BMW Manufacturing Achieved A Record Production Year
BMW Manufacturing is a subsidiary of BMW AG in Munich, Germany. The company is the global producer of the BMW X3 and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles and the X4 and X6 Sports Activity Coupes. Now, for the third consecutive year, BMW Manufacturing recorded its largest annual production. The company produced a whopping 411,171 during 2016. With this production record, it is confirmed that the South Carolina plant will remain the largest plant in volume for the BMW Group global production network.
Additionally, the plant exported 287,700 vehicles last year – 70 percent of its total production. While there is a lot of talk about moving production to third-world countries and what impact that creates on local economies in developed countries, the German car maker is dedicated in producing vehicles in large and well-developed economies. The South Carolina plant in the USA signifies that idea perfectly.
“Last year was a very successful year for Plant Spartanburg,” said Knudt Flor, President and CEO of BMW Manufacturing. “Our X models continue to be extremely popular worldwide, and I’m proud of the commitment shown by our team of dedicated associates to deliver premium quality vehicles for our customers.”
2016 marked the second time the South Carolina plant has topped 400,000 units. In 2015, production totaled 400,904 units. A breakdown of production by model is seen below:
- X3 – 151,298
- X4 – 56,404
- X5 – 165,377
- X6 – 38,092
Plant Spartanburg welcomes new leader
Last month, Knudt Flor became the seventh president and CEO of BMW Manufacturing. Flor has served 28 years with the BMW Group. He has worked in a variety of roles within the company and worldwide locations, including four years at Plant Spartanburg as Senior Manager Supplier and Assembly Quality Management. Most recently, Flor served as Senior Vice President of Corporate Quality for the BMW Group.
“This is a homecoming for me,” Flor said. “I enjoyed my four years in Spartanburg in the late 1990s, and I have been waiting for this opportunity to return. I’m eager to work with this dedicated team, and I’m excited about the future of this BMW plant.”
$1 Billion investment
BMW Manufacturing will continue construction and installation of tooling around the plant site as it prepares for the future and adds a fifth model to the vehicle line-up – the all-new BMW X7. Construction projects include a new state-of-the-art body shop totaling more than 1.2 million square feet and an expansion of the X5/X6 Assembly hall by 200,000 square feet. Installation of special tooling and body shop robots will take place during 2017.
BMW began manufacturing vehicles in the United States in 1994 and has since produced more than 3.7 million vehicles for the world. BMW Group has invested more than $7.4 billion in the South Carolina plant. Currently, BMW Manufacturing produces more than 1,400 vehicles each day and exports 70 percent of its production to 140 countries around the world.
