-made vehicles and parts exported in 2018.
Michael Goebel, president, and CEO of Mercedes-Benz U.S. International said the company is set to go all-electric by the end of the decade, as market conditions allow.
“Our location here in Alabama is among the Mercedes-Benz locations on three continents that next year will build electric vehicles and highly efficient battery systems,” Goebel said in a statement. “Our partnership with the University of Alabama and Alabama Power through the AMP Center is a collaboration that will help position Alabama to be a leader in electric vehicle innovation.”
UA President Stuart Bell called the center a “chance for the talented researchers at the University to support prominent industries in our state while growing opportunities for our students to apply their skills here after graduation.”
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Dankeschön to our PATRON Members: |
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Save the Date for AGP 24th Annual Celebration Dinner in Mobile |
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SAVE THE DATE!
We are excited to announce the date for AGP 24th Annual Celebration Dinner in Mobile in connection with Mardi Gras. Two great events in ONE night in beautiful Mobile!
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Please plan to join us:
Thursday, February 24, 2022
3:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
The Battle House Hotel & Spa
Mobile, AL
The registration will open SOON.
Sponsorship Opportunities:
The AGP Annual Celebration Dinner traditionally attracts 230-260 industrial, cultural, educational, and governmental leaders.
The diverse membership of German, American, and other international professionals is an attractive audience. Our different sponsorship packages ensure maximum impact for our participating sponsors while offering key support for AGP’s mission.
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Thank You To Our Generous Presenting Sponsor: |
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Please join us for a festive evening in the Grand Bohemian Hotel's Private Dining Room for a German traditional Goose Feast. Limited seats:
Thursday, December 9, 2021
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m
Grand Bohemian Hotel
Mountain Brook/Birmingham
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Let's get into the Holiday Spirit in the City of Cullman that will be all decked out and hosting their first modest rendition of the traditional German Christmas Market, the Cullman Christkindlmarkt:
Friday, December 10, 2021
Meeting time 5:30 p.m.
Cullman County Museum
Cullman
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All Christmas markets have been canceled in Bavaria and Saxony |
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Due to the sharp rise in corona numbers, the Free States of Saxony and Bavaria are pulling the ripcord: All Christmas markets have been canceled. Bars, clubs and discos will also be closed.
In the fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic, Bavaria is imposing a lockdown for the unvaccinated and in hotspots even for all citizens from next week. "We have to act," said Prime Minister Markus Söder in Munich, referring to the high levels of infections in the Free State, where the vaccination rate is significantly lower than in other federal states. There will be contact restrictions again - "a de facto lockdown for unvaccinated people across the country".
Bavaria justified the measures, which should initially apply until mid-December, with the impending collapse of the health system. The 2G and 2G Plus rules, which already exclude unvaccinated people, are to be tightened again. A curfew of 10 p.m. is planned in the catering trade, and there should only be one customer per ten square meters in retail. For this, the epidemic emergency will be determined.
Söder discusses mandatory vaccination
In hotspots with an incidence of at least 1000 - currently, there are eight districts in Bavaria - even more, extensive restrictions are to apply to all citizens for three weeks. "The existing measures are not sufficient here. A hard emergency brake is needed here," said Söder. That means closings for hotels, restaurants, hairdressers, cultural and sporting events. He again urged all citizens to get vaccinated. In Bavaria, the incidence of unvaccinated people is 1500, of those who have been vaccinated at 110. "I believe that in the end, we will not be able to avoid compulsory vaccination," said Söder. This could be a long-term solution. Otherwise, the situation will not get any better.
Big business
Christmas markets are a big deal in Germany. And they're big business, too. In 2018, some 3,000 markets were held across the country, attracting a total of 160 million visitors, according to a study by IFT, a German tourism consultancy. Taken together, they generated some €2.9 billion ($3.4 billion) in revenue.
Before the pandemic, the Christmas market at the Cologne Cathedral tended to see the greatest number of visitors. It attracted some 4 million people on average, of which almost 20% hailed from abroad — far surpassing the German average for foreign guests.
Stuttgart's festive fair was the second-most visited, with some 3,5 million guests, followed by Munich Christmas market, which drew some 3 million visitors annually. Nuremberg's Christkindlesmarkt, meanwhile, recorded an average of 2 million guests.
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Dankeschön to our SUSTAINING Members: |
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Please help us welcome our new members:
CORPORATE/ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP
Stefan Graeber
Civil Team Leader
They are more than engineers, project managers, and consultants – they are relationship builders who strive to solve their clients’ problems. They follow a servant leadership model in order to provide exceptional service to their clients and associates. The true litmus test of their value to clients is reflected in their high volume of repeat customers.
Sain Associates was founded by Charles “Hack” Sain in1972. Hack left a great legacy to the engineering industry. He was a member of the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame and the AGC Hall of Fame. He is known for writing the Earthwork section of the Standard Handbook for Engineers by McGraw Hill.
As an AGP member, you can connect with them through the AGP membership database.
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Tuscaloosa Sister Cities International Delegation to Germany |
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By Tuscaloosa Sister Cities International
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After more than a year of pandemic-related international travel restrictions, TSCI is thrilled to announce that our 25th Anniversary Tuscaloosa-Schorndorf Partnership Celebration in Schorndorf, Germany is ON!
A 25-member Community Delegation is scheduled to travel to Germany and Austria May 25-June 6, 2022. Tuscaloosa is proud of our strong, thriving, partnership with Schorndorf. We look forward to celebrating our silver anniversary (and many more!) with “Die Daimlerstadt”, the birthplace of Gottleib Daimler.
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Weihnachts-Markt at Tuscaloosa Academy |
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Christvesper in Tuscaloosa |
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Join the German Christvesper:
Christmas Eve, December 24, 2021
3:00 p.m.
Westervelt Warner Chapel
First Presbyterian Church
900 Greensboro Avenue
Tuscaloosa, AL 35401
Service by Dr. Rev. Thomas Herwig
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COVID-19 RELATED NEWS AND RESOURCES |
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Key Information for Travelers to Germany from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Visit CDC Website.
RESOURCES
We have collected a list of resources that can provide information and assistance during these challenging times. You can find them on our website under Helpful Resources.
AlabamaGermany Partnership:
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AlabamaGermany Partnership 1900 International Parkway Drive, Suite 105
Birmingham, AL 35245 www.AlabamaGermany.org
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