BMW Group South Africa has announced that it will invest an additional R160 million into its Rosslyn manufacturing facility outside Pretoria to enhance production line speed. The enhancement raises the maximum production capacity by almost 10%, from 71 000 units to 76 000 units, leaving the plant with a potential to produce the highest volume of units ever in its 44 year history in the future.

Production at the Rosslyn plant will transition from the 3 Series to the X3 in the first half of 2018. Interestingly, the new X3 will be produced for the local market and later also exported to Europe

The additional investment comes on the back of the R6 billion investment that was announced in November 2015 for the preparation of the Rosslyn plant to produce the new BMW X3. Production at the Rosslyn plant will transition from the 3 Series to the X3 in the first half of 2018. Interestingly, the new X3 will be produced for the local market and later also exported to Europe.

“We are greatly encouraged by the amazing performance of our BMW X-models around the world. This growth trend supports our decision to produce the BMW X3 in South Africa. The potential for the future is exciting as ultimately production volume is determined by global demand for our products,” said Tim Abbott, CEO BMW Group South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Rosslyn Plant consists of only one final assembly line

The BMW X-models, part of BMW’s Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) range, accounted for more than 30% of total global sales for the brand in 2016. The BMW X3, in turn, accounted for more than 24% of the global BMW X-model range.

BMW Group South Africa is now becoming a part of the global BMW X-model success story. BMW Plant Spartanburg in the USA will continue to produce the BMW X3 for their local market and export markets.

Plans to create a centre of production excellence at the company’s Rosslyn Plant is well under way with the largest infrastructure upgrade in the history of the facility completed and staff upskilled in state-of-the-art technologies. Supplier development and localisation strategies are in progress, and the company is confident that the BMW X3 will be more localised than the current BMW 3 Series.

Roof infrastructure upgrade
One of the infrastructure upgrade projects BMW South Africa had as part of the BMW Plant Rosslyn investment was revamping the existing assembly line to accommodate the larger size of the BMW X3 (as compared to the BMW 3 Series). The company used an innovative method based on bridge building methods to raise the assembly roof while production continued as normal below. The roof lift project won an award at the recent Southern African Institute of Steel Construction.

The plant is very compact and congested. The possibility of first erecting a new building adjacent to the existing Building 50 and thereafter demolishing the existing building was not an option. The only option therefore was to erect a new roof structure over the existing Building 50 whilst the assembly plant remained operational

When asked about the BMW H-EMS Roof Lift project, Amanuel Gebremeskel, technical director of the SAISC said, “I think it’s rare that you get a challenge of this type, in engineering terms as well as fabrication and erection terms. It’s a very risky project, which they have pulled off spectacularly.”

Building 50, known as the assembly building at BMW Rosslyn is about 60 years old and consisted of a low saw-toothed profile roof supported by numerous columns at close spacings. In 2018, BMW Rosslyn will produce the X3 model instead of the 3-Series and the latest assembly line technology necessitated that a 4 100m² portion of the current B50 structure be modified. The proposed system, H-EMS (Heavy Electric Monorail System), comprises overhead conveyors fixed to the roof, with height-adjustable hangers that carry the vehicles being assembled. The roof and column structure of the existing assembly building was inadequate for this purpose. The H-EMS system required a higher and stronger roof structure with fewer columns.

The BMW X-models, part of BMW’s Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) range, accounted for more than 30% of total global sales for the brand in 2016

The Rosslyn Plant consists of only one final assembly line, and since the plant is very compact and congested, the possibility of first erecting a new building adjacent to the existing Building 50 and thereafter demolishing the exiting was not an option. The only option therefore was to erect a new roof structure over the existing Building 50 whilst the assembly plant remained operational.

BMW Group South Africa growth plans for the future includes investment in several business areas.

The company used an innovative method based on bridge building methods to raise the assembly roof while production continued as normal below. The roof lift project won an award at the recent Southern African Institute of Steel Construction

BMW Group South Africa has had a presence in South Africa for nearly 45 years, contributing to the upliftment of the country and its people. The company continues its passion for South Africa, with future plans including investment into several areas of the business.

Examples of this are the R400 million expansion of the Midrand Headquarters and doubling the size of the regional parts warehouse, as well as doubling the local Information Technology function, in an increasingly digitalised world, to nearly 800 staff.