| |
March 12, 2008 -- The 500 new jobs that the BMW Group said Monday it will add at its Greer plant aren't the only new jobs that will come out of the automaker's addition of a new assembly line. Because of the nature of automotive manufacturing, major production increases at a plant such as BMW’s inevitably mean production increases across the plant's network of suppliers.
BMW spokeswoman Bunny Richardson said she couldn't yet quantify the expected growth in the supplier network as a result of the 50 percent production increase planned at the Greer plant by 2012. However, suppliers have more reason to make parts locally as BMW’s production capacity in Greer grows from 160,000 cars a year to 240,000. Currently, 192 companies supply the plant, with 52 of them, or 27 percent, in South Carolina, according to a list on BMW Manufacturing's Web site. Other suppliers are in Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio, North Carolina, Mexico and Canada.
Jack Ellenberg, deputy secretary at the state Commerce Department, said he's confident BMW’s new assembly line will lead to lots of growth in the supplier network. "We expect there to be some expansions in the supplier base of existing companies, and we're expecting and look forward to new companies as well," Ellenberg said. "This is a major event in the automotive industry, and a major event for the state."
Abstracted from Greenville News
|
|
|
|
| |
Tags/Labels:
Automotive,
Auto Parts,
United States,
Automated Systems (Assembly/Forming/Joining/Material Removal/Test)
|
|
|
