The fascinating power of
production.
Production of the BMW 7series in Dingolfing (Germany)
The fascinating power of production
The BMW Plant in
Dingolfing: Flexible manufacture of automobiles at its finest.
From the steel
roll to the body-in-white.
Throwing a glance
at colours.
Customized for the
customer.
Making available
superior comfort – The production of seats exemplified.
Quick processes:
Punctual, prompt, appropriate.
The BMW Plant in
Dingolfing: A survey – Milestones on the way to success.
General conspectus: Pictures from
the BMW Plant in Dingolfing
"There is no other consumer good which is as complex as the
automobile. Its production involves the complicated and perfect interaction
between thousands of people and components – a fascinating aspect of production",
says Dr. Norbert Reithofer, member of the BMW’s Board of Management, who is in
charge of production.
Flexibility.
The new BMW 7 Series model in particular marks the beginning of
a newera of automobile construction. This automobile, which sets a benchmark in
the luxury performance segment, constitutes an enormous challenge as far as
production is concerned. Each vehicle that comes off the production line is
tailor-made, it is customized for the customer with respect to the engine,
colour, interior trim and the model version.
The following example reveals the complex tasks the production
plant and the BMW engineers and production specialists are confronted with
several hundred times a day and which they master perfectly: The possibilities
of variation, the new BMW 7 Series model offers, amount to 1017 – that is
"100,000,000,000,000,000", which is an incredibly high number.
Business is People.
Employees play a vital role in the production of premium
products of supreme quality apart from perfected production processes supported
by state-of-the-art facilities. "The existence of path-breaking technologies and
processes is important, but even more important is to use them efficiently and
to constantly develop them even further, because Business is People", underlines
Dr. Norbert Reithofer.
Network of production and development.
The BMW Group’s worldwide network of production and development ensures that expert knowledge and know-how, which has been newly acquired or gained over the last decades, is used consistently
throughout all plants. Thus the BMW Group has learned at an early stage to
attach the greatest importance to the creation of a network in order to
optimize its own resources and to take advantage of synergy effects.
This powerful network with its most important branches situated
in Munich, Dingolfing, Landshut, Regensburg, Berlin, Leipzig (from
2005), Steyr (Austria), Spartanburg (USA), Rosslyn (South Africa),
Oxford and Hams Hall (Great Britain) allows the BMW Group to react quickly
and most flexibly to the ever-changing demands of the customers and developments on the market. The application of uniform standards as to quality, safety and
processes within the network makes possible the worldwide production of products of supreme quality, that is products "Made by BMW", or
to put it simply: "Premium production of premium products".
Sustained production.
Sustained production in the sense of a careful use of resources
is an integral part of all decision-making processes. For us the BMW
Group sustained production is not only part of our entrepreneurial
philosophy and adhered to in theory. It is also put into practice. "It goes
without saying that orientation towards the societal and ecological
environment is most important for us as is the adherence to supreme quality standards", says Dr. Norbert Reithofer. The BMW Group was the first automobile manufacturer worldwide to have its production plants certified with regard to
environmental compatibility.
This decisive step was already taken many years ago. The BMW
Group has taken the lead in the Dow Jones Sustainability Group Index
several times.
This fact underlines that the BMW Group has not only followed
the right path but also is well advanced in this respect.
Having signed the international declaration of "Cleaner
Production" as part of the United Nations’ ecological programme in September
2001, the BMW Group took a further step to consistently strengthen the
case of sustained production. "Cleaner Production" is aimed at the
prevention of adverse impacts on the environment during production. The declaration provides for the use of environmentally friendly
technologies right from the beginning of the production process, not only at
the end of it.
The following gives you an example: Between 1996 and 2000 the sewage water produced during the production of one unit was
reduced by 17 percent from 1.27 m³ to 1.06 m³. In the same period the
energy consumption dropped by about 20 percent from 3.94 MWh to 3.16
MWh.
Flexibility in making changes and excellent time management. The
BMW Group has once again set a new benchmark as far as the realization of the
customer-oriented sales and production process KOVP is concerned.
The following gives you an example of the flexibility when
altering orders:
With the introduction of the new BMW 7 Series model the BMW
Group launched a system which will be gradually applied on all new models. This
system allows the customer to alter his order of the respective body variant
with respect to the engine, colour and equipment up to about one week before the
commencement of assembly.
The following gives you an idea of online ordering: When the
customer places an order with the dealer, the latter determines the feasibility
of the individually configured vehicle via this system within a few seconds,
orders the vehicle online, makes a reservation for production and informs the
production logistics dept. about the new order. The system immediately returns
to the customer the confirmation of order as well as information on the exact
date when the desired car will be delivered.
"Enhancements are particularly useful if they entail true
advantages for the customer", says Dr. Norbert Reithofer.
Fascination.
The motto "Business is People", flexibility, excellent time
management, sustained production within the network are all examples that
prove the considerable enthusiasm for truly outstanding mobility that has
always stimulated the BMW Group’s entire workforce’s constant
inspiration and initiative.
"As soon as you set foot in a BMW Group production plant you
will experience the fascinating power of production in a gripping
way", says Dr. Norbert Reithofer.
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