By Andrea Hargraves 
The new facilities in Minho will attract university talent. Opened in 2022.
Mercedes has chosen Braga to open its second technology center in Portugal. The German car brand will open the new space in the city center early next year. In 2022, the company wants to hire more than 100 specialists.
Proximity to Minho University was a determining factor in choosing Mercedes-Benz.io. “We want to be closer to the neuro-talent centers in Portugal, so opening the new center in Braga is in line with our strategy,” says CEO, Silvia Beschmann.
For InvestBraga, the company’s arrival “enhances the innovative character of our board and the fabric of our business.” The Archbishops’ City is also home to the Bosch Development Center for Autonomous Driving Solutions for Germans.
Mercedes opened its first technology center in Portugal in May 2017, which includes 245 specialists. In April of this year, the company had 200 people and at that time announced that it would hire 100 more. It is not known, at the moment, how many people will work in Braga. The same official notes that vacancies are “not for a specific area, but for specific skills” that the company is looking for in the country.
Flexible or smooth work
The company has adopted a fully flexible business model. In other words, in the same week, employees from Lisbon will be able to work in Braga for two days, another in Lisbon and two more at home. In Portugal, the company has developed more than 30 products, such as car search systems, tagging of test engines, and e-commerce platforms are some examples.
Mercedes-Benz.io, operated from Portugal since October, has two offices in Germany in Berlin and Stuttgart. In total, the company has a team of 455 people.