BMW PRESS SHOP, SWINDON

A new BMW automated steel pressing facility

McLaughlin & Harvey has constructed a new automated steel pressing facility at the BMW Group’s Swindon plant. The new press will produce steel panels for the MINI plant in Oxford at twice the rate of the old equipment it replaces. The steel blanks and finished panels will be handled by a new fleet of Automatic Guided Vehicles (AGVs).

The use of AGVs throughout the process has streamlined logistics considerably, particularly with the use of a giant AGV that can transport up to six tonnes of material. This is a technological first for the BMW Group and will be rolled out in other press shops around the company’s global network of manufacturing plants.

The new press consists of six individual stations that can produce up to 18 parts per minute—more than twice the capacity of the previous press line. The time taken to swap the pressing tools is also significantly reduced, from at least 30 minutes to a little over three minutes. The pressure that the new press can apply is 2,500 tonnes, equivalent to the weight of 20 blue whales.

The new building’s construction started in June 2019 after the demolition and clearing of ‘A’ Building on the Swindon site. During the construction of the 36m wide, 210m long, 25m high building, the team managed the challenge of the COVID-19 restrictions.

The building has numerous environmental features, including water harvesting from the roof to provide water to all non-drinking water supplies. There is also a system that uses the heat from the press hydraulics to heat the main hall. This, along with smaller touches such as LED lighting and the long glass roof windows running down the centre of the building, has a significant impact, creating a light-bright working environment, reducing the reliance on artificial light, and contributing significantly to achieving energy-saving and sustainability targets.