Photo: BMW
BMW announced that it will be opening a new plant in Brazil earlier this year. They also said that the building will be completely done in September 2015 and yet, here we are, a year earlier, witnessing the first car assembled here, rolling out of the plant.
It happened yesterday, at the production site in Araquari, Santa Catarina, where the BMW Group celebrated this special occasion. The model in question is one destined for the domestic market over there, a 328i ActiveFlex, specially developed to work with either petrol or ethanol, a popular alternative in Brazil.
The production capacity should raise up to 30,000 vehicles per year and will include administrative, auxiliary and logistic bodies along with a body and paint shop. By September 2015, the plant will be completed and will assemble models such as the MINI Countryman, BMW 1 Series 5-door, BMW 3 Series sedan, BMW X1 and BMW X3.
“The BMW Group aims to achieve balanced growth in all markets and on all continents," Harald Krüger, member of the management board of BMW AG responsible for production, commented in Munich.
“Our strategic principle of ‘production follows the market’ has previously proven effective in countries such as the US and China and will also ensure our success in Brazil, an important future market.” added Arturo Piñeiro, president and CEO of BMW Group Brazil.
Along with all the facilities, BMW’s training center set up in Joinville, about 20 kilometers north of it, will be given more attention, preparing the local work force for integration in the field.
“The centerpiece of the training centre is an assembly line. It was created specifically for training purposes and complies with our global BMW Group production standard. And it is the ideal place for us to thoroughly prepare our associates for their work on the real production line,” said Gerald Degen, head of BMW Group Araquari plant.
With the new plant, BMW’s number of production facilities goes up to 30, across 14 countries and four continents.
The plant will create over 1,300 new jobs
BMW’s investment in the Brazilian plant will hike to €200 million ($250 million), in the process creating over 1,300 new jobs overall. That includes the people working at the plant and the supplier network.The production capacity should raise up to 30,000 vehicles per year and will include administrative, auxiliary and logistic bodies along with a body and paint shop. By September 2015, the plant will be completed and will assemble models such as the MINI Countryman, BMW 1 Series 5-door, BMW 3 Series sedan, BMW X1 and BMW X3.
“The BMW Group aims to achieve balanced growth in all markets and on all continents," Harald Krüger, member of the management board of BMW AG responsible for production, commented in Munich.
“Our strategic principle of ‘production follows the market’ has previously proven effective in countries such as the US and China and will also ensure our success in Brazil, an important future market.” added Arturo Piñeiro, president and CEO of BMW Group Brazil.
The plant is already functional
With the first car ever assembled there, the plant officially kicked off the production, though not at full capacity yet. For now, only F30 3 Series models will be manufactured there, for the domestic market mostly.Along with all the facilities, BMW’s training center set up in Joinville, about 20 kilometers north of it, will be given more attention, preparing the local work force for integration in the field.
“The centerpiece of the training centre is an assembly line. It was created specifically for training purposes and complies with our global BMW Group production standard. And it is the ideal place for us to thoroughly prepare our associates for their work on the real production line,” said Gerald Degen, head of BMW Group Araquari plant.
With the new plant, BMW’s number of production facilities goes up to 30, across 14 countries and four continents.
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