Like changing an airplane engine while in flight.

That’s how one Alabama Power manager described the project done with Mercedes-Benz to expand and improve its plant in Vance.

In 2011, Alabama Power’s Transmission team began working with Mercedes-Benz U.S. International (MBUSI) to add a third, new transformer to its dedicated substation.

It provided approximately 40 megawatts of increased capacity, enabling the plant to produce its C-class line and new 2015 GLE Coupe.

This was not your typical transmission project. The modifications had to be performed during normal business hours and inside of an energized substation. Months of planning and coordination between Alabama Power and MBUSI took place to ensure that vehicle production would not be disrupted.

“It was like changing an airplane engine in mid-air,” said Gary Gorham, Transmission Customer Service and Project Management Manager. “We had to do all our work while Mercedes-Benz got its own work done.”

In addition to the new 40 MW transformer being installed, the bus work was reconfigured, the transmission lines were modified, and the relays were modified and tested. Project Manager Melinda Norris led the Alabama Power team which included Mark Bales, Johnny Littleton, Pat Samya and Jake Warnack.

The work was completed by February 2014, on time, under budget and with no safety or operational incidents. And just in time to meet rising consumer demand.

In 2014, Mercedes-Benz reported record-high deliveries every single month worldwide.

“We are consistently seeing record sales in the USA,” said Dr. Dieter Zetsche, chairman of the board of management of Daimler AG and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars.

The company hopes to produce 300,000 vehicles per year from Vance, its only automotive assembly plant in North America. This would represent a 30 percent increase from the 232,000 production capacity in 2014.

It’s the “perfect number to run a very efficient plant,” said Dr. Zetsche, according to AL.com.

While MBUSI was expanding its capacity, Alabama Power discovered an opportunity to improve reliability.

Service evaluations revealed that an outage could result in an extended delay on the factory floor. This was unacceptable.

So Alabama Power conducted substation modifications and a feeder reconfiguration. Upon completion, an actual line fault condition occurred. The plant suffered no outage or stoppage. It passed the test.

“Your folks have been fantastic,” said Randall Sagan, electrical engineer for MBUSI. “Our load had grown to the point where we had the capacity to run everything, but not if something failed. Alabama Power has greatly improved our reliability and service.”

“We proved that a large plant could expand while continuing to manufacture vehicles,” said Larry Stokley, Alabama Power’s marketing representative for Mercedes-Benz.

Expansion has also meant greater economic development. The Vance plant employs about 3,500 people and supports thousands of jobs in related industries. It contributes more than $1.5 billion annually to the state’s economy.

MBUSI announced it will be hiring approximately 200 new full-time production jobs in 2015.

“With the continued success of our SUVs and the favorable customer response for the all-new C-Class, demand for the cars we build here in Vance is greater than ever,” said Jason Hoff, President and CEO of MBUSI, according to media reports. “We are expanding our physical plant to meet that demand, and we need to build out our team with more good people.”

“This is a win-win for Alabama,” said Greg Barker, marketing and economic development senior vice president for Alabama Power. “Mercedes-Benz has been a great partner and corporate citizen. Their continued success is good for the community.”

A recent tour of the plant revealed the people behind the success. Teams of workers guided auto parts through overhead assembly lines. Twenty-foot high robot arms installed components with astonishing speed and precision. Employees rode from sector to sector on three-wheeled bicycles, ringing their bells and waving.

It was also clear that Mercedes-Benz shares Alabama Power’s commitment to safety and quality. Workers are authorized to slow down or halt an assembly line when they see a problem. A customized alarm plays so the entire floor knows which line has stopped; one signature alarm played the theme from “Rocky.”

Sagan praised Alabama Power and its workers for their expertise and collaboration.

“They have been a tremendous resource for us in terms of us looking at growth and load development,” said Sagan.

Stokley noted that Mercedes-Benz thanked Alabama Power and its substation workers personally with a ceremony at the plant site.

“We don’t see that very often,” he said. “It’s a testament to great planning and execution.”