(March 3, 2022) SPARTANBURG, SC  — BMW has announced that it will invest more than $200 million to construct a 219,000-square-foot press shop at its South Carolina plant. The investment includes more than 200 new jobs. The announcement was made by BMW Manufacturing President and CEO Dr. Robert Engelhorn at the South Carolina Automotive Summit in Greenville, S.C.
 
The new press shop, which will start production in the summer of 2024, will take raw coils of steel, cut them into blanks, and stamp sheet metal parts for future BMW models. Those components include hang-on parts such as the vehicle’s four doors, fenders, exterior body sides, and lift gate.
 
“The BMW Group is known worldwide for the outstanding quality produced by its press shops. We are excited to add this new technology to Plant Spartanburg,” said Dr. Engelhorn. “This investment reinforces BMW’s commitment in the United States and South Carolina. We continue to play a major role in the region’s economic strength as well as workforce development and job training.”  
 
“BMW’s presence in South Carolina for nearly three decades has driven the dramatic growth of our automotive industry and paved the way to our state’s global reputation as an automotive powerhouse,” said South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster. “This announcement is yet another testament to BMW’s commitment to our state. Congratulations to BMW on their continued success.”
 
“As the home of BMW’s largest manufacturing operation in the world, we are proud to be a part of BMW’s history and plans for the future,” said South Carolina Secretary of Commerce Harry M. Lightsey III. “BMW is a true steward of their community, and this latest investment in their operations and employees is reason to celebrate. We know that BMW will continue to accomplish great things in our state.”
 
A state-of-the-art press shop requires manufacturing jobs with advanced-level training. These jobs include tool and die technicians, electrical and mechanical maintenance for automated machinery, and specialized line operators. More than 45 Plant Spartanburg associates are currently training at BMW Group press shops in Leipzig, Germany, and Swindon, England. These associates also train with partners from the Schuler Group, a globally-recognized company that manufactures automated servo press lines for all BMW Group plants.
 
“Inside our global production network, we share best practices and train associates to the highest BMW standards. The cross-functional collaboration is part of our BMW culture,” said Karl Loessl, vice president, Body Shop. “This world-class training will allow our associates to work with advanced technologies and systems and support our production of future models.”
 
Inside the high-tech press shop

The press shop marks the beginning of the automotive production process. Large steel coils arrive at the press shop, where they are unloaded from trucks using 55-ton overhead cranes. The steel coils are then fed into the Blanking Line, where the steel is cut into individual “blanks” (rectangular cutoffs or special shapes). These blanks are then ready to be fed into the Press Line.
 
Plant Spartanburg’s Press Line will consist of five press (stamping) stations. The line will be equipped with servo technology, which enables BMW to significantly increase the output performance of the presses.  Using an overhead crane, each station is loaded with the correct press tool (die).

The blank is fed into the first press station and transferred from one station to the next by a crossbar feeder robot for additional forming and trimming operations. The press line is capable of running up to 18 strokes per minute. After the parts are stamped, they go to quality control for inspection and are then stacked into racks ready for delivery to the body shop production line.