Germany – BMW says it is expanding production capacity and increasing its staff at the Competence Centre for E-Drive Production in Dingolfing faster than originally planned
Due to growing demand, the plant expects the number of modules needed for production of high-voltage batteries to double from the previous year, and the number of electric motors required to also increase significantly.
Michael Nikolaides, head of Production Engines and E-Drives at the BMW Group: “We are embarking on a massive expansion of our Competence Centre for E-Drive Production in Dingolfing, from 8,000 sq.m currently to 80,000 in the future. By the end of the year, we will increase our staff in this area from 600 to more than 1,400.” Up to 2,000 employees will work on electric motors, battery modules and high-voltage batteries in Dingolfing in the medium term.
For the upcoming ramp-up and planned volume growth, up to 800 qualified staff are currently being recruited on a large scale – both internally at the BMW Group’s plant locations and outside the company. As Nikolaides points out: “We are also combing the market for specialists for the future technology of e-mobility.”
The BMW Group plans to expand its range of electrified vehicles to 25 models by 2023 – more than half of them fully electric. A quarter of the BMW Group vehicles sold in Europe are likely to be electrified by 2021; this percentage will reach a third in 2025 and half in 2030. As a result, the company has a correspondingly high demand for electric motors and batteries. Dingolfing has a major role in supplying other sites with electric powertrain components. “We don’t just supply the vehicle plant here in Dingolfing; we also deliver batteries and electric motors to most of our automotive plants worldwide,” says Nikolaides. Preparations are already underway for production of the fifth generation of electric motors and batteries, with production is slated to start later this year.
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