BMW is planning to triple production capacity at its US joint venture that manufactures carbon fibre body panels and BIW. It says it will also extend carbon fibre content to other models in its range.
The joint venture – SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers – is planning to add production lines to triple capacity of the carbon fibre plant in Moses Lake, Washington State.
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The expansion will be funded by an investment of 200m US dollars, in addition to the previously invested 100m US dollars. The site expansion, scheduled to be completed by early 2015, will make the plant in Moses Lake the world’s largest carbon fibre plant, BMW says.
With the anticipated creation of 120 new jobs, the headcount at the joint venture in Moses Lake is going to rise from currently 80 to about 200 people.
BMW says that due to the automated production processes, the expansion of the site in Moses Lake will make it possible for the BMW Group to apply carbon fibre material in other model series in the future, at competitive costs and in large quantities.
The Moses Lake plant currently operates two production lines, exclusively for BMW i brand, with an annual output of around 3,000 tons of carbon fibre. This summer, SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers will commission a third and fourth production line in Moses Lake, which are currently being built, thus doubling the plant’s capacity to 6,000 tons per year. A groundbreaking ceremony took place last week for a fifth and sixth production line which will eventually triple production capacity at the plant to 9,000 tons annually in the medium term.
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By GlobalData“With its highly automated carbon fibre production and stringent quality standards, Moses Lake is setting new standards in the industry. At present, the site is the world’s fastest growing carbon fibre producer. Together with the BMW Group, we are doing pioneering work to establish CFRP [carbon fibre reinforced plastic] as a material in large-series automotive production. In a mix of materials, CFRP offers new opportunities in lightweight construction for an eco-friendly mobility,” said Dr. Jürgen Köhler, CEO of SGL Group.
Dr. Klaus Draeger, Board Member Purchasing and Supplier Network at BMW AG: “CFRP is a key material for the automotive industry of the 21st century. In our endeavour to identify increasingly lightweight materials in order to reduce a vehicle’s weight and thus its fuel consumption and carbon emissions, this material plays a crucial role. As part of an intelligent mix of materials, we will apply carbon also beyond our BMW i and BMW M models in the future. Thanks to the pooling of the SGL Group’s expertise and our knowledge in large-series production of CFRP components, we will be able to produce the ultra-lightweight high-tech material also for other model series, at competitive costs and in large quantities.”
