Click it and Unblock the Notifications
BMW Unveils First North American Press Shop And Fourth-Generation X3
Spartanburg, S.C. – BMW Manufacturing has inaugurated its advanced press shop at the Spartanburg, South Carolina plant, marking its 30th anniversary of assembling BMWs. This facility will produce sheet metal parts for the new BMW X3 Sports Activity Vehicle, which debuted in North America during the ceremony.
The press shop will manufacture components such as the vehicle’s four doors, fenders, lift gate, and exterior body sides. Dr. Milan Nedeljković, a member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Production, highlighted the company's ongoing commitment to the United States. "After 30 years of successful operations, we are further expanding our commitment. At the end of 2026, assembly of all-electric Sports Activity Vehicles will start here in Spartanburg," he stated.
By 2030, BMW Group plans to assemble at least six fully electric models in the U.S. The high-voltage batteries for these future BEVs will be sourced from a nearby assembly plant in Woodruff, currently under construction. Dr. Robert Engelhorn, president and CEO of BMW Manufacturing, emphasized the importance of the new press shop: "The advanced stamping processes on our new press line will ensure the highest quality, efficiency, and consistency in body shop parts for our customers."
The BMW Group invested over $200 million to build the 219,000-square-foot press shop. The construction took 24 months from site preparation to stamping the first part. This investment also created more than 200 new jobs in various technical fields. Several Plant Spartanburg associates received training at BMW Group press shops in Swindon (UK) and Leipzig (Germany).
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster praised BMW's impact on the state: "Since establishing roots in South Carolina 30 years ago, BMW has transformed our state into an automotive powerhouse." He celebrated the opening of BMW's first North American press shop as another significant milestone.
The press shop begins with large steel coils unloaded by an overhead crane. These coils are fed into a Coil Line where they are cut into individual blanks at up to 70 strokes per minute. The blanks are then processed through five stamping stations equipped with servo technology, significantly increasing output performance.
An overhead crane moves the correct press tool into each station. The blank is transferred from one station to another by automation technology known as the "crossbar feeder." The line can run up to 18 strokes per minute, producing up to 10,000 parts daily depending on part size.
After stamping, parts undergo quality control inspections using special lighting that mimics natural daylight. They are then stacked into racks ready for delivery to the body shop production line. Scrap metal collected during this process is moved by a long conveyor and loaded onto trailers for recycling.
This year marks three decades of BMW assembly in South Carolina with over 6.7 million vehicles produced during this period. The Spartanburg factory employs more than 11,000 people and assembles various models including the X3, X5, X7, XM Sports Activity Vehicles and X4 and X6 Sports Activity Coupes.
The plant spans 1,150 acres with an 8-million-square-foot campus featuring three body shops with over 2,600 robots, two paint shops, and two assembly halls. It generates about 20 percent of its power from methane gas and uses hydrogen fuel cell technology for material handling equipment.
In 2022, BMW Group announced a $1.7 billion investment in its U.S. operations including $1 billion to prepare Spartanburg for fully electric vehicle assembly and $700 million for a new high-voltage battery assembly plant in Woodruff. By 2030, at least six fully electric models will be assembled in the U.S.
Continue with Google