20 years ago: BMW Group chooses Leipzig as site for new plant

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+++ Leipzig is chosen from among 250 applicants +++ Announcement at a press conference in Munich +++ Plant Leipzig is the production network’s pioneer in electromobility +++ Total investment of over €3 billion +++ More than 3 million vehicles made +++ Further investments in the future of the plant +++

Leipzig. Of the 250-plus applications that came in, only five made it onto the shortlist – but ultimately it was Leipzig that won. Twenty years ago, on 18 July 2001, the BMW Group announced at a press conference in Munich that it would build a new plant in Leipzig. “Here you can see the location that best meets our needs overall,” said Prof. Joachim Milberg, Chairman of the BMW AG Board of Management at the time.

Leipzig as a base and the over 200-hectare site near the city’s exhibition centre won on the basis of the following criteria:

1. Ideal conditions and location for a future plant

2. Availability of qualified personnel

3. Use of existing supplies and logistics structures

4. Very good infrastructure for traffic, supplies and waste

5. Links to the BMW production network

6. Fast implementation process

7. Economic efficiency and flexibility

At the time, the BMW Group expected… 5,500halfat in the new plant Daily output from 2005 was projected to be 650 units, at an investment of around €1 billion. When production was finally launched, the plant employed about 2,500 people. Today, twenty years later, daily output stands at more than 1,100 units, made by a plant workforce of over 8,000 employees. Investments have so far totalled more than €3 billion and are still ongoing. Since March 2005 Leipzig has produced more than three million vehicles in total. Speaking about the positive development of Leipzig, Works Council Chairman Jens Köhler expressed his delight: “Ever since the decision was made, the management and Works Council have cooperated to increase the workforce considerably and make us an integral part of the region.”

The choice of Leipzig received an enthusiastic welcome, and support in the region was huge. There was also a vast number of job applicants: the day after the announcement, the dedicated call centre received more than 4,000 calls, and boxes and boxes of mail came in in a matter of days. In September 2001, a first cohort of 35 trainees began work at BMW Group Plant Leipzig. Since then Plant Leipzig has welcomed 900 apprentices, almost all of whom continue to work there.

The BMW Group laid the foundation in Leipzig for one of the most sustainable, state-of-the-art vehicle plants in the world. Its particularly well thought-out, flexible structures are an outstanding feature and include the ‘finger’ layout of the assembly hall – a world first that enables ideal logistics solutions and offers plenty of scope for flexibility. Specially developed for Plant Leipzig, the ‘finger’ layout allows trucks to deliver purchased parts and pre-assemblies straight to the lineside. In addition, new production stages can be integrated into the process and lines can be extended without requiring new buildings.

Since 2005 Plant Leipzig has consistently demonstrated its adaptability, integrating new products, processes and technologies and often playing a pioneering role within the BMW Group production network. As the birthplace of electromobility at the BMW Group, for example, Leipzig has manufactured over 200,000 fully electric BMW i3 cars and was the first car plant in the world to use CFRP (carbon fibre-reinforced plastic) in series production. The BMW Group continues to benefit from the plant’s collective skills in the field of electromobility, and Leipzig has been part of the international production network for high-voltage batteries since May of this year.

Further information in the press release to download