Mercedes-Benz swaps robots for people on its assembly lines

Car makers switch to smaller and safer robots working alongside humans for greater flexibility

Bucking modern manufacturing trends, Mercedes-Benz has been forced to trade in some of its assembly line robots for more capable humans.

The robots cannot handle the pace of change and the complexity of the key customisation options available for the company's S-Class saloon at the 101-year-old Sindelfingen plant, which produces 400, 000 vehicles a year from 1,500 tons of steel a day.