The BMW Group is investing around 200 million euros in the expansion of the structure and production facilities at its Rosslyn plant in South Africa and in the development of the local supplier industry, the company announced on Monday.
This will allow production capacity to be increased in the long term from 60,000 to 87,000 units a year. In addition, around 1,100 employees will undergo further training within an 18-month advanced training programme to carry out production and business management tasks, and will acquire a nationally recognised certificate.
“This investment is a clear sign of the BMW Group’s commitment to South Africa as a location and of its confidence in the growth of this economic region. In the current difficult economic situation in particular, we are standing by our belief in a corporate policy based on sustainability. We are providing a stimulus for further market development, to secure jobs and to strengthen the country of South Africa”, Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, emphasised in Munich.
The BMW Group has a long tradition of commitment to South Africa. The company has been represented there since 1968. The Rosslyn plant – the company’s first production plant outside Germany – was founded there in 1975. Today, BMW 3 Series vehicles are produced here for the local market and for export to the USA, Canada, sub-Saharan Africa, Japan, South-East Asia, Australia and New Zealand. BMW South Africa employs around 2,500 people, with another 40,000 or so jobs provided in retail and service operations and the supplier industry associated with the company’s activities.
Author: Horatiu B.
Source: http://www.bmwblog.com/2009/10/07/bmw-i ... th-africa/