+++ Hans-Peter Kemser named as plant director for planned site in
Debrecen, Hungary +++ Petra Peterhänsel will take over at Plant
Leipzig +++
Munich. The BMW Group has named Hans-Peter Kemser as
plant director for the planned site in Debrecen, Hungary. He will
oversee construction of the future plant from January onwards. The
56-year-old is currently in charge of BMW Group Plant Leipzig. Petra
Peterhänsel will take over from him as head of the site in Saxony. The
55-year-old currently manages the Painted Body, i.e. press shop, body
shop and paint shop technologies, at the BMW Group’s largest European
plant in Dingolfing.
Hans-Peter Kemser will bring years of expertise in the fields of
vehicle production and electromobility to his new role from January
onwards. He has been in charge of BMW Group Plant Leipzig since 2015,
where he was responsible for production of the BMW 1 Series and 2
Series ranges, as well as the fully-electric BMW i3* and, up until
2020, the BMW i8. “Hans-Peter Kemser is an absolute production expert
and his years of experience make him the perfect choice for
successfully implementing the plant ramp-up in Debrecen,” said Milan
Nedeljković, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible
for production. From 2025 onwards, Debrecen will produce the Neue
Klasse, which will be uncompromisingly geared towards electric drive trains.
Petra Peterhänsel will take over as the new head of Plant Leipzig.
The trained quality specialist has been with the BMW Group since 2012
and brings a wealth of international experience spanning all areas of
the automotive industry. “I am delighted to welcome an experienced
production expert like Petra Peterhänsel to strengthen our management
team,” underlined Nedeljković: “Just like Hans-Peter Kemser, she
brings extensive process know-how and outstanding leadership
qualities. Both will push forward with our focus topics, the
transformation towards electromobility, digitalisation and further
expansion of sustainability.”
Exciting challenges await the designated plant directors at both locations.
Construction of the first buildings for the future BMW Group plant in
Debrecen in the east of Hungary will get underway in early 2022,
starting with the central office building and a training centre, to
complement the infrastructure that has already been built, with roads
and car parks, as well as water and energy supplies. The buildings and
equipment required for car production will be put out to tender in the
near future. All technologies – from press shop to body shop, paint
shop and assembly – are planned for BMW Group Plant Debrecen. The
plant will be the first production location for the Neue Klasse. Going
forward, the site will employ up to 1,000 people, so that up to
150,000 vehicles per year can be built in Hungary. At the time of its
planned commissioning in 2025, the plant will set new benchmarks for
flexibility, digitalisation and productivity in production.
Electrification also continues to progress in Leipzig. The plant
recently celebrated 20 years since the decision to build in Leipzig
and, today, it is the BMW Group’s pioneer plant for electromobility:
It has been building the BMW Group’s first fully-electric vehicle, the
BMW i3*, since 2013. The location also began producing battery modules
this year, creating around 175 new jobs in this area so far. The
company has already decided to further increase capacity: A second
production line will come on stream in 2022. The expertise and
experience gained by staff at our site in the field of electromobility
over the years will also be leveraged for production of the successor
to the MINI Countryman, which will be built in Leipzig as a
fully-electric vehicle.