In February I had the rare opportunity to observe one of the most ambitious transformations in BMW’s history. The work of the Munich hidden behind the legendary headquarters and museum of the brand will go through the work in Munich a massive modernization effort, which builds the way BMW builds cars in the heart of its hometown. These factory-one of the longest-running production locations from BMW-IT has been in operation since 1922, and by 2027 it will only produce completely electrical vehicles, which means that they are one of the company’s first facilities, which are only devoted to the new class production of the new class.
In contrast to BMW’s brand new factory in Debrecen, Hungary, which was designed from scratch for the NEE class EV platform, the Munich facility must be rebuilt from the inside and at the same time maintained production on a full scale. The challenge is enormous: BMW tears down and builds up a third of the entire plant without stopping production. 1,000 cars roll from the line every day, while cranes, trucks and workers work around them. Due to restrictions on space, the factory does not grow to the outside-vertically, with three-story production buildings replacing older structures.
“We do not transform this work just because we go to electric vehicles. The work can already produce electric cars, such as the i4, which constitutes 40% of its current production. The reconfiguration takes place because the work is 100 years old. From time to time you have to rethink a new structure and develop a new structure.
Building a new factory and keeping the old running
The transformation of the Munich system is not just about introducing new technologies – it is about doing this and at the same time keeping the factory into operation. In contrast to many automotive plants that were closed for extensive retrofitting, BMW has no such luxury here. The dense urban environment of the city makes a large -scale expansion impossible, so
This process requires careful planning and precise logistics. BMW has initiated 13 large moving projects to delete space for the new structures. Whole departments, including motor production, wastewater treatment and axis vormontage, were laid to other locations to make room for the new assembly lines. The engine manufacturer department was moved to Austria and Great Britain and is the end of burning engine production in Munich.
With these massive shifts, 600,000 tons of material must be broken down, tested and either disposed of or converted. Regulations require BMW to analyze and process this material before moving outside the location, which means that large parts of the factory reasons have to be used for temporary storage. In the meantime, 400 trucks move out into the facility in and from the factory every day, whereby parts are supplied for production and removed structures are pulled away.
New, more energy -efficient buildings
After completing the transformation, 70,000 square meters of new production space are introduced, which means that the work is more efficient and better suited for EV production. Three new production buildings are built for assembly and body shop operations with three full stories each for optimizing the soil. These new structures will be 40% more energy -efficient than those that replace them and match the wider sustainability goals of BMW.
“We had to rethink everything. There is no room to expand, so we build vertically. The new Finale Assembly hall has three floors, each nine meters high -the footprint alone has the size of six soccer fields. Noronha, “said us during our visit.
Technology, AI and staff transformation
In addition to its structural changes, the work in Munich also occupies new technologies to optimize production. The new body shop will integrate more than 900 robots, which significantly reduces the need for manual work in sweat and assembly processes. AI-powered quality control systems will inspect vehicles in real time, minimize defects and improve efficiency. In addition, automated logistics systems replace conventional forklifts and reduce human work in part transport.
Despite this shift in automation, BMW does not reduce its workforce. The work currently employs 6,500 people of over 60 nationalities, and instead of layoffs, BMW is implementing employees for new roles at EV production and repositioning it. A new talent campus is being built to offer continuous training to ensure that employees remain at the head of modern automotive production.
“We do not reduce jobs; we train our people for the future,” said Dr. Noronha.
Sustainability and the future of urban production
The transformation is also driven by sustainability and community integration. In view of the situation of the factory in the heart of Munich, BMW has undertaken to reduce emissions, noise and traffic jams and at the same time improve the visual and ecological footprint of the system. The new design contains green spaces, and BMW examines paths to make parts of the factory more accessible to the public.
In addition, the logistics are optimized to minimize unnecessary means of transport, with parts being delivered directly to production management instead of going through several locations. These efforts will reduce the traffic around the system and lower emissions, which means that the facility is compatible with the surrounding urban environment.
An impressive performance in just one year
It was clear to walk through the plant – this is not just a simple factory upgrade. This is a historical transformation. The Munich plant from BMW has been the beating heart of the brand for over a century. Now it is developing into a state-of-the-art EV production center and forms the stage for the NEE class models that will define the future of BMW.
The most remarkable part? BMW does it all without stopping.
