Work begins on BMW Plant Leipzig extension

Leipzig. The BMW Group is to invest more than €300
million in its Leipzig plant. Comprehensive construction work to
extend and update the body and paint shops, assembly and logistics is
already under way, laying the foundation for continued growth and the
production of future models in Leipzig.

The main focus of activities at the plant is to increase annual
production capacity by approx. 100,000 units, from the current 250,000
to about 350,000 p.a. in 2020. Production of BMW i models will rise
much earlier, in autumn of this year, from 130 to 200 units a day to
meet the welcome growth in demand.

“We have every faith in the skills and productivity of employees at
our Leipzig plant,” said Oliver Zipse, BMW AG Board Member for
Production. “So it’s only logical that, with the measures we are
introducing now, we should make the plant even more flexible and,
above all, more efficient to keep it competitive in the future.”

This important step for the company as well as the Leipzig/Halle
region and the free state of Saxony was today honoured in the presence
of the Minister for Transport and Digital Infrastructure, Andreas
Scheuer; the Minister President of the Free State of Saxony, Michael
Kretschmer; the First Mayor of the City of Leipzig, Torsten Bonew; the
Board Member for Production, Oliver Zipse; Plant Director, Hans-Peter
Kemser, and Works Council Chairman, Jens Köhler.

Andreas Scheuer, German Minister for Transport and Digital
Infrastructure: “Germany is the land of mobility. The automotive
industry is our leading sector – and that’s not about to change. It
has created jobs for hundreds of thousands of people and will continue
to do so in the future. We now have the chance to bring new German
drive technologies onto the market, and must make electric mobility
real for people and convince them with performance.”

Minister President Michael Kretschmer: “This plant extension is a
clear sign which will strengthen Saxony even further as an industry
base and secure good jobs for the Leipzig region. I am delighted that
BMW remains faithful to Leipzig and continues to make major
investments here.”

“What’s most important to me, as Plant Director, is our company’s
clear show of trust in our employees and our region,” said Hans-Peter
Kemser. BMW Group Plant Leipzig first launched series production in
March 2005, with 2,000 employees. Another 3,300 jobs have since been
created, taking the total headcount to over 5,300 today. Since series
production was first launched, in March 2005, more than 2.3 million
vehicles have rolled off the production lines in Leipzig, and
investments have totalled approx. €3 billion.

Works Council Chairman Jens Köhler emphasised: “Today is an extremely
important day for our employees. These investments will secure our
jobs here in Leipzig and ensure our plant is future-proof.”

 

Flexibility is gaining major importance in automotive production

The BMW Group is currently preparing all of its plants to integrate
fully electric vehicles into their existing structures so that they
can produce combustion-powered, hybrid and fully electric vehicles simultaneously.

BMW Group Plant Leipzig is no exception. Here, pioneering work has
already reinvented and revolutionised the manufacture of electric and
plug-in hybrid vehicles, leading to the launch of BMW i3 production in
2013, followed by the BMW i8 in 2014 and the BMW i8 Roadster in March
2018. Meanwhile, classic production at the site has been consistently
extended throughout. Leipzig’s years of expertise in the field of
electric vehicle production is now being rolled out across the BMW
Group’s global production system.

“We are taking the invaluable knowledge from Plant Leipzig to
facilities across our production network. Current production of the
BMW i3 and BMW i8, in independent structures, will continue
unaffected. Over the longer term, Leipzig will gradually develop
further, capitalising on the opportunities of digitalisation and
becoming more flexible to enable vehicles with any type of powertrain
to be produced together on a single assembly line,” Plant Director
Hans-Peter Kemser explained.

 

Conversions under way throughout the plant

The rise in annual output of 100,000 units up to 2020 will be enabled
by comprehensive extensions and conversions in all the core
technologies. The latest system technologies will be introduced,
processes and structures reviewed and refined, and existing facilities extended.


Paint shop – larger, more efficient, even more sparing with resources

The main focus of the developments at Plant Leipzig is the paint
shop. This will be extended by 300 m to the north and south, with new
buildings covering an area of 11,950 m2. The key features
will be a second fully automated top-coat paint line in the south
extension, and a new pre-treatment system and cathodic dip in the
north. Together, they will increase paint shop capacity by more than
40 percent.

The introduction of cutting-edge IPP (integrated paint process;
filler-free) technology will reduce energy consumption per unit by 15
percent, water consumption by about 30 percent, and wastewater
production by roughly 45 percent. In the medium-term these
resource-friendly technologies will also be integrated into the
existing paint shop line.

 

Body shop – new industry robots and more

Structures and process systems in the bodyshop will also see
modifications, with almost 500 additional cutting-edge industry robots
to be fitted over the next few years. Further adjustments will be made
to conveyor systems, laying the foundation for production of future
models. In addition, Plant Leipzig will gain importance as an in-house
supplier of doors and lids within the BMW Group production network.

 

Assembly – intelligent machine assistance through digitalisation

Assembly is also being upgraded, with a completely new panorama roof
fitting system already added in March of this year. The 40-tonne piece
of high-tech equipment is faster, more flexible and can fit
considerable more variants than its predecessor.

In addition, preparations are under way for the targeted use of
human-robot collaboration systems. These require no protective
barriers and therefore allow robots to support associates even more
closely as they work. One such system is already in operation, bonding
windscreens into the BMW i3.

Assembly is also to be extended, with some 3,500 m2 being
added to its existing footprint to create space for the additional
workstations required for future models.

 

Logistics – perfect flow of goods; pilot projects for
emissions-free transport
Perfect logistics are the
backbone of automotive production. With several thousand components
needed to make personal mobility on four wheels a reality, the €300
million investment in Leipzig will also focus on adjustments and
optimisations to material flow systems.

Activities will centre on a value-stream focus – on short, efficient,
well thought-out and therefore waste-free part flows and workflows
throughout the plant.

As elsewhere, digital technologies are increasingly taking hold in
everyday logistics. Some solutions are still being tested, such as
logistics systems for autonomous container feeds, or the use of
hydrogen-powered industrial trucks, which is currently being tested in
a further pilot project with partners. The hydrogen vehicles will
allow zero-emissions logistics on the plant premises and have their
own refuelling facilities within the production halls.

 

Pictures will be published on May 24.