Assembly Lines
BMW Plants Honored for Lean Manufacturing
MUNICH—BMW Group’s plants in Landshut and Wackersdorf, Germany, recently received the 2025 Automotive Lean Production Award sponsored by Agamus Consult and Automobil Produktion. The facilities, which produce interior components such as instrument panels, were cited for improvements in flexibility and efficiency.
Production at the plants is based on the pull principle, a demand-driven lean manufacturing strategy that creates products just-in-time to minimize overproduction, excess inventory and waste.
The workstations where sequencing begins are optimally supplied through self-regulating control loops, ensuring a smooth material flow. Automated end-of-line inspections using AI-supported camera systems allow an early detection and elimination of potential sources of error.
“Technological know-how, highly automated production processes, AI-supported quality controls and lean value streams form the foundation for efficient work in this field of production,” says Wolf Duwenkamp, vice president of purchasing, quality and production of cockpit and door panels at BMW Group.
“Lean before digital is our guiding principle for efficient and forward-looking production of components,” adds Martin Frensch, senior vice president of body, exterior trim and interiors at BMW. “The combination of excellent processes, digital transformation and the highest quality standards forms the foundation of our success.”
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