Landshut. BMW Group Plant Landshut is constant to ramp up manufacturing capability – by increasing the manufacturing amenities for the central housing of the extremely built-in electrical drive unit to be fitted in Neue Klasse fashions. The BMW Group is investing an extra €200 million to this finish, bringing the entire channelled into the German manufacturing facility website since 2020 to round €1 billion.
Of this, some €500 million has been used for the plant’s growth to cowl electrical mobility. Annual manufacturing capability for fifth-generation and sixth-generation aluminium housings will increase by round 30 %. The new mannequin era will due to this fact profit from the know-how of the corporate’s largest element manufacturing website.
“We are continuously expanding our site’s expertise in both the production of our cutting-edge components and the development of new technologies,” says Thomas Thym, Head of BMW Group Plant Landshut. “This skill set provides us with the flexibility we are going to need in the future.” Manufacturing the central housing for the sixth-generation drive expertise within the Neue Klasse represents an extra step within the plant’s transformation to electrical mobility.
A model new manufacturing corridor is at present being constructed that will likely be unfold over three ranges. In future, manufacturing will happen right here on two manufacturing traces overlaying an space of 12,000 sq. metres utilizing the pioneering injector casting course of. Injector casting ensures that components are solid with optimum mechanical properties. It has the extra impact of shortening the cycle time and, consequently, lowering power consumption significantly whereas additionally slicing carbon emissions as a result of decrease casting temperature. This methodology ends in decreased consumption of sources too because it requires much less return materials.
In January of this yr, the BMW Group bought a plot of land immediately adjoining to Plant Landshut that’s about 30,000 sq. metres in dimension and has been earmarked for additional growth of manufacturing sooner or later. This strategic acquisition is a key aspect within the plant’s skill to reply to future demand. A last determination on how precisely the brand new land is for use will likely be made at a later date.
3D printing expertise for large-scale manufacturing of complicated sand cores
Besides the foremost growth of manufacturing area within the gentle metallic foundry, the plant can also be investing in a state-of-the-art expertise for manufacturing its sand cores. These sand cores are deployed in six totally different cylinder head variants for manufacturing of BMW engines worldwide. The plant makes as much as 4,500 models on 17 printers every day in a large-scale 3D printing course of. The sand cores are moulded by printing them layer by layer on a print head system utilizing emission-free and environment-friendly inorganic binders.
Ongoing coaching programme types spine for transformation
A broad-based coaching initiative is being put in place to accompany the positioning’s gradual transformation. In order to satisfy future technological wants, the plant is focusing totally on abilities within the areas of robotics, high quality and course of administration, electrical and digital evaluation, upkeep and logistics.
Anna Sponsel, Head of Human Resources at BMW Group Plant Landshut, says: “I am convinced that targeted training modules are exactly what we need to address the changing skill requirements in our industry and counter the shortage of specialist workers.” One such module is a twelve-month electrics and electronics retraining course to qualify as an industrial electrician, which the corporate is providing to each inner workers and exterior candidates who take up a place with the BMW Group. Since final yr, Plant Landshut has additionally been setting new requirements with its personal high quality administration twin examine programme. 17 college students per yr can start their twin programme of research at Plant Landshut after which full them over the course of nationwide and worldwide assignments.
Last yr, Plant Landshut recruited greater than 250 new workers and at present has a workforce of round 3,700 folks. During 2024, the area’s largest employer is once more set to tackle tons of of latest folks, focusing primarily on momentary workers who’re already working on the website.
Production volumes final yr
As nicely as manufacturing elements for the corporate’s all-electric fashions, Plant Landshut additionally stands out with its extremely versatile manufacturing system. The website in Lower Bavaria continues to fabricate propeller shafts, crankcases, cylinder heads and engines on a demand-driven foundation for the environment friendly ICE fashions within the product portfolio.
In 2023, BMW Group Plant Landshut produced a complete of round 3.6 million solid elements, 430,000 plastic elements for automobile exteriors, over 300,000 CFRP components, 286,000 cockpits, 1.4 million propeller shafts and 20,000 particular engines. Cockpits for the BMW 5 Series, BMW 6 Series, BMW 7 Series and BMW iX and instrument panels in base, synthetic leather-based, leather-based, microfibre and cloth trim are made in Landshut, along with structural elements, roofs and bonnets comprised of CFRP, glove compartments, bumpers, spoilers and trim parts.
As nicely as Plant Landshut, the BMW Group’s in-house element manufacturing community additionally consists of the amenities in Dingolfing, Wackersdorf, Munich, Leipzig, Berlin and Shenyang (China). Together these provide elements to the corporate’s Digital, Powertrain, Driving, Exterior & Interior and High-voltage battery & Charging expertise clusters. Purchasing, Development and Production work intently with each other to make sure the switch of expertise inside the firm with regards to product, growth and manufacturing improvements.