BMW Group's Hams Hall Plant, which is set to make a record number for BMW and Mini, earlier built its one millionth engine since production started in January 2001. The 2.0-litre petrol engine was ordered by a customer for a new version of the BMW 1 Series.
Producing the one millionth engine etches a key milestone in the German automaker's plant development. It underlines the increasing vitality in the global auto production network of BMW as the automaker endeavors to become the cream-of-the-crop in the production of the four-cylinder engines. These engines, complemented by the , are integrated to the automaker's product lines.
Within hours in the assembly line, the built-to-order engine was shipped to the German automaker's assembly plant in Leipzig, Germany. The latter is one of six assembly plants of the automaker in five different countries to which the UK plant supplies engines.
"Each and every one of the associates in our thousand-strong workforce at Hams Hall is extremely proud of having contributed to this significant achievement. Following last year's record output of 217,000 engines, annual production this year is scheduled to go well above 300,000 engines. The plant is going from strength to strength and we are looking forward to building many more engines for both BMW and MINI in the years ahead," commented Robert Bolam, who took over as plant director at Hams Hall at the beginning of the year.
The one millionth engine assembled at the Hams Hall plant made for a BMW 120i features the BMW High Precision Injection and this is a second-generation direct petrol injection technology that showcases the German automaker's Efficient Dynamics concept to deliver enhanced power and performance coupled with a significant reduction in fuel consumption and emissions. The fuel consumption of the new Hams Hall-powered BMW120i is approximately 15 percent less than that of the previous model, notwithstanding an eight percent increase in output.
In 2001, during its first year of production, the Hams Hall plant, subsequent to an initial investment of ?400 million and with a workforce of 450 associates, manufactured and delivered 70,000 engines. This year, production will easily exceed 300,000 engines with a workforce that now numbers just over 1,000 associates. In the past six months alone, 250 new associates have been taken on to deal with the growing demands resulting from the launch of the highly successful second-generation MINI under BMW Group ownership.
In late 2001, with the launch of the new MINI, the MINI Production Triangle was formed comprising the UK plants at Oxford, Hams Hall and Swindon, with Hams Hall supplying all petrol engines and Swindon the pressings and sub-assemblies to Plant Oxford. Robert Bolam, the Hams Hall's plant director, has this to say: "The new generation of particularly fuel-efficient engines being built at Hams Hall for BMW and MINI, our continuing investment in the development of our highly efficient production facilities and the commitment of our excellent workforce are factors that give us a really powerful springboard for continued success in the future."
