GENERAL NEWS
Petra Peterhaensel , Sonja Hengstler , Stefanie Wurst ( left to right ) and the new MINI Countryman .
The first “ Made in Germany ” MINI
The new , fully electric MINI model generation continues to grow . In 2023 , production of the new MINI Countryman will begin at the BMW Group plant in Leipzig , Germany . The crossover model will be offered with both pure electric drive and combustion engines .
This will be the first time that a MINI model will be produced entirely in Germany . The local , emission-free , all-rounder fits the BMW Group ’ s sustainable production site in Leipzig , one of the most modern and sustainable automotive factories in the world . As the company ’ s pilot project for establishing a “ green plant ”, a long-term , sustainable strategy for energy generation and consumption comes into play .
“ We are delighted to be able to hand over the first MINI ‘ Made in Germany ’ to our customers in a CO₂-neutral manner , thanks to the plant ’ s sustainable energy supply ,” said Stefanie Wurst , Head of MINI .
Petra Peterhaensel as plant director and Sonja Hengstler ( project manager for the new MINI Countryman ) are responsible in Leipzig for the transformation towards more electromobility and sustainable production of the e-components , as well as the entire vehicles . A core workforce of 5,600 employees produces around 1,000 vehicles every day .
The new MINI Countryman comes off the production line in Leipzig with the BMW 1 Series , BMW 2 Series Gran Coupé and BMW 2 Series Active Tourer . This makes it the first plant at which vehicles of the BMW and MINI brands are manufactured together .
The new MINI Countryman will roll off the production line in Leipzig from the end of this year . The high-voltage batteries for the all-electric MINI Countryman will then come from the plant ’ s own production facilities . To this end , the BMW Group is expanding its capacities for e-component production at the Leipzig site by eight production lines by 2024 and investing more than 800 million euros . “ The future production area of 150,000 square metres , on which e-components will be manufactured , represents a sustainable investment in the future viability of the Leipzig plant . The expansion is associated with job security and even job growth . By 2024 , more than 1,000 employees are to be employed in e-component production ,” said the BMW Group .
Sustainability is key at the plant . Part of the energy required for automotive production can be generated by four wind turbines ( 190 metres high ) at the Leipzig factory site . In 2021 , 21.9GWh of electricity was generated from wind power . This corresponds to the annual electricity consumption of over 5,000 three-person households . Since 2017 , the electricity generated can be temporarily stored in the battery storage farm in up to 700 highvoltage batteries from BMW i3 models .
“ Our Leipzig vision is the complete decarbonisation of production by replacing fossil fuels with hydrogen . At the BMW Group plant in Leipzig , we are the first automotive plant in the world to use a newly developed burner technology in our paint shop that can use green hydrogen instead of natural gas . Hydrogen has already been used in plant logistics since 2013 . Today , five hydrogen filling stations provide energy for over 130 fuel cell-powered industrial trucks , the largest fleet in Germany ,” emphasised plant director , Petra Peterhaensel .
As the brand ’ s largest model , the allelectric MINI Countryman leads the new MINI family into an era of locally emission-free electromobility . The transformation to an allelectric brand by 2030 begins with this model generation . n
. bmwgroup . com
Robotics competition to inspire Gen Z engineers
FANUC UK is once again inviting the next generation of robotics engineers to enter the WorldSkills UK Industrial Robotics competition .
Underlining its commitment to supporting the development of a future talent pipeline for the industry , this year ’ s contest is set to make robotics even more accessible with FANUC ’ s ‘ Education Roadshow ’. This will see the company travel the UK offering hands-on robotics interaction and education to students .
“ An industry-education joint initiative , the WorldSkills competition is a win-win for both the students who take part and the automation industry , inspiring young people to consider a career in robotics and equipping them with technical and workplace skills that are much needed by employers ,” commented the robotics specialist .
Entry was open to students aged 16 + in groups of two up to 24 March 2023 . FANUC will provide training and one-on-one support to the teams that make it through the qualifying round , before the National Final in November 2023 .
A partnership between employers , education and governments around the world , WorldSkills uses competition-based training , assessment and benchmarking to raise standards in apprenticeships and technical education . Industrial Robotics is one of the latest of 72 WorldSkills competition categories offered in the UK and FANUC UK is both the Industry Partner and Competition Organising Partner ( COP ) for this category .
Training and development are an integral part of the competition and participants will be taught how to programme and operate real-life robots . Working in pairs , entrants will battle it out across two competition stages . n
FANUC UK is once again inviting the next generation of robotics engineers to enter the WorldSkills UK Industrial Robotics competition .