BMW recently completed production of its 300 000th current generation 3 Series saloon at its local production plant in Rosslyn just outside Pretoria. This was followed by news that the company plans to expand its operations and export activities at the plant during 2011.
Production of the E90-generation 3 Series at Rosslyn began in 2005 and the facility recently also started producing 3 Series xDrive all-wheel drive models for left-hand drive export markets. In addition, the company has also started shipping painted 3 Series bodies and hang-on parts to BMW markets for CKD assembly. This has resulted in an additional 5 000 units being produced for export in 2011.
“Although it’s a small production plant in international terms, it (BMW’s Rosslyn plant) is an important part of the BMW Group’s production network,” explained BMW South Africa managing director Bodo Donauer. “Most of our export volume is produced for two of the most demanding customer markets (the US and Japan) and it is only the second Group plant that produces the 3 Series Sedan with xDrive.
“Our investment over the past years will allow the maximum production capacity of the plant to increase to 87 000 units annually,” Donauer continued. Over the past 13 years the company has grown its overall production volume by 220 per cent in South Africa, while its production of cars for export markets has quadrupled.
“Our export programme is critical to us and a vital facet of automotive production is South Africa and these new opportunities allow us to increase our export footprint and possibly to expand our operations further if this project is a success,” Donauer concluded.
In addition to increasing its export footprint and local technology base, BMW South Africa has also streamlined its shipping channels supporting its export programme. A new direct shipping route to the US, which was negotiated in conjunction with other local manufacturers, has cut South Africa’s leads times by as much as 16 days. Vehicle handling has also been reduced, which has led to higher quality levels.