Building BMWs

The South Carolina factory was created to be flexible and agile. Gathering the manufacturing technologies under one roof creates a flow of information, parts and knowledge throughout Body, Paint, Assembly, Logistics and Quality areas. It not only facilitates the production of multiple models and more complex vehicles, but supports BMW’s goal to reduce the time between order and delivery.

Body is the area where the metal pieces of each vehicle are put together much like a giant puzzle. All welds and connections must be made with absolute precision to ensure a flawless vehicle. And because a perfectly smooth surface is required for the paint process, expert grinding and sanding of the vehicle, particularly the welds, is critical at this point. There are two Body Shops, one for the Z4 and one for the X5. The Z4 Body Shop is ninety percent automated while the X5 Body Shop is one hundred percent automated. The automation allows for repeat precision and quality of each vehicle.

Paint is where attention to detail is imperative to produce the highest quality finish. The paint process for BMWs begins with a thorough cleaning followed by the application of a zinc phosphate coating that will allow the water-based undercoat to adhere perfectly.

A cathode dip bath provides corrosion resistance, plus an electrical current draws the paint into the most remote parts of the vehicle. The body moves to a drying tunnel where the primer is baked onto it. After underbody protection is applied, the base coat is added. High-speed atomizers provide an ultra-fine mist, drawn onto the body by electrostatic charging to give the smoothest possible finish. The final topcoat is applied and hardened in a drying oven.

In Assembly, the vehicle receives its internal systems. From headlights to tail lights, components are carefully installed and checked frequently. The installation of the fuel lines, the fuel tank, wiring system and sound baffling are the first steps followed by the placement of the seats, dashboard, heating and air conditioning and windshield, with the last steps being engine marriage and tire mounting. Finally, the vehicle is started for the first time. Completing the manufacturing process is a test drive and a high-pressure water test to ensure the reliability of all seals and fittings.

Logistics is instrumental in delivering the promise that each BMW vehicle is unique and tailored to the individual customer. BMW allows customers to choose their own colors and accessories, and those choices result in custom-built vehicles. Obviously, such customization requires a wide variety of parts and an excellent supplier communications system.

BMWs are built in a specific manufacturing sequence, and suppliers deliver the parts to the plant to match the order in which the vehicles are manufactured. This practice saves actual production time and ensures accuracy, but also requires warehousing space and an excellent network of suppliers – plus top-notch coordination of every detail from production schedules to placement of parts on the production line.

An Analysis Center allows BMW Manufacturing to integrate its engineering and manufacturing functions by providing the tools to evaluate product issues on site. The Analysis Center covers three stages of vehicle development: pre-series, series and field. It contains testing labs for electrical analysis, endurance and reliability as well as noise reduction and road simulation, and enables engineers to check the dimensional accuracy of any part of any vehicle in order to make decisions "on the line" that helps ensure total quality.

State-of-the-art equipment provides in-depth analyses that help ensure excellence for vehicle interiors and exteriors, electrical systems, chassis and power trains, structure, dynamics and acoustics. On-site engineering supports problem solving and continuous improvements on the line.

Import Car Processing

In a separate area of the plant is the Import Car Processing area. It serves as a final inspection checkpoint to ensure BMW standards are maintained for all BMWs imported from Germany for delivery to dealers in the central & southern United States.

Virtual Factory Tour www.bmwusfactory.com

One of the most interactive ways to see a BMW being built is the Virtual Factory Tour, which gives you a front seat into the manufacturing processes. From welding, to our elaborate paint technology, to proprietary assembly, the Virtual Factory Tour shows you the step-by-step details that BMW Manufacturing Co. uses to create the Ultimate Driving Machine.

The tour gives you the option to follow a vehicle from start to finish or to view a particular view in detail. Numerous photographs, panoramic images of Body, Paint and Assembly manufacturing areas, mini-video clips of hidden areas and much more are a mouse click away.