Last year BMW announced plans to open a new factory in Mexico where a number of models will be produced once the facility is finished. Among those models you’ll find cars like the 3 Series so, naturally, the workforce will need to be trained just as thoroughly as the ones working at German plants. In this regard, before production actually kicks off, BMW already opened a training facility for its workers, to make sure they are ready when the time comes to have BMW cars rolling off the production line.
Today marked the inauguration of the training center in San Luis Potosi following an investment of $9 million in the 6,000 sq ft location. The new Training Center contains eleven workshops for qualification programs not only for associates but also for apprentices from the three educational institutions that participate in the Dual Program. The inauguration happened in the presence of a number of officials, from local authorities to BMW representatives.
“Qualification is the key to success”, said Milagros Caiña-Andree, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Human Resources and Labor Relations. “It is great to see that what we have started two years ago with the first generation of apprentices in the temporary training center has developed so well. For the BMW Group, our skilled workforce is the foundation to achieve the highest quality of our premium products. With our new Training Center we provide the appropriate infrastructure to train our people on a state of the art level. Being one of the most attractive employers in the region we see it as a privilege to be able to engage and to inspire young people with the development of their talents.”
Each space of the Training Center is designed to maximize the employees’ performance and to increase their level of enthusiasm and team spirit, claims BMW. From the 1,500 associates with whom the plant will start operations, all will have gone through the qualification programs given at that the Training Center including the workshops of Production Technology, Automotive Technology, Electricity and Electronics, Pneumatics and Hydraulics, Metal Mechanics, Robotics, PLC (Programmable Logic Controls), Paint Shop and IT. Additionally, the Training Center incorporates a space for skills evaluation, an area to become an expert on lean manufacturing, a leadership room and it incorporates rooms for several courses and non-technical training.
