Stuttgart – Dr. Ulf Zillig, 52, currently the overall strategic project manager for the global product project “New Mercedes-Benz Sprinter”, will take over the management of Development at Mercedes-Benz Vans on July 1, 2018. Prof. Jörg Zürn, 59, who has been in charge of this function since November 2013, will go into retirement on June 30, 2018, after 34 years at Daimler AG.
“I would like to sincerely thank Jörg Zürn for his outstanding achievements as the Head of Development at Mercedes-Benz Vans for several years”, said Volker Mornhinweg, Head of Mercedes-Benz Vans. “During this time, we completely renewed our product range and laid the foundation for the tremendous success of our Vans division all over the world. I would now like to wish Jörg Zürn all the best for this new phase of his life.”
About the appointment of Dr. Ulf Zillig as the Head of Development, Mornhinweg said: “I am very happy to have Ulf Zillig, an acknowledged expert in the areas of development and products, on board in this new position. He has played a major role in developing our global growth strategy ‘Mercedes-Benz Vans goes global’. This strategy is paying off today.”
Prof. Jörg Zürn: 34 years of service at the Daimler Group
After joining Daimler-Benz AG as a materials engineer in 1984, Professor Zürn was actively involved in the creation of the Daimler-Benz Research Center in Ulm. After holding a variety of management positions, Professor Zürn was appointed Head of the Development Center for Commercial Vehicle Transmissions in Stuttgart, where he played a major role in introducing automated commercial vehicle transmissions. In 2003 Professor Zürn became a member of the Board of Directors of Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corporation in Tokyo, Japan, where he headed the Development and Procurement departments. Beginning in 2005, Professor Zürn was the Head of Vehicle Development at Mercedes-Benz Trucks before taking on his current position as Head of Development at Mercedes-Benz Vans in November 2013.
Dr. Ulf Zillig is a van expert with many years of interdisciplinary experience at the Mercedes-Benz Vans division
Volker Mornhinweg added the following details to his comments about the new Head of Development Mercedes-Benz Vans: “In his previous function, Ulf Zillig played a major role in enabling us to initiate the digital age in the area of vans through the new edition of our Sprinter. As a result, we are developing from a pure vehicle manufacturer to a provider of complete transport and mobility solutions. I am delighted that we will continue to work together with Ulf Zillig as a member of our management team, and I wish him every success in his new area of responsibility.”
After studying mechanical engineering, Dr. Ulf Zillig joined Daimler in 1998 as a member of the International Management Associate Program. After holding several senior management positions in fields such as development controlling and lifecycle management at Mercedes-Benz Vans, he was appointed Head of Strategy Development and Portfolio Management at Mercedes-Benz Vans in early 2011. Here he was in charge of the development of the ‘ Mercedes-Benz Vans goes global’ strategy for the Mercedes-Benz Vans division. During this period he was also responsible for developing the product concept for the all-new Mercedes-Benz X-Class Pickup. Since September 2013, Zillig has been the overall strategic project manager responsible for the global product project “New Sprinter”. The new Sprinter celebrated its world premiere in February 2018 and has been produced at the plants in Düsseldorf and Ludwigsfelde, Germany, since March 2018. Preparations are now being made for the start of production in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and North Charleston, USA.
