\n Munich. BMW Group Plant Munich is approaching the
\n biggest milestone in the transformation process: series production of
\n the BMW i3, the second model in the Neue Klasse range, gets underway
\n here in August. This marks the start of the rollout of the Neue Klasse
\n within the BMW Group\u2019s global production network.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have been making rigorous preparations. With the BMW iFACTORY we
\n have devised a consistent, strategic framework for our production,\u201d
\n explains Milan Nedeljkovi\u0107, Member of the Board of Management of BMW
\n AG, Production. \u201cWe have paved the way for the upcoming start-ups in
\n all our plants and have invested heavily in technologies,
\n digitalisation and AI.\u201d<\/p>\n
BMW Group Plant Munich has undergone extensive modernisation in
\n recent years. The result is a plant that now works even more
\n efficiently, flexibly and digitally, and is optimally positioned for
\n the requirements of electric mobility and the Neue Klasse.<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s not all: as of 2027, the Munich plant will exclusively
\n produce all\u2011electric vehicles and thereby achieve a further boost in
\n efficiency. This is assisted by proactive planning, close
\n collaboration with development teams and suppliers, as well as modern
\n production technology in the new structures. \u201cWe have considerably
\n reduced production costs over recent years. With the start of
\n production of the BMW i3, we will reduce overall production costs at
\n the Munich plant by a further 10 per cent, bringing them below the
\n level of the current vehicle generation,\u201d says Peter Weber, Head of
\n BMW Group Plant Munich. In addition to optimised production processes
\n and targeted automation and digitalisation, the new vehicle
\n architecture of the Neue Klasse also ensures efficiency.<\/p>\n
Plant Munich is investing around 650 million euros in its
\n transformation into a fully electric production site.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n Highly efficient production at historic site\n<\/p>\n
Plant Munich has been consistently reinventing itself for more than
\n 100 years \u2013 from a location outside the city to today\u2019s site
\n surrounded by it. The facility has undergone a fundamental process of
\n redevelopment for the Neue\u00a0Klasse \u2013 with production of up to 1,000
\n vehicles a day continuing during this period. A new body shop and
\n state-of-the-art vehicle assembly including new logistics areas were
\n set up on an area spanning around a third of the plant\u2019s footprint.
\n Extensive updates have also been made to existing technologies.<\/p>\n
Plant manager Peter Weber highlights what the workforce has achieved:
\n \u201cThe people at the factory played an essential role in making this
\n transformation a success. With their high level of expertise,
\n enthusiasm and tremendous dedication, our employees have shown that
\n world-class industrial production is possible even under the toughest
\n conditions. The BMW i3 is just the beginning \u2013 several Neue Klasse
\n models will be manufactured in Munich in the future, including the BMW
\n i3 Touring.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n A vision for all technologies: the BMW iFACTORY\n<\/p>\n
The BMW iFACTORY focuses on the areas of efficiency,
\n sustainability and digitalisation. Within this framework, the
\n company\u2019s plants around the world are implementing site-specific
\n solutions and, in so doing, strengthening the company\u2019s resilience as
\n well as its ability to deliver reliably at any time and worldwide.
\n This vision has now also been consistently implemented across
\n all\u00a0technologies at BMW Group Plant Munich.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have rethought the entire value stream from supplier to finished
\n customer vehicle. We have looked at every single process in detail and
\n made optimisations. Now our plant is even more efficient, more
\n flexible and even more digitised than ever before. We are thereby
\n safeguarding the future viability of the plant,\u201d adds Peter Weber.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the press shop, steel and aluminium boards are
\n turned into tens of thousands of components on highly automated press
\n lines daily. Uniform press and tool standards across the global
\n production network result in efficiencies on many levels: installation
\n and integration of the systems are standardised, tools for the presses
\n can be swapped within the network, and employees can work at various
\n locations and help each other. An AI-assisted camera system supports
\n quality control before an underground transport system moves the parts
\n to the body shop. Output has increased significantly compared with
\n previous structures. Cuts of steel and aluminium are collected, sorted
\n and then used to manufacture new steel or aluminium coils.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Plant Munich has set up a new body shop for the Neue
\n Klasse featuring systems planned and realised using a virtual twin. A
\n total of 800 new industrial robots take care of the joining processes
\n here; decreasing the number of joining processes to five reduces
\n process complexity. With an automation rate of around 98 per cent,
\n robots perform the majority of standardised processes. Automated
\n surface inspection (ASI) assists with quality assurance.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the paint shop at Plant Munich, digital and
\n AI-assisted systems control central quality processes. Automated
\n surface inspection (ASI) uses cameras and artificial intelligence to
\n detect even the most minor deviations on the surface and documents
\n them digitally. Automated surface processing (ASP) works on the
\n variations detected directly during the running process. To purify the
\n exhaust air, the paint shop uses the energy-efficient, electrically
\n powered eRTO process. This is complemented by heat and energy recovery
\n as well as water-saving cycles.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
What once was the home of engine manufacturing at BMW Group Plant
\n Munich has become a new assembly
\n area for the Neue Klasse. The assembly area is set
\n up for end-to-end digital processes: vehicles, systems and tools are
\n interconnected and digital live tracking and automated inline quality
\n checks support employees in the assembly line process. During assembly
\n already, the BMW i3 digitally transmits the status of up to
\n 20,000\u00a0features to the production system. Ergonomic workstations,
\n height-adjustable systems and simplified processes lighten the load
\n for employees, while targeted training supports new\u00a0digital fields.<\/p>\n
\n \u00a0\n<\/p>\n
Aspart of the transformation, logistics at BMW Group
\n Plant Munich has focused squarely on efficiency and direct integration
\n of production. The logistics department at the Munich plant moves
\n around 2.5 million parts every day; in future around 70 per cent of
\n these parts will be delivered directly to the assembly workstations.
\n This will reduce internal transport distances, save space and
\n accelerate supply to the production lines. This is made possible by a
\n multi-storey building structure developed specially for the plant\u2019s
\n city location. Delivery is at ground level and then conveyor
\n technology transports the parts to the right levels, where they are
\n distributed directly to the assembly workstations. This enables the
\n principle of direct delivery to be applied systematically even in a
\n multi-storey plant. At the same time, the level\u00a0of automation in
\n logistics has been significantly increased. Automated supply systems,
\n smart transport robots and driverless transport systems will handle
\n around 60 per cent of supply tasks in the future. A\u00a0digital logistics
\n control station manages all processes centrally, ensuring transparency
\n and data-driven optimisation.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Unique to Plant Munich is the in-house seat manufacturing
\n facility. It is a\u00a0\u201cplant\u00a0inside a plant\u201d and takes on a
\n central role for quality assurance and\u00a0expert evaluation within the
\n production network. The seats for all\u00a0versions of the models produced
\n in Munich are manufactured here and\u00a0delivered to vehicle assembly
\n directly and \u201cjust in sequence\u201d. The in\u2011house seat manufacturing
\n facility is regarded as the benchmark for quality\u00a0assurance across the
\n BMW Group. Modern, largely automated processes ensure seamless quality
\n control. This is complemented by fully automated end-of-line checks,
\n including for safety-relevant components. The seat manufacturing
\n facility also systematically strengthens the BMW Group\u2019s in-house
\n expertise. It serves as a competence centre and innovation hub, tests
\n new materials, technologies and manufacturing concepts, and supports
\n the evaluation of costs, quality and production processes \u2013 making an
\n impact far beyond the Munich location.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n Global network, regional value creation: high-voltage batteries
\n and e-drive\n<\/p>\n
With the new assembly plant for high-voltage batteries in
\n Irlbach\u2011Stra\u00dfkirchen (Lower Bavaria, Germany) around 90 minutes away,
\n the\u00a0BMW\u00a0Group is significantly boosting value creation in the Bavaria
\n region. In keeping with the \u201clocal for local\u201d approach,
\n Irlbach-Stra\u00dfkirchen will deliver high-voltage Gen6 batteries to the
\n Munich plant as well as other German locations. Here, the batteries
\n will be installed in the BMW i3. Manufacture of the high-voltage
\n batteries combines a rigorous zero-defect approach with the latest
\n production technologies, which were developed at Bavarian pilot
\n plants. With seamless inline quality controls, digital twins and the
\n systematic use of artificial intelligence, the BMW Group is setting
\n new standards in battery production.<\/p>\n
The Gen6 e-motor for the BMW i3 is produced at BMW Group Plant Steyr
\n in Austria \u2013 a location that has been manufacturing drivetrains for
\n over 40 years. With the first e-motor in the portfolio, the plant is
\n developing its role as a prime example of technology openness. All
\n core components of the highly integrated e-drive \u2013 from the rotor and
\n stator to the inverter and transmission \u2013 are produced on-site. New
\n production lines and state\u2011of\u2011the\u2011art clean room environments have
\n been set up for this. The aluminium foundry at BMW Group Plant
\n Landshut supplies the e-motor housing for Plant Steyr.<\/p>\n
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