Chonburi. BMW Group Thailand is marking another
historic milestone with the inauguration of a local high-voltage
battery production plant in partnership with the DRÄXLMAIER Group, one
of the world’s leading automotive suppliers and a partner of BMW Group
since 1966. BMW Group Thailand launched the local assembly lines in
July 2019 at the DRÄXLMAIER Group plant in
WHA Chonburi Industrial Estate 2. The
high-voltage battery assembly plant is assembling both battery modules
and the battery itself.
Mr. Uwe Quaas, Managing Director of BMW
Group Manufacturing Thailand said: “One of the pillars of BMW Group’s
global strategy is electrification, and BMW Group Manufacturing
Thailand is underlining its commitment to this mission by taking
another big step forward in our electro-mobility strategy. The start
of local battery production enables us to better respond to growing
domestic demand for electrified vehicles in Thailand. This new
capability also strengthens the performance of Plant Rayong in
fulfilling the country’s mission of sustainable mobility.”
Mr. Gerhard Irnesberger, Plant Director DRÄXLMAIER Group Thailand,
said, “It is a major honor for us to be entrusted with the
production of high-voltage batteries for BMW Group Thailand. Our
company sees itself as a reliable BMW partner in the regions in which
we operate. We have long experience in offering the most innovative
solutions for premium vehicles in the fields of electrics,
electronics, interior design and battery systems. With 53 years of
supplier partnership at the global level, we are very pleased to
expand our alliance and partnership with BMW Group Manufacturing Thailand.”
To ensure that the production process meets the BMW Group’s
exceptional standards of quality, experts from BMW Group Munich were
involved in the process at the new DRÄXLMAIER Group facility
throughout the process in order to set up a solid foundation for the
future.
The high-voltage battery is a central element of partially and fully
electrified vehicles and a highly sophisticated component that
requires specialized skills to produce. Thanks to the advanced
training and qualification programs initiated in September 2018, the
staff from the DRÄXLMAIER Group who have participated in the battery
production training program at BMW Group Plant Dingolfing – the BMW
Group Competence Center for e-drive production – and the BMW Group
pilot plant for e-drivetrains in Munich, are now ready for the
high-tech assembly work to produce the latest generation (Gen4) of the
BMW Group high-voltage batteries This involves the use of cutting-edge
production technologies onsite including laser welding, plasma
activation, robotics, gluing, automated optical and electrical inline
quality inspection along with end-of-line testing. The training is
also focused on supporting a highly automated process, which is an
important part of battery module production, as well as comprehensive
quality assurance, product methodology and technology, rework, and analysis.
Equipped with a strong grasp of battery production skills, the staff
will work on battery cells provided by a supplier in the Asian region
along with other imported parts – such as aluminum housing,
electronics, and cables – to roll out high-voltage batteries that meet
BMW Group’s world-class standard and are in full compliance with
Thailand’s local content requirement regulation. Final batteries will
then be transported to Plant Rayong for the production of the entire
range of BMW 5 Series Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles, which has been in
operation since July 2019. Since 2017, BMW Group Manufacturing
Thailand has assembled four BMW plug-in hybdrids at Amata City
Industrial Estate, Rayong province.
Following on from BMW Group Thailand earlier endorsement for
incentives by Thailand’s Board of Investment (BoI) for a 700 million
baht outlay in BMW plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) production,
the company has jointly invested with DRÄXLMAIER Group in this battery
assembly plant, worth 500 million baht. This new beacon for e-mobility
innovations will further unlock the competence of Thailand’s
automotive industry. The incentives from BoI also symbolize the unity
between the public and private sectors in this undertaking towards a
sustainable future.