Europe: BMW, JLR, Daimler have the most profitable plants

[Zafiro]

From the data collected by Inovev, the BMW Group manufacturing facilities are close to 100 % capacity utilization, while actually reports say that the German carmaker’s the global production network runs at 120% – thanks to overtime hours, extra shifts and weekend utilization.

Also at above 90% utilization run jaguar Land Rover’s European plants, which thanks to its strong global demand for the Jaguar cars and land Rover SUVs sees the manufacturing facilities working on heavy load – and the luxury unit is actually supporting the parent company’s financial needs, pressed by slumping demand at home in India.

Daimler (85%) – thanks to the rising sales fortunes of Mercedes-Benz has its factories busy producing the compact range of cars, which are hot sellers all around the globe, and are made in Europe in Hungary, at home in Germany and also at contract manufacturer Valmet in Finland.

http://www.inautonews.com/europe-bmw-jlr-daimler-have-profitable-plants#.U5mGEI1_vxU

http://europe.autonews.com/article/...jlr-daimler-turn-plant-efficiency-into-profit

 

[EnI]

Bavarian Manufacturing Wonder ... BMW

 

[Kilcrohane]

From the data collected by Inovev... ...above 90% utilization run jaguar Land Rover’s European plants, which thanks to its strong global demand for the Jaguar cars

and at that point is when anyone with a still functioning brain calls BS, and puts Inovev in the same category as 'research companies' who do 'independent, statistically relevant surveys' to promote a new flavour of cola for their client.

FFS, even JLR themselves admit Jaguar is at death's door, loss-making - see the Car magazine piece recently - and that it is barely doing 70,000 units a year currently, over 3 ranges, the XJ, XF and F-type, where the XJ is being out-sold by the S-Class by about 10 to 1, the ancient XF is irrelevant against the 5-series. E-Class, A6 and latterly even the Maser Ghibli, and the F-type is being massively discounted and stinking up US dealer parking lots.

How given all that did the Inovev 'reserchers' come to the conclusion that there is 'strong global demand for Jaguar Cars'?

How can a measly maximum 70,000 units be 'strong demand', when likely at least one-third of that is padding for demonstrators, management cars turned over every 6 months, pre-registrations and so on, and we know the Castle Bromwich factory where all Jaguars are built, has around 4,000 workers, giving it one of the worst productivity rates in the whole auto industry? Total garbage, like most of these kinds of surveys.

Any fool knows, and doesn't need 'Inovev' or some BS-ing outfit to tell them the Big 3 German auto companies are going gangbusters. Didn't Dieter Zetsche just bemoan the lack of capacity at Mercedes-Benz; BMW announce a 50% lift in capacity at Spartanburg; the contract assembly of the MINI at VDL/NedCar, etc.,; Audi about to build a new factory for the next Q5 in Mexico, and so on.

The likes of 'Inovev' are for the brain dead. Industry people will know the real score themselves, and lay people couldn't give a fig.

 

[Merc1]

I just love it.....I was awaiting a response from Kilcro.

M

 

[Giannis]

Bavarian Manufacturing Wonder ... BMW

I recall reading somewhere that BMW has the second most efficient production line after Toyota's "just on time" model.

 

[Kilcrohane]

I recall reading somewhere that BMW has the second most efficient production line after Toyota's "just on time" model.

BMW are good but that doesn't stop the management/owners squeezing their 'high cost' German workforce:

http://www.automobilwoche.de/articl...lich-100-millionen-euro-personalkosten-sparen

Toyota may once have been the benchmark for factory productivity with quality assurance, but their JIT/Kanban/TPS(Toyota Production System)/Lean Production thing got stuck in the 1980s, and got overtaken by the need for technological efficiency above simple production efficiency, which is where the Europeans, and especially the German, or 'Baden-Württemberg model' of industrial organisation, took over and won out, over the Toyota/Japanese 'Keiretsu model'.

Toyota today is no paragon, of pretty much anything. It trades on its 1960s-80s quality image, and latterly makes money by making in low-wage, weak currency areas, southern states US included.

The Germans, although every $1,000/day management consultant, academic professor 'expert' and goverment leaders in the UK predicted their wipeout by Toyota/the Japs back in the 1980s/early 1990s, through their JIT etc systems, have prevailed and thrived, and left Toyota's now rather crude production mantras behind, for much more sophisticated cell-based production systems, and supply chain management techniques.