Abstract:
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This case is about German automobile manufacturer, the BMW Group's "MINI
Production Triangle", a production network of its premium small car brand MINI.
The BMW Group started production of the MINI at its Oxford plant in the UK in
April 2001. In 2006, in order to further increase the existing production
capacity of the MINI, the management of the BMW Group integrated its three
manufacturing units in the UK and started a production triangle called the "MINI
Production Triangle" (MPT). The three plants which geographically looked like
three points of a triangle were the Oxford plant, the Swindon plant, and the
Hams Hall plant.
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Plant Oxford was responsible for the
bodyshell production, paintshop, and final assembly of the MINI.
The Hams Hall plant supplied petrol engines while the Swindon
plant supplied pressings and sub-assemblies to Plant Oxford.
The case discusses the objectives of the MINI Production
Triangle and briefly describes the MINI production process. The
production of the MINI involved three steps - Bodyshell
Production, Paintshop, and Assembly. Bodyshell production was
carried out at Plant Oxford and included manufacturing the body
of the MINI. The second step in the MPT was the paintshop where
the bodyshell was painted with several coats of color. During
the assembly process, the 2,415 different inner and outer parts
of the MINI were mounted on to the painted bodyshell. The
engines were delivered from Hams Hall just-in-sequence to the
assembly line in Oxford as per the production requirements. The
pressings and body components were delivered just-in-time from
Swindon directly to the body production facility at the Oxford
plant. The entire production process, right from the delivery of
the engine components to the complete assembly of the
components, took around seven days.
The case also talks about other aspects related to the MINI
Production Triangle such as logistics, training and development
of associates, efficient resource management, and community
involvement in the MINI Production Triangle. It concludes with a
description of the results achieved in terms of sales and
production volumes of MINI after the implementation of the MINI
Production Triangle.
Issues:
» Study the MINI production strategy adopted by the BMW Group, with special
emphasis on the MINI Production Triangle set up in 2006.
» Understand the issues and challenges associated with the MINI production
process.
» Examine the role of the three production plants in the MINI Production
Triangle.
» Understand concepts such as Just-in-time and Just-in-sequence, and their
importance.
» Analyze the significance of integrating manufacturing plants in automobile
production to improve productivity and enable customization.
Contents:
Keywords:
MINI Production Triangle, Lean manufacturing, Flexible manufacturing system, logistics, Just In Time, Just In Sequence, Customer Oriented Sales and Production Process, KOVP, Plant Swindon, Assembly, Bodyshell production, Paintshop, Plant Hams Hall, Pressings, Sub-assemblies, Production management, MINI, UK-based supply industry, UK Automotive Industry, Plant Oxford, Plant Swindon, Plant Hams Hall
BMW Group's MINI Production Triangle
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