On June 23, the development of the BMW Group in the Chinese market reached another important milestone - the large-scale upgrading project of the BMW Brilliance production base (abbreviation: Lida Plant) officially opened.
The total investment of this project is RMB 15 billion, which is the largest single investment ever made by BMW in the Chinese market, which once again proves BMW's emphasis on the Chinese market and its firm confidence in long-term development.
Aerial view of Rida factory
Lida Factory is located in Tiexi District, Shenyang City, covering an area of 2.9 million square meters. After completion, it will have four production processes of stamping, bodywork, painting and final assembly.
With the completion and commissioning of the Rida plant, the production capacity of BMW's Shenyang production base has increased to 830,000 vehicles per year.
BMW's first pure electric mid-size sports sedan, the all-new BMW i3, has been successfully put into production here.
Rida factory body shop
In March 2022, the product upgrade project of BMW Brilliance Dadong Plant was completed as scheduled, and the new BMW X5 was put into production smoothly; less than three months later, the Lida Plant was opened.
Promoting these large-scale projects as scheduled under the epidemic reflects BMW's long-term optimism for the Chinese market and confirms the BMW Group's corporate strategy of taking China as its home and advancing with the Chinese society at the same frequency.
Gao Le, President and CEO of BMW Group Greater China, said: "In just three months, the product upgrade project of our Dadong plant was opened, the Lida plant was officially opened, and two domestic models were launched - the all-new BMW The X5 and the new BMW i3. This shows that 'BMW Group, Home in China' is not just a promise, but a tangible and continuous commitment. Our electric mobility strategy is the key to achieving the BMW Group's clear sustainability goals. The new BMW iFACTORY The Lida plant can switch to 100% electric vehicle production at any time according to market demand. The Lida plant, together with the Tiexi and Dadong plants, will play an important role in our acceleration of China’s electrification transition.”
Since 2010, the BMW Shenyang production base has received a total investment of more than 83 billion yuan, and Shenyang has become the largest production base of the BMW Group in the world.
As a trusted partner, BMW has more than 460 suppliers and nearly 700 dealers in China.
As an enterprising innovator, BMW supports China's high-quality and sustainable development with practical actions.
As a responsible corporate citizen and recognized employer, the BMW Group has more than 28,000 employees in China.
The opening of the new factory will bring new boost to the economic development of Liaoning and Shenyang.
BMW Brilliance has been the largest taxpayer in Shenyang for 16 consecutive years. In 2021, the tax payment will exceed 43 billion yuan, and the local purchase volume will increase by 30% to 71.4 billion yuan, of which 60% of the share comes from local suppliers in Liaoning.
The advanced production and logistics management methods of the Lida factory will further promote the upgrading of local industrial clusters and promote the improvement of local investment attractiveness.
The digital Rida plant was planned and simulated entirely in virtual space from the start
The Rida plant follows the BMW Group's BMW iFACTORY strategy, focuses on "lean, green, digital", is oriented towards electric mobility, extensively applies data science, artificial intelligence and virtualization technologies in production, and emphasizes manufacturing cars in a sustainable way.
The Rida plant is the first plant in the BMW Group to be planned and simulated in a virtual environment from the very beginning of its design, including plant layout, architectural design, production line planning and equipment testing, all of which have been virtualized.
The fusion of virtual and real worlds not only reduces planning time, but also enables remote maintenance and real-time collaboration.
It only took more than two years for the Rida plant to start construction and put into production, which is 6 months shorter than the normal construction period.
Such a new benchmark-level factory once again shows that the BMW Group is further integrating into China's innovation and high-quality development, and firmly supports China's sustainable development goals.
Lean Geometric Optical Metrology (GOM) for complete scanning of components and vehicles
The development of the BMW Group Shenyang production base has continuously provided assistance for local employment and talent training. In the past four years, BMW Brilliance has created 6,000 new employment opportunities in Shenyang.
In 2021, the BMW Brilliance Training Center in Shenyang Sino-German High-end Equipment Manufacturing Industrial Park will be officially put into use.
The training center has more than 1,500 training sessions per year and can receive nearly 40,000 trainees every year.
As one of the most advanced and modern comprehensive training bases of BMW Group in the world, the completion and use of this training center is a key step in BMW's strategic layout of sustainable talent development in China.
In January this year, BMW was awarded the "Top Employers in China 2022" certification by the Top Employers Institute.
This is a comprehensive human resources certification that is widely recognized worldwide.
BMW has been highly recognized in 10 dimensions including talent strategy, human resource planning, and leadership development, demonstrating its strong human resource management capabilities and level.
The opening of the Lida Plant, a large-scale upgrade project of BMW Brilliance's production base, marks the launch of the future-oriented BMW iFACTORY strategy in China, and also injects more confidence and vitality into the current automotive industry where opportunities and challenges coexist.
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Germany, the BMW Group will continue to base itself in China and contribute to the upgrading of China's auto industry with high quality and sustainable development.