UK production and jobs growth for BMW

UK production and jobs growth for BMW

Since September last year,  250 new employees have been taken on at BMW Group’s Hams Hall plant in Birmingham to produce a new family of petrol engines to power the new MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S models built in Oxford.

Last year the 1000 strong workforce produced just over 217,000 engines to set a new record for the plant. The increased pace of production will continue during 2007 with output expected to exceed 300,000 units. This increase will be driven by the production of two new engines; a 1.4-litre petrol engine to power the new MINI One, and a four cylinder high-precision direct injection petrol engine for the BMW 1 series, both of which are to be built in the UK.

Production at Hams Hall started six years ago and the West Midlands factory is one of three major engine production operations in BMW’s international manufacturing network. New managing director, Robert Bolam, who was previously responsible for BMW Group’s UK pressings operations in Swindon says ‘This is an exciting time to be coming to Hams Hall. We are confident that sales of BMW and MINI products will increase once again this year.’