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For 130 years Mercedes-Benz has been meticulously executing its plan, setting trends in motorisation, constantly increasing quality, tapping into new markets and developing a network of factories around the world. The German car brand is the epitome of comfort, quality built on years of experience, design, and car intelligence, which uses the latest technologies. Our company experts constantly seek the best automotive solutions, varied in terms of the needs of consumers around the world.
Our company has the ability to set the standards thanks to a well-developed network of factories, suppliers and research & development centers. In building the cars of the future, Mercedes responds to the needs of today’s clients who continue to search for automotive solutions which enhance their comfort.
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The history of motorisation is the history of Mercedes company and brand, and everything began with a combination of talents of a few people. Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler, although they started as competitors, had one goal: to develop mechanical engines which could propel vehicles. In December 1883, Karl Benz set up his own company in Mannheim. Seven years later, in November 1890, Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft company was established in Cannstatt. A gear wheel surrounded by a laurel wreath became the symbol of their common dream, and over the years evolved into the well known, respected and globally recognisable symbol of a silver, three-armed star.
However, there is much more to the company’s development than just symbols. New technological solutions, which were successively introduced by the company as well as challenges, which it was not afraid to take up, changed the course of the history of motorisation, and thus the history of humanity and the world. When Benz and Daimler met Emil Jellinek, an Austrian who was cooperating at the time with another pioneer Wilhelm Maybach, it allowed for the construction of the first Mercedes, made according to Jellinek’s specification and named after his daughter. Their automobiles rapidly won over the hearts and minds of people and began to change the world we live in forever. On 28 June 1926, Benz and Daimler companies merged, and since then all cars produced by the company bear the name Mercedes.
Thus began the longest cooperation in the history of motorisation. The relationship lasted until 1998, when the corporation decided to buy out majority shares in the US Chrysler company. The merger was beneficial to both sides. For Daimler-Benz it was a gateway to the US market, and Chrysler benefited from technological solutions which Mercedes was famous for. DaimlerChrysler survived until 14 May 2007.
Mercedes is not only the past and present of the automotive industry. It drives change and marker development, invests in research and development of alternative drive systems. It designs electric and hybrid vehicles of the future. It sets the standards of technology and innovation using the potential of its history and global experience as well as wide-scale research.
Our founders, Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz, always believed that obeying relevant laws is a hallmark of a solid company. Dr. Dieter Zetsche, our current chairman of the board, continues this tradition to this day: “At the Daimler group, compliance is not an option but an integral and permanent part of our corporate culture.” In the many decades since the 1883 establishment of Benz & Co. in Mannheim and the 1890 founding of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft in Cannstatt, our business has become ever-more complex and globalized. Our employees have the unconditional duty to follow a wide variety of legal requirements.
Defining compliance
The fundamental concept behind all of our business activities can be summed up by the word: “compliance” whose meaning includes conformity and adherence to, and respect for, relevant legal standards. At Mercedes-Benz, the concept of compliance includes adherence to all laws, regulations and voluntary commitments applicable to our business activities, and observance of all internal procedures and guidelines in everything we do.
Mercedes-Benz’s central compliance organization
Group Compliance (GC) is the central body responsible for defining the annual anti-corruption program and furthering its implementation across the world.
Reporting of legal violations and deviations from standards: Business Practices Office (BPO)
The Business Practices Office (BPO) unit was established in 2003 by the Audit Committee of the Mercedes-Benz Group Supervisory Board. Headquartered in Stuttgart, the BPO is responsible for receiving and documenting all reports of potential violations of laws or internal standards applicable in our organization. In these instances, the BPO initiates and coordinates internal investigative procedures.
The BPO accepts reports of malfeasance or irregularities submitted both by employees and external partners worldwide. The system’s effectiveness is guaranteed by affording protection to both the whistleblowers and the affected individuals. If permitted under local laws, whistleblowers can also remain anonymous.