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01-11-2011 at 08:00: A New Era Begins

BMW Group have invested half a billion euros in the Munich plant. Munich is the lead plant for the BMW 3 Series production worldwide. BMW Group achieves virtually zero non-recyclable production waste for the first time.

“The BMW 3 Series is the most important volume-produced model from the BMW Group as well as the biggest-selling model in the entire premium segment. To ensure that the sixth generation of the BMW 3 Series likewise leaves the factory in flawless quality, we have invested around 500 million euros in our Munich home plant. And that means safeguarding 9,000 workplaces,” said Frank-Peter Arndt, Member of the BMW AG Board of Management responsible for production, in Munich on Friday.

As series production of the new BMW 3 Series Sedan got under way, Christian Ude, Mayor of Munich, along with Manfred Schoch, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the BMW Group, also spoke before a large gathering of employees at the BMW plant in Munich.

“As Munich residents we can count ourselves fortunate that the decision to build the new 3 Series here signals a clear and impressive commitment to Munich on the part of BMW,” said Christian Ude. “BMW is not just one of our major employers and corporate tax payers, but beyond that also actively contributes to the wellbeing of the city.”

Manfred Schoch added: “Credit for this achievement on the part of the Munich site must also go to the highly motivated and committed employees who invest huge efforts and true dedication into ensuring that this location retains its attractiveness and competitive edge.”

The production launch of the sixth-generation BMW 3 Series marks the start of a new era at the Munich home plant. The investments have flowed, among other areas, into innovative production equipment and state-of-the-art manufacturing technologies. They form part of a long-term strategy aimed at strengthening the competitiveness and future viability of the Munich plant and thereby safeguarding 9,000 workplaces in the Bavarian state capital. In doing so, the BMW Group is signalling a special commitment to social responsibility at its headquarters.

The production plant in Munich is a firm fixture of the BMW Group’s global production network. It acts as the lead plant worldwide for production of the new BMW 3 Series. All regions across the globe will be supplied directly from the home plant to ensure a simultaneous market launch. Furthermore, it was the Munich plant that determined the assembly sequencing and process architecture for the production of the BMW 3 Series on behalf of the entire production network. Thanks to the standardised manufacturing processes and efficient production systems, the ramp-up at the Munich plant will be very short. Just three months after the start of production of the BMW 3 Series Sedan, peak output of 680 units a day will be achieved. Total output at the plant will then exceed 900 vehicles per day.

Its location within the city presents the BMW Munich plant with some special challenges. The complex production infrastructure, set out across a total area of some 700,000 square metres, calls for extremely high density and means that the most important volume-produced model of the Bavarian premium manufacturer is built on up to five different floors. The smooth coordination between production, logistics, transport and administration within such a confined space is an achievement that ranks as a tour de force in modern-day automotive construction worldwide.

Production at the Munich home plant goes back all the way to 1922. Today, around 9,000 staff from more than 50 nations are employed there. In 2010 alone, almost 206,000 vehicles rolled off the production lines in the heart an urban residential area with minimal impact on the neighbourhood and the environment.

The “Today for Tomorrow” scheme has been implemented at the Munich plant. Its aim – particularly from a demographic viewpoint – is to design the workplaces in a highly ergonomic way that takes account of the requirements of a workforce that is increasing in age.

The Munich plant is an integral part of the BMW Group’s global production network and the lead plant for the new BMW 3 Series worldwide. In addition to the core facilities of the body shop, paintshop and assembly lines, the Munich plant also encompasses a laboratory, a press shop, engine construction and toolmaking, as well as interior equipment and seat manufacturing. As such, it brings together the most diverse skills and competences of vehicle production in unique and exemplary fashion.

Production currently comprises the BMW 3 Series, BMW petrol engines, and high-performance power units for BMW M models as well as Rolls-Royce. Press tools and body parts are also manufactured for the Group’s global production network. To date, more than 8.5 million vehicles have been built at the Munich home plant.

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