Daimler Trucks provides renewed support for aid convoy in Syrian refugee camp in Turkey

Under the title "Wings on Wheels – Convoy of Hope 2015", eight Actros articulated vehicles are today setting off from the Mercedes-Benz factory at Untertürkheim for the Turkish-Syrian border region with around 120 tonnes of humanitarian aid supplies. Once again, those responsible for initiating this transport of relief supplies on wheels are Daimler Trucks and the Frankfurt-based aid agency "Luftfahrt ohne Grenzen e.V." (LOG), which organised the first convoy of aid trucks back in September and December 2013.

When Daimler and LOG sent out the first aid convoy in 2013, approximately 2.2 million Syrians had fled to neighbouring countries. There are now roughly four million refugees. The majority have fled to Turkey, where there are currently 1.7 million Syrians living in refugee camps.

Dramatic situation in the crisis-hit region of Syria; immediate aid is required.

Dr Wolfgang Bernhard, executive board member at Daimler AG and head of the business area Daimler Trucks and Daimler Buses, who today saw the aid convoy off on its journey from Untertürkheim in person, had this to say on the current situation: "The situation in the crisis-hit region of Syria remains dramatic. Since our first aid convoy in September 2013, the refugee situation has not improved but has instead got even worse. That's why we are sending out another eight trucks today carrying vital supplies in our third convoy to help people where we are best able to help them: in-situ."

Hans-Joachim Fuchtel, Under-Secretary of State to the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, added: "Naturally we are treating the international refugee crisis with great urgency here in government and in the CDU party. But politics needs all the support it can get with this huge challenge. We can do more for the refugees if non-governmental organisations, individuals and companies are also involved – particularly in Germany. Contributions such as today's aid convoy from Daimler and Luftfahrt ohne Grenzen are therefore hugely important."

By sending its third aid convoy to the Turkish-Syrian border, Daimler AG is emphasising its international social commitment, helping not just with regular fund-raising campaigns but also taking action to help where its area of expertise – transport and logistics – is required: Daimler Trucks is sending humanitarian aid supplies exactly where they are urgently needed.

This time, the Mercedes-Benz trucks are taking aid supplies for approximately 30,000 Syrian refugees, collected by LOG, to the Turkish camps in Gaziantep and Suruc – just short of 4000 kilometres away from Stuttgart. Their 120-tonne cargo includes baby food, nappies, clothes and shoes, as well as blankets and tents. Worth more than a million euros, these aid supplies are urgently needed in the region.

Daimler has a very specific social duty here. Employing around 1700 people, Mercedes-Benz Türk has been producing trucks for the Mercedes-Benz brand since 1986, making it an established part of Turkish public life. Daimler therefore sees it as a very personal responsibility to support its Turkish friends in this difficult situation.

Eight Actros articulated vehicles on a 4000-kilometre journey.

The semitrailers carrying the humanitarian aid supplies are being towed by five Actros 1842 LS and three Actros 1845 LS trucks. These semitrailer tractor vehicles are powered by a 12.8-litre in-line six-cylinder diesel engine, which provides 310 kW (421 hp) of power in the 1842 LS and 330 kW (449 hp) in the 1845 LS.

The 18-tonne vehicles are supplied by Mercedes-Benz CharterWay. Since 1992, the company has been providing services and mobility in all areas of procurement, maintenance and management of Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles, all from a single source.

The CharterWay trucks are equipped with the FleetBoard telematics system. The telematics-based internet service enables more efficient transportation. The vehicle management and evaluation of driving style assist the transportation company in achieving an environmentally friendly, fuel-saving and therefore also cost-effective driving style. They also come with the automatic gearshift Mercedes PowerShift 3 and the safety and assistance systems Active Brake Assist 3 and Attention Assist fitted as standard.

The Actros vehicles thus guarantee not just a high level of safety but also efficiency on the seven-day trip to Turkey. The convoy will travel through Amstetten in Austria, Arad and Bucharest in Romania and Harmanli in Bulgaria, before arriving in Istanbul and Aksaray in Turkey and travelling on from there to the refugee camps at Gaziantep and Suruc. They are expected to arrive at the end of their nearly 4000-kilometre journey on 28 June to alleviate the most urgent needs.

Daimler and LOG: joint Syrian aid has a long tradition behind it.

The aid agency LOG, based at Frankfurt Airport, has been providing emergency aid in crisis situations around the world for more than ten years. It transports urgently required humanitarian aid supplies by air to people in desperate need.

For three years, Daimler has been organising the transportation of aid supplies to Syrian refugee camps in Turkey together with LOG. On 20 September 2013, Universal Children's Day, the Stuttgart-based group sent its first aid convoy to the Turkish-Syrian border region.

At the end of 2013, Daimler employees started the first fund-raising campaign for Syrian refugees. Staff collected 52,870 euros, which the company doubled. On 10 December 2013 a convoy was therefore able to set out once more for the refugee areas, which Daimler supported with humanitarian aid supplies worth a total of 105,740 euros.

The second Daimler fund-raising campaign took place about a year later: staff donated 121,073 euros and Daimler more than doubled the amount with at least 125,000 euros. The money raised made it possible to charter two cargo planes carrying aid supplies, which set off for Erbil in northern Iraq on 19 December 2014 and 30 January 2015.

Daimler increases aid to refugees in Germany, too.

Daimler's commitment to its social responsibility not just in crisis-hit regions but also back home in Stuttgart is something demonstrated most recently by the Welcome Fund set up for refugees.

Daimler will be giving 100,000 euros to the city of Stuttgart each year for the next three years to set up a Welcome Fund for refugees, as well as supporting an HR department for coordinating the fund. The company is also donating two Mercedes-Benz vans which can be used by organisations to provide aid to refugees. Daimler is also providing a further 100,000 euros to support the Sindelfingen community foundation, and this money will go towards a number of things including projects for the integration of newly arrived refugees.