BBA Plant Dadong extension opens

+++ Local production of BMW X5 launches in China +++ Increasing flexibility and strong focus on digitalisation +++ Nedeljković: “Our Chinese production sites are highly significant for the BMW Group” +++

Shenyang. After comprehensive construction work, the new extension to Plant Dadong is ready to open. Owned by the joint venture BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd (BBA), the plant will simultaneously launch production of the BMW X5 with extended wheelbase in its new extension, exclusively for the Chinese market. A global success story, the X5 has so far only been made at the BMW Group’s US plant, in Spartanburg. The new plant extension offers additional production capacity globally. With the completion of the construction, the Dadong plant will follow the principles of the BMW iFACTORY. LEAN. GREEN. DIGITAL.

“Plant Dadong proves the strength of our team”, says Milan Nedeljković, BMW AG Board Member for Production: “Despite the challenges of the last three years, this complex construction project was completed fully on schedule. Our Chinese production sites are highly significant for the BMW Group. Last year almost one in every three BMW Group vehicles delivered around the world was manufactured in Shenyang.”

BMW Brilliance Plant Dadong is where the localisation of BMW vehicles in China first began. Today the plant is a pioneer of “Industry 4.0” car production and perfectly matches to BMW iFACTORY – the masterplan for the future of production. With the upgrade now complete, it offers fully flexible production of combustion-powered, plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles. This enhanced flexibility allows it to respond quickly to future market trends and the changing wishes of customers. Extending the plant, further focal points were digitalisation and sustainability, with innovative production technologies further reducing the plant’s environmental impact.

Franz Decker, President and CEO of BMW Brilliance: “In China, we are determined to lead from the forefront: green, lean, digital! Driven by technology and innovation we create more value for our customers. Building on 100 years of BMW manufacturing experience we build-up one of China’s most advanced and intelligent production sites here in Shenyang. Plant Dadong extension will once again set benchmarks on sustainability, productivity, digitalization and agility.”

Besides the newly introduced BMW X5, Plant Dadong already produces the BMW 5 Series and X3 for the Chinese market. It is also the only facility to make the fully electric BMW iX3 for the world market. Together with BBA’s second facility, Plant Tiexi, it produced a combined total of more than 700,000 vehicles last year, making Shenyang not only the highest-volume manufacturing location of the BMW Group but also the largest premium manufacturer in China. Plant Tiexi produces the BMW 1 Series and 3 Series as well as the BMW X1 and X2. In the summer, the new plant, Plant Lydia will open, as the home of the new BMW i3, a fully electric 3 Series made exclusively for the Chinese market.

With the local Powertrain plant, which manufactures combustion engines as well as high-voltage batteries, Shenyang will be home to four production facilities. Extensive R&D work is also carried out there. Since 2010, the joint venture BBA has invested around 83 billion RMB in plants, facilities, projects and R&D activities in Shenyang.

Dadong – Plant extension with superlatives

In its upgraded form, Plant Dadong now has a footprint of 910,000 m² – the equivalent of about 125 football pitches. It accommodates a press shop, a bodyshop, a paintshop and a single roof integrated logistics and assembly building with two independent production lines. The bodyshop is equipped with the KUKA’s largest Titan robot with a loading capacity of 1.3 tonnes for underbody grabbing.

Further investments have also been made in sustainability. Nearly 80 percent of finished vehicles in Shenyang are wholly or partially transported by rail, hence with nine railway lines plant Dadong has the biggest railway station in all BMW Group plant structures. The press shop offers clean separation of scrap aluminium and steel for circularity, thereby making a major contribution to the further reduction of CO₂ emissions. The paintshop in Plant Dadong has already achieved zero fresh water consumption, and energy consumption efficiency is set to be increased even further.

Plant Dadong’s solar array has also been upgraded. This year, its 179,000m² of panels are expected to produce more than 21 MWh of energy from renewable sources. BBA Shenyang production base now owns 290,000 m² covered area of solar panel system, ranking No.1 in Liaoning Province. In addition, the plant has introduced further charging points in car parks for employees to charge their cars.

Digitalisation sets standards

Dadong has also received a digitalisation upgrade. Benefit-driven digital projects are implemented in five core areas: Digital Platform, Planning, Production, Logistics, and Campus. Data science, artificial intelligence and virtual planning are opening up new dimensions in automotive production, making it faster, more precise and more transparent and taking efficiency, flexibility, sustainability and quality to an entirely new level.

Process control and various parameter data are monitored and analysed in real-time throughout the entire production process chain, allowing potential problems to be detected quickly and resolved.