Munich. With signature of the final contracts and
approval of the competition authorities, the BMW Group and the company
CRITICAL Software have concluded the formation of their joint venture.
The new joint-venture company with the name Critical TechWorks will
combine both partners’ expertise in premium mobility and automotive
software engineering for the development of ground-breaking on- and
offboard applications. The BMW Group holds a 51 percent stake in the
new company, which already employs around 200 people at its locations
in Lisbon and Porto in Portugal.
Critical TechWorks represents an important addition to the BMW
Group’s global innovation network in the area of IT and software
development. With increased involvement in the field of
digitalisation, the BMW Group is pursuing the goals set out in its
Strategy NUMBER ONE NEXT: forging ahead with its transformation
into a mobility-tech company and actively shaping the digital
shift in the automotive industry.
“With this stakeholding, we are selectively expanding our IT and
software expertise and enhancing our inhouse capabilities in this
area. Starting today, in addition to our locations worldwide, we will
also be developing ground-breaking solutions for digitalisation and
automation of product development, production and sales here in the
heart of this fast-growing IT hotspot,” said Klaus Straub, Senior
Vice-President BMW Group Information Management, at the signing
ceremony. Christoph Grote, Senior Vice-President BMW Group
Electronics, added: “With the offices in Portugal, we are integrating
a key location for development of digital services. At the same time,
we will benefit from a growing and dynamic environment with young
talents who fit our DNA perfectly and are passionate about our
products. This will strengthen our innovation leadership and our
vision of the car of the future as intelligent and predictive.”
The main task for Critical TechWorks will be development and
operation of high-end software solutions in various areas. Employing
agile development methods, the joint venture’s specialists will use
BMW Group data to create innovative business models and develop
knowledge-based products. The range of innovations extends from in-car
infotainment solutions and digital services, to autonomous transport
systems for production, to digital sales and aftersales platforms, and
highly-integrated solutions for product data management.
CRITICAL Software and the BMW Group have equal representation on the
joint venture’s management team:
From CRITICAL Software
- Rui Cordeiro, Chief Executive Officer
- Paulo Guedes, Chief Financial Officer
From the BMW Group
- Jochen Kirschbaum, Chief Operating Officer, Onboard Applications
- Martin Zierheim, Chief Operating Officer, Offboard Applications
“Launching a software company like Critical TechWorks is the
chance of a lifetime,” according to Rui Cordeiro. “Software has a huge
role to play in shaping the future of mobility and the automotive
industry as a whole, and we plan to become a reference point not only
in Portugal, but across the world.”
Reflecting the major significance of digitalisation, the new
joint-venture company is geared towards dynamic growth. There are
plans to expand the workforce to up to 500 employees in 2019, with
further increases going forward.
The joint venture’s Portuguese sites, located just a few miles from
the Atlantic coast, provide ideal conditions for efficient cooperation
with the BMW Group’s existing IT network, as well as steady growth.
Portugal has become an attractive location for new businesses in the
field of digitalisation, offering a lively, creative and innovative
start-up scene. With its excellent transport and telecommunications
infrastructure, government investment incentives and high level of
political, legal, economic and social stability, Portugal has been
especially successful in attracting companies from growth industries
in recent years.
Critical TechWorks will be present at this year’s Web Summit in
Lisbon from 5 to 8 November. Interested applicants will have the
chance for an “on-the-spot” job interview. More information on job
vacancies at www.criticaltechworks.com.