BMW 2012 Annual Report Download - page 249

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A powerful crane peeps a warning as it hovers over
Sean Dempsey’s head; a press line with the dimensions of
a substantial apartment building towers in front of him,
while, at the other end of the enormous hall, an army of
pressing tools weighing several tons awaits. “Small” is
the last word anyone would use to describe the brand-new
press shop. And yet, as the
BBA environmental expert
explains, many aspects here have been minimised: shorter
tool change times and ultra-high-speed stroke rhythms
ensure faster production cycles. Economical warehousing
takes up less space and therefore reduces the area to be
cooled, heated, cleaned and maintained.
“This giant here,” says Dempsey, pointing at the huge press
line, “is something of a miracle when it comes to flexibility
and efficiency.” In fact, the so-called high-speed servo
press technology used at the plants in Leipzig, Regensburg
and Munich, and now also in Tiexi, is capable of up
to
17 strokes per minute. Compared with conventional
hydraulic presses, this not only reduces space requirements
and production time per unit (–
67 %), but also power
consumption per work step (– 60 %) and noise emissions
(–
13 %). In other words: the “titan of Tiexi” is much
faster, more efficient, more flexible and therefore more
economical than conventional presses – and quieter, too.
No less impressive are the performance figures for the
paint shop – the most resource-intensive section of any
car plant. Sean Dempsey explains how resources are
conserved and emissions prevented through use of an
integrated paint process developed at the Oxford plant,
so-called dry separation (used in the Leipzig,
Regensburg
and Spartanburg plants) and the RoDip dip-painting
process for corrosion protection. The environmental
expert is proud to point out that, all in all, Tiexi currently
boasts one of the most sustainable paint shop in the auto-
motive industry.
Environmental experts in the pressing tool store.
HIGH-SPEED
SERVO PRESS
“Higher speed and efficiency
ensure low energy
consumption and increased
productivity.”
Sean Dempsey on the high-speed servo press installed at the Tiexi plant
Every body part is
re-examined at the end
of the pressing process.