A new ‘Center for Special and Individual Paintwork’ is about to be built at BMW Group Plant Dingolfing. Over the next two years, an investment of more than €30 million will enable the construction of a new southern extension to the existing paint shop. Construction is scheduled to commence in September 2025, with the new facility expected to be operational in the spring of 2027.
Bespoke
The forthcoming extension will provide over 2,000 square meters of space across two levels, allowing customers to add their desired finishes and special paintwork options to an even greater number of cars in even more efficient processes.
“It will enable us to meet the growing wishes of customers for something special, and help us develop a lucrative area of business for the BMW Group,” says Plant Director Christoph Schröder.
The paint shop at Dingolfing already offers a vast array of colors, paint types, and customization options, with up to 300 different shades for customers to choose from, as well as two-tone and complex special finishes available for exclusive small series, such as the BMW 3.0 CSL or the BMW M4 CS Edition VR46.
Combining automation and manual skills
A defining feature of this area of manufacturing is always the combination of automated processes in series production with manual painting elements.
According to Sven Selaskowki, responsible for Painted Bodies at Plant Dingolfing, the new paintline in the forthcoming extension will be equipped to enable exactly that: the first coat of colored paint will be applied automatically in series production, with special touches, such as stripes or contrast colors on the doors and body for two-tone or custom finishes, added by hand afterward in the forthcoming extension.
Bodies will then return to the series production line for a final coat of clear varnish. Depending on demand and the number of units needed, the team in the new center for special paint finishes will comprise upward of ten people.
Throughput times are expected to decrease by approximately a quarter compared to the current process, and costs per body produced will drop noticeably. The drying furnaces in the new extension will operate on electricity, rather than gas, via power-to-heat technology.
