BMW 2014 Annual Report Download - page 34

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18 COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORT
18 General Information on the BMW Group
23 Report on Economic Position
23 General and Sector-specific
Environment
26 Overall Assessment by Management
26 Financial and Non-financial
Performance Indicators
29 Review of Operations
29 Automotive Segment
35 Motorcycles Segment
36 Financial Services Segment
38 Research and Development
40 Purchasing
41 Sales and Marketing
44 Workforce
45 Sustainability
49 Results of Operations, Financial
Position and Net Assets
61 Comments on Financial Statements
of BMW AG
64 Events after the End of the
Reporting Period
65 Report on Outlook, Risks and
Opportunities
82 Internal Control System and Risk
Management System Relevant for the
Consolidated Financial Reporting Process
83
Disclosures Relevant for Takeovers
and Explanatory Comments
87 BMW Stock and Capital Markets
May 2014, MSF manufactured its one-millionth vehicle
for the BMW Group.
The pressing plant in Swindon produces bodywork
components and assemblies for the Oxford plant. Since
July the plant has also supplied the MINI contract pro-
duction facilities at VDL Nedcar with body parts and
the Leipzig plant with pressed parts for the
BMW 2 Se-
ries Active Tourer.
During the third quarter, series production of the
Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II commenced at the Rolls-Royce
plant in Goodwood (UK). Construction of a technology
and logistics centre for the plant was also announced.
The Goodwood plant meanwhile provides jobs for more
than 1,500 people, 100 of whom took up their posts
during the period under report.
The engine plants in Munich, Hams Hall (UK) and Steyr
(Austria) have continued to introduce a highly flexible,
demand-oriented production system. In June, the engine
production plant in Munich officially gave the green
light for a production line for modular engines. In future,
the Group’s main plant will therefore act internationally
as the leading plant for the production of the 3- and
4-cylinder petrol engines that form part of the Efficient
Dynamics family. The Munich plant produces up to
3,200 engines each day, 1,000 of which are modular. The
range comprises BMW 3-, 4-, 8- and 12-cylinder petrol
engines, BMW 6-cylinder diesel engines, and 8-cylinder
high-performance engines for the BMW M models. In
October, the engine plant in Steyr also launched a pro-
duction line for low-fuel-consumption 3- and 4-cylinder
modular engines. In what is currently the largest engine
plant operated by the BMW Group, up to 4,700 engines
are completed each day. The diesel engine development
centre, which is connected to the plant, is currently being
enlarged. The Hams Hall engine plant makes 3- and
4-cylinder petrol engines for BMW and MINI and is also
the exclusive manufacturer of 3-cylinder petrol engines
for the BMW i8.
Pilot projects for “Industrie 4.0” launched
During the year under report, the BMW Group initiated
new projects within its production network which will
ultimately pave the way towards the first intelligent plant.
The objective is to deploy new technologies as sensibly
as possible with the aim of providing production and
upstream preparation staff with the best possible
support. One good example is the innovative coopera-
tion between staff and robots in the Spartanburg and
Dingolfing plants, by which people and robots work
together effectively side by side.