BMW Launches BMW X3 Customer Video Portal: Consumers Can Watch Production of Their Custom-Made BMW X3.
Woodcliff Lake, NJ – January 19, 2011… Starting on January 20, BMW customers will have unique access to the creation of their custom-made BMW X3 vehicles via an online video portal that will show them footage of their customized X3 being produced at the company’s plant in Spartanburg, SC.
“Customization is essential to the new BMW X3. With more than 10 million distinct configurations available, we wanted to get customers excited about the birth of their unique vehicle,” said Trudy Hardy, Manager, BMW Marketing Communications and Consumer Events, BMW of North America. “This production footage of the BMW X3 vehicles from our Spartanburg plant enhances the overall customer experience that is part of the BMW brand.” Read More
Share on FacebookSpartanburg, S.C. – October 11, 2010…BMW Manufacturing Co. announced today it is implementing a new alternative fuel platform to use hydrogen fuel cells to power the plant’s material handling equipment. Hydrogen fuel cell-powered forklifts, tuggers and stackers will be used in BMW’s new assembly hall that produces the new BMW X3 Sports Activity Vehicle®.
Fuel cells take stored chemical energy, such as hydrogen in this case, and convert it into electrical energy through two internal electrochemical reactions. The only byproducts of hydrogen fuel cells are heat and water, making this energy choice more efficient than other more conventional energy sources.
“BMW has taken another important step to affirm our global commitment to sustainability with a project such as this in Spartanburg,” said Josef Kerscher, President of BMW Manufacturing. “There’s a clear vision and determination to reach our goal of using renewable energy as much as possible throughout the plant site.”
Implementation of this new technology has been done in concert with partners from Linde North America and Plug Power.
Mike Beckman, vice president of Linde’s alternative energy team, said, “We have partnered with BMW to work toward our companies’ shared goal of implementing cost-effective, alternative energy solutions that reduce emissions. BMW’s selection of Linde to supply the hydrogen and fueling system is testament to our significant capabilities, leading technologies and dedicated professionals who worked closely with BMW to implement the fueling solution.”
“We are proud BMW has selected to work with Plug Power as they continue to solidify their position as a leading sustainable automotive manufacturer,” said Andy Marsh, CEO of Plug Power Inc. “The proven productivity increases on the manufacturing floor through the use of GenDrive will give BMW a further competitive advantage in the global automotive marketplace.”
Installation of a storage and distribution center within BMW’s existing Energy Center, an 11 Megawatt facility, along with six on-site fueling stations were recently completed by BMW at their only North American manufacturing facility in South Carolina. The hydrogen used for this project was manufactured at the most sustainable source within Linde’s network.
Initially, the hydrogen-powered material handling fleet will consist of more than 85 pieces of equipment, making it one of the largest hydrogen fuel-cell fleets in the U.S. In addition to the many other benefits, fuel cells offer a much longer operating life than lead-acid batteries. Fuel cells provide continuous power with no loss of power as the tank nears empty as opposed to battery-powered equipment that run slower as the battery nears empty. These units, when full, run on a 2 kilogram fuel tank and run for 8-10 hours. Fuel cell units can be refueled by a driver in less than three minutes at an on-site hydrogen fueling station. On average, it takes about 20 minutes to re-fuel a depleted battery.
Since hydrogen is the only source of energy for the fuel cells being used in the new facility, BMW Manufacturing estimates that this project will avoid 1.8 million kilowatt hours per year of electricity consumption at the plant that would have been used to charge a battery-powered fleet.
The Hydrogen Fuel Cell fleet is the perfect complement to BMW’s successful Landfill Gas to Energy initiative started in early 2003. BMW powers approximately 50% of the plant’s total energy requirements using methane from a local landfill, a previously wasted resource.
Implementation of the landfill gas program reduces CO2 emissions by 92,000 tons per year. To date, the landfill gas project has saved BMW an annual average of $5 million in energy costs.
Share on FacebookNot An Ordinary Paint Job
Step 1. Phosphate Bath
Your BMW is immersed in a bath of phosphate, zinc, manganese, and nickel, then removed. The chemicals form a protective crystalline coat that aids in the corrosion-protection process. It’s the first of several layers of protective coating that will be applied to your BMW body.
Step 2. E-Coat: The Paint that can’t be seen
To ensure each body is completely protected, BMW employs a process known as electro-coating, or e-coat. Using an overhead guidance system, the body is lowered into a specialized pigment solution. The body is electrically grounded and the pigment solution receives an electrical charge. When the opposing charges attract, they form electronic bonds at the subatomic level. The process produces a complete and uniform coat that ensures every nanometer is covered, no matter how complex the body. It also provides a bonding layer that ensures superior adhesion during the subsequent painting process.
The body emerges from the e-coat and is sent to the first of four drying ovens. After 40 minutes at 340 F, the chemicals in the e-coat have completely cured and the body is transported to the sealer deck.
Step 3. Sealer Deck: Protects vital parts. Protects performance, too
Most of the hundred of crevices and cavities of a BMW body are too small to be seen by the naked eye, yet big enough to be exploited by moisture, salt, and corrosion…and even sound. On the Sealer Deck, we ensure that doesn’t happen. Here, associates and gun-wielding robots deposit a high-pressure, high-density sealant into almost every welded joint. As the bead seams cure, they create a waterproof barrier that also eliminates exterior moisture. At the same time, the bead seal never interferes with the aerodynamics of the body. The flow rate is regulated to inject a bead that is flush with the surface of the vehicle. Yes, we’ve thought of almost everything.
Step 4. Underbody Sealer: 540 degree of protection
A BMW is designed to outlast most anything Mother Nature can throw in its path, even when moisture kicking up from the road drenches the underbody. That’s why we take as much time sealing underneath the vehicle as the rest of the body. Robots, using specially formulated polyvinyl chloride and pneumatic sprayers, seal the entire underbody and floor pan, paying special attention to where it joins the side panels. This not only keeps your feet dry, it reduces outside noise.
Step 5. Pre-Paint Inspection: An ounce of prevention
Once the car enters the paint booth, there is no turning back. So during the pre-paint inspection, we go to extraordinary lengths to ensure the body is as pristine as it is perfectly formed. Associates examine the e-coat, bead seams and underbody sealer, looking for dirt, residue, dust, and the tiniest imperfections in the metal. To ensure a perfectly clean surface, associates work every panel and contour with ultra-fine grit orbital sanders and hand held pads. After a final check, associates add sound-deadening pads to the trunk and passenger areas to further ensure the ultimate quiet ride.
Step 6. Primer Booth: Dustless = Flawless
A single strand of stray lint, less than 10 microns in diameter embedded in the primer coat is all that’s needed to ruin the most expensive paint job. We make sure that never happens. From the moment it enters the Primer Booth to the minute it exits the final paint inspection, the BMW body remains in a sterile and controlled environment. Associates working inside the Primer Booth must pass through a special air shower. The ventilation system inside the Primer Booth continually filters the air, trapping tiny particles. Prior to priming, associates hand wipe all surfaces with lint-free cloths and perform a final dusting using ostrich feathers. Robots then use pneumatic sprayers to apply one of 13 primer colors in a uniform coat on all interior and exterior surfaces. Forty minutes in the oven and the primed body is nearly ready to be painted.
Step 7. Inspection and Basecoat: Still no substitute for the human eye
At this level of detail, subtle variances in primer surface and other inconsistencies can only be detected by a sharp eye and soft hand. On the inspection deck, associates perform a hand/eye inspection to catch any defects, then use detailing sanders and hand blocks to carefully remove any inconsistencies in the primer coat. The body is wiped clean with a high-tack, lint-free cloth and enters the Basecoat Booth. Inside, one of 19 paint colors unique to BMW is electrostatically applied to the interior and exterior. Electrostatically applied paint is a high tech process involving negatively charged paint particles that are electrically drawn to the surface of the BMW, reducing overspray.
Step 8. Clear Coat: Inner beauty reflected
By definition, a car’s shine and its color are distinctly different optical properties, which cannot be maximized with a single solution. So we treat them separately. During base coating, the body receives its deep rich color. In the clear coat process, robots apply a clear, high-resin paint that, when dry, reflects a majority of directed light. In other words, it shines.
As the body exits the clear coat booth and enters the last and largest of BMW’s four drying ovens, it takes on another significant advantage. The high resin content gives the higher density, which provides greater protection against oxidation. These same characteristics also add UV protection, helping to prevent the sun’s rays from fading the paint.
Step 9. Cavity Wax: No crevice, no seam left unfilled
In the final corrosion-protection process, associates use water-based paraffin wax to prevent water from getting into the smallest crack or crevice. Associates inject the melted wax into all body cavities, completely coating the cavity. Gently rocking the body allows the wax to seep into the tiny crevices and seams. Once in place, the wax quickly dries into a hard, naturally protective coating. From here the finished, painted, and sealed body is conveyed overhead to the stacker to wait its turn for Assembly.
BMW Assembly
Intro to Vehicle Assembly Process: Let the performance begin
To this point in the process, we have worked to prepare the canvas. Now begins the work of filling it with the combination of components, options, and luxuries that will make this BMW as distinctive as its owner. This is Assembly, where it all comes together.
The body-formed, painted, and protected – waits in the stacker, arranged in order. Sequenced parts such as instrument panel, front end, and power train are at the ready in other areas of the plant. What follows is a careful and intricate performance involving the flow of parts and precisely-timed processes. From this point on, every vehicle has a name.
VIN: Vehicle Identification Number
The first step in the assembly the vehicle receives its unique Vehicle Identification Number, etched into the steel underneath the hood. More than a number used to identify the car throughout its life, the VIN serves as a unique blueprint, specifying the exact options, colors and accessories that will go into the building of this one vehicle.
Once etched into the engine department, the VIN enters the plant’s tracking system so associates can monitor its progress. Loaded onto the automated assembly build vehicle, the car begins its trop through the Assembly process.
Sunroof Seal: Every X5 – protected from above
Prior to beginning its journey down the assembly line, X5 vehicles make a quick stop at the sunroof sealing station. Here they are greeted by a robot stationed above the roof and armed with spools of an extruded rubber seal. As the vehicle moves into position, the robot heats the seal and applies it to a flange on the vehicle’s roof. The specialized automation ensures every seal is precisely fitted and reduces the possibility of leaks.
Tilt: Underbody access granted
The vehicle arrives at an area known as Tilt, so named for the specialized tilt conveyor used to transport and manipulate it. The special conveyor allows associates to rotate the body 90 degrees, providing unobstructed access to the underbody. Here, associates install fuel and brake lines to the undercarriage as well as the vehicle’s fuel tank and underbody insulation.
At this point in the line, the hinges securing the doors to the frame are separated and the exterior door panels are removed. The vehicle continues down the line to the trim stations while the door panels are routed to the door sub-assemly station. Once fitted with its electrical systems, controls, and matching interior, each door will be reunited with its vehicle further down the line.
Wiring: Thousands of connections with one way to do it
Depending on its specifications and options, each vehicle contains up to as many as 435 electrical connections. To avoid any mistakes, the wire assembly for each individual electrical component is pre-configured and wrapped by the supplier.
At the wiring station, associates first install all the harnesses that will secure the wiring. Before the wires are fitted, they are heated to between 135 and 140 degrees for 3 to 5 minutes, making them more pliable and easier to manipulate. Associates then carefully route each set of wires through the engine, instrument panel, and trunk areas as needed.
Interior: Function begins to take form
After the vehicle’s electrical infrastructure is in place, the interior begins to take its familiar shape. This happens during the process known, oddly enough, as interior. In this phase, associates working inside the car install the headliner, sound system, foot pedals, and seatbelts. At the same time, the exterior team installs the master cylinder and door seals and mounts the heater and air conditioning motor, compressor, and ventilation ducts. Note that the speed and efficiency of robots have now given way to the individuality of human craftsmanship.
Instrument Panel: Same place, same time, unique results
From the driver’s perspective, the focus of a BMW’s interior is the instrument panel, consisting of the dashboard and frame, instrument cluster and climate controls. Like so many other features, this highly customized component is unique to it’s vehicle. Depending on the model, the instrument panel is created either at the Instrument sub-assembly station located in the plant, or off-site at the supplier’s facility. Regardless of where it is built, it arrives at the Instrument Panel station in sequence and just in time to meet up with the specific vehicle for which it was designed. Associates seat the instrument panel in the car’s cabin compartment and secure it to the IP Carrier.
Seats, Seals, and Systems
The emerging BMW is now approximately 25 hours into production. Ready to be fitted with its seats, windows, and front and rear windshields. Associates, using a precision-guided sling, carefully maneuver the seats inside and align the bolt holes with the floor pan. The delivery of the doors to the rest of the vehicle is timed perfectly due to our efficient logistical network.
Once the seats are secured, robots working outside apply a precise bead of urethane sealant to channels in the front and rear of the vehicle. Special robots then carefully seat and seal the front and rear windshields in place. After making the connections for the heating and air conditioning system, associates methodically test and confirm every electrical component that has been installed up to this point.
Trim Detail: Piecing together the puzzle
Depending on the size of the vehicle being produced, there are numerous individual trim pieces. Bringing them together at precisely the right time on the right vehicle is a work of logistical genius. At this point in the process, the assembly line is not composed of intermittent stations so much as it is a continuous line of well-coordinated activity. Along this stretch, associates and robots add details such as the steering wheel, wheel well liners, trunk room coverings, and various other hatch trim pieces. Not only is the trim detail process precise and accurate, it happens in rapid succession, giving associates 103 seconds to complete each installation. Fast enough to maintain production – slow enough to make sure each vehicle receives the individual attention our customers deserve.
The line from the door sub-assembly station now converges with the main assembly line. Transported overhead, the finished doors meet up with their specific vehicle, just in time for associates to lower the doors into place and reunite the hinges. What is unusual about the process is the conspicuous absence of noise. Unlike the constant grinding and squeaking produced by chain-driven conveyors in most other auto plants, BMW employs a Heavy Elevated Monorail System (Heavy EMS) that is far less audible. All of which translates into a more relaxed and focused environment for our associates. And of course, a more precise driving machine for our customers.
How a vehicle’s drive train comes together is a story in itself. Engine, drive shaft, transmission, differential, axle assemblies, and brakes–all a perfectly balanced combination of precision and power. At the drive train marriage station, the highly engineered sub-assembly is joined to its appropriate vehicle.
Manipulated by a special transport device known as a C-Carrier, the entire vehicle is placed on a stanchion where it is lifted and positioned over the power train conveyor. As the correct power train passes below, it is carefully raised to meet the car’s underbody. A series of green lights indicates when the proper position is reached, and associates and robots bolt the two together. Once the marriage is complete, associates finalize all exhaust and under-hood connections.
Like the drive train, a BMW’s front end is intricate and its assembly is choreographed down to the last detail. By the time it arrives at the main assembly line, it is a single unit, consisting of fender, headlamps, bumper cover, front grill, and radiator supports. The individual pieces arrive from suppliers and are assembled mechanically before the doors are added. Associates mount the now unified front end assembly to the vehicle, fill the AC lines with air, mount the vehicle’s wheels and tires and a new BMW touches ground for the first time. Approximately 36 hours after beginning its journey.
Once the car’s wheels and headlights are aligned, it heads for the roll booth. During the 4-minute virtual road test, frictionless rollers on a tilting platform simulate a variety of driving conditions. Quick accelerations, uphill and downhill grades, stop-and-go traffic, and speed bursts up to 85 mph. Booth sensors monitor vibration levels in every gear and individually test each brake.
Final Inspection: Running the gauntlet
In its final inspection, each vehicle must run the gauntlet; a series of close inspections by representatives trained in Body, Paint, and Assembly. The vehicle proceeds slowly down the final 221 feet of the line. The Body Shop team measures for final fit, flushness, and gaps; the Paint Shop team scrutinizes the finish for any possible scratches; and the Assembly team adds the final touches of manuals and floor mats.
Recycling at BMW: 95% of a new 7 series BMW qualifies for ecofriendly reutilisation.
The reporter cannot believe his ears. “This one’s next”, remarks Torsten Winter, pointing to a seemingly immaculate, white BMW M3. It is the latest model and has been on the market for just a year. “Surely you can’t do that”, begs the reporter, “give it to me, I’ll slip away with it and no-one will be any the wiser.” But Winter stands firm, the M3 drops into a gigantic crusher and emerges, a few minutes later, as a cube. Thousands of vehicles have already been diced up at the BMW Group’s Recycling and Dismantling Centre. The northern outskirts of Munich are where BMW researches the environmentally friendly and efficient reutilisation of its cars.
Although the plant is an officially certified and authorised facility, it only recycles the BMW Group’s test vehicles. The intact, metal coat is deceptive, as the cars have already lived out their lives in high-speed motion on test tracks and test benches. Among the sheds of the dismantling centre is a collecting station for the various fluids and used oils, and people are thinking seriously about the sustainable disposal of urea. The aqueous solution is needed to clean the exhaust gases in the new BluePerformance diesel. There is a separate building devoted to safely deactivating airbags, seat belt tensioners and the new crash-active headrests. BMW disposal specialists have developed a safety cabin with an extraction system that can be lowered over the car and an interface to the on-board electronics, specifically for this purpose. This means that all the pyrotechnic components can be neutralised within a few minutes.
BMW is patenting these ideas and at the same time, passing them on to the waste disposal plants. Other examples include a device for extracting used oil from shock absorbers through a hollow mandrel or a car lift tilt mechanism, developed in-house. This lifts and lowers the vehicle, so that all the petrol is safely drained from the recesses of the tank. Anything of any value is gradually removed. The catalysers contain valuable precious metals, undamaged components such as side panels, wheel rims or radios, can be sold as used spare parts, and some of the engines are reconditioned. The bodywork material is much in demand as a secondary raw material and right at the end, is turned into a compact cube by a vast crusher.
This is where BMW reutilization ends and the work of the shredder begins. This shreds the cubes into individual pieces the size of a fist. After shredding, magnets, eddy currents or screening are used for sorting, until only correctly separated and classified metals and plastics remain. This is a requirement for their reuse as a secondary raw material. BMW engineers use the experience gained by the recycling experts in the development of new vehicles. The easy and ecofriendly reutilisation of end-of-life vehicles is taken into consideration as early as the design stage. Which is why in the future, Torsten Winter will still be dicing up vehicles that are seemingly as good as new.
This WAS a BMW 7-series.
