Recently, BMW Plant Spartanburg celebrated a huge milestone when the 3,000,000th BMW built there rolled off the line.
In 1994, BMW took what many believed was a big risk building a manufacturing plant in the United States. How could American workers produce cars with the same quality as German auto workers? Well, they could, and they did, and have done so three million times. To make that happen, BMW has expanded the plant a number of times and invested a total of $7,000,000,000 (that’s billion) in the South Carolina factory.
The return on that investment has been spectacular. In February 2015, the U.S. Department of Commerce confirmed that BMW is the largest U.S. automotive exporter of passenger vehicles by value in the country. With an annual value totaling $9,200,000,000, BMW Plant Spartanburg—by itself—exported more than Michigan, Alabama, or California did. In 2014, almost 250,000 vehicles—over 70 percent of the plant’s total volume—were exported from Spartanburg.
In a special ceremony on March 25th, Dawn Burgess, Associate #433, who was hired in 1994, the year the plant opened, drove the 3,000,000th vehicle off the line and handed the keys to Manfred Erlacher, President and CEO of BMW Manufacturing.
“The growth of this plant has been quite extraordinary,” said Erlacher. ”Today, as we witness another historic moment, I am delighted to announce that BMW’s profound impact in South Carolina continues. I am grateful for our dedicated associates and their commitment to building premium vehicles for the world.”
The 3,000,000th will not be a museum piece. In fact, it demonstrates the global reach of BMW Plant Spartanburg. It is being shipped to a customer in Kristianstad, Sweden.
South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley was also on hand to add her congratulations, saying, “What a great day to celebrate as BMW marks another milestone in South Carolina. Now with three million cars produced with care and pride by South Carolina hands, BMW continues to be one of the shining success stories in our state’s history. We congratulate them on this achievement.”
Although #3,000,000 is going to a customer, BMW Manufacturing has kept some other significant milestone vehicles, and they were on display at the ceremony. These included the very first vehicle to come off the line in 1994, an Alpine White 318i; the 1,000,000th vehicle built, an Interlagos Blue Z4 M from 2006; and vehicle #2,000,000, a Vermillion Red X3 from 2012. These special vehicles demonstrate how the plant has grown, since it took twelve years to get to the 1,000,000th vehicle, six years later to reach 2,000,000h, and only three years after that to hit the 3,000,000 mark.
Some other interesting facts:
• According to the Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina, BMW Group activities in South Carolina had a total impact of $16,600,000,000 on the state economy.
• BMW’s presence in South Carolina supports a total of 30,000 jobs throughout the state, including 8,000 at the Spartanburg plant.
• BMW Manufacturing currently builds more than 1,200 vehicles each day.
• Plant Spartanburg is the sole producer of all BMW X3, X4, X5 and X6 vehicles (and their variants) to more than 140 global markets. The BMW X7 will be added to that roster, probably in 2017 or 2018.
• When the latest expansion is completed, by the end of 2016, Spartanburg will be the largest BMW plant in the world and by itself will employ over 9,000 people.
With the ongoing plant expansion and the way BMW X vehicles are selling in the U.S. and worldwide, #4,000,000 should be here before we know it.—Scott Blazey
[Photo courtesy of BMW AG.]
