BMW Group Plant Spartanburg, the automaker’s largest production facility, is expanding yet again with the addition of a nearly 1,000,000 square-foot logistics center that will be used to streamline the supply chain. The project is slated to cost approximately $100,000,000, but should be well worth the investment, considering the new building will take the place of two off-site locations that currently receive and store containers and parts used in the bodyshop.
The logistics center is scheduled to open during mid-2022, and through its consolidation of other current facilities, is planned to result in a leaner, more efficient supply chain. The location, which is situated on the opposite side of Interstate 85 from the main production halls of Plant Spartanburg, marks BMW’s first expansion south of the highway. The mitigate the impact of truck and transport traffic in the area and to streamline operations, a pair of private bridges are being built as part of the project to connect the logistics center with the main Spartanburg campus. Construction of the bridges is already underway, with one stretching over Interstate 85, and the other spanning a surface road that borders the plant. United Infrastructure Group, a company founded and based in North Charleston, South Carolina, is responsible for construction of the bridges.
“For nearly three decades, BMW has called South Carolina its second home. This expansion in our logistics operation represents our continued commitment to this state, and it will prepare Plant Spartanburg for the future,” said Dr. Robert Engelhorn, president and CEO of BMW Manufacturing. “The new warehouse will allow us to consolidate our logistics processes as well as implement efficiency measures for a more sustainable logistics operation.”
Construction of the new $20,000,000, 67,000 square-foot training center announced in February is also continuing at the Spartanburg site. Scheduled for opening during the summer of next year, the training center will also be home to BMW’s apprenticeship program, BMW Scholars. Both the new logistics and training centers are part of a broader investment in plant Spartanburg taking place over several years. During 2019, 86,000 square feet of battery production space was added to the plant.
BMW Group Plant Spartanburg is the automaker’s largest factory with annual capacity of 450,000 vehicles and daily output of more than 1,500. The plant employs a staff of more than 11,000 and produces BMW’s line up of X vehicles from the X3 through the X7, including the X3 and X4 M, the X5 and X6 M, along with two plug-in hybrids. The production schedule is likely to soon include the upcoming XM performance model. More than two-thirds of the vehicles produced in Spartanburg are exported, and the plant has been the largest exporter in terms of value for the last seven years running.—Alex Tock
[Photos courtesy BMW AG.]