Long-range investments 50 years of the BMW Group in South Africa

For many years, the BMW Group has been committed to achieving a balance between economic growth and the Company’s responsibilities towards people and the environment. This is also the case in South Africa, where the production site celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023. A success story about a special plant, sustainable energy and long-term educational programmes.

“We build more than just cars.” This is the principle that guides us in South Africa and in the BMW Group worldwide. It expresses a corporate philosophy that extends far beyond simply developing and producing premium vehicles. With a multinational workforce and locations on six continents, the Company has established itself as a global pacesetter for the mobility of the future. The BMW Group measures its success based on more than just economic indicators – and also considers the added value it generates for society and how sustainably it uses natural resources.

In 1973, the BMW Group opened a plant in Rosslyn, which was its first production facility outside Germany. Today, 50 years later, South Africa is firmly established in the global network. In addition to the plant in Rosslyn, the BMW Group also has a sales company for the BMW, MINI and BMW Motorrad brands, a BMW Financial Services company and the BMW IT Hub in South Africa.

The South African company has succeeded in striking a balance between its economic, environmental and social responsibilities, and is putting the BMW Group’s 360-degree sustainability approach into practice at a local level.

As a corporate citizen, BMW Group South Africa is making a local contribution to solving social challenges. It is also breaking new ground in the process, as the Company has established the first commercial biogas plant in the country with Bio2Watt. The innovative PowerUp system stabilises the energy supply at a school. And the ambitious YES programme is tackling the high level of youth unemployment in the country.

A look back at five decades of the BMW Group in South Africa also serves as a compass to guide the Company into the future, as it demonstrates how responsible, bold and decisive actions can pay off in the long run.

LEGENDS
OF ROSSLYN

19 1968

Praetor Monteerders, based in Pretoria, South Africa, begins assembling BMW cars at its Rosslyn plant.

1973

The BMW Group acquires Praetor Monteerders, marking the start of its operations in South Africa.

The Company founds BMW Group South Africa (Pty) Ltd. and establishes its first site outside Germany at the Rosslyn plant.

1983

BMW 745i - South Africa - special model 1984–1986

Rosslyn lays the foundation for its further growth by exporting components to Germany.

Aerial view of the BMW Rosslyn plant, South Africa, 1983

Over the next four decades, it grows from a local assembly plant into a global production facility. Today, the Rosslyn plant produces custom-made vehicles for customers all over the world.

1996

Upgrade for Rosslyn: The BMW Group makes extensive investments and expands the South African production facility into a “world-class plant” that meets cutting-edge global standards.

20 2004

Nelson Mandela and Dr. Norbert Reithofer in 2004

The BMW Group celebrates ten years of democracy in South Africa and auctions off ten special editions of the BMW 319i, signed by Nelson Mandela.

The proceeds from these “Democracy Cars” benefit the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund.

2015

BMW Group South Africa concludes a power supply agreement with Bio2Watt.

From this point on, part of the Rosslyn site’s energy needs are covered by a biogas plant which generates green electricity from organic waste.

2022

Students at Lethabong Secondary School, South Africa

The BMW Group has supported educational projects in South Africa for over a decade. It now expands its commitment and begins working with the Lethabong Secondary School.

Ntsha Peu Elementary School, South Africa

It also introduces the PowerUp system to provide a stable energy supply at the Ntsha Peu elementary school and works with the Youth Employment Services (YES) organisation to combat high youth unemployment.

2023

The BMW Group celebrates its 50th anniversary in South Africa and launches a partnership with UNICEF to support South African youth. It also announces the next step for the Rosslyn plant: electrification under its global BMW iFactory concept.

PLANT ROSSLYN PLANT ROSSLYN
Bio2Watt Bio2Watt
PowerUp PowerUp
YES programme YES programme

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Plant Rosslyn

Rosslyn is located in the South African province of Gauteng, approximately 15 kilometres north of the capital Pretoria. This is where the BMW Group opened its first production facility outside Germany in 1973. Since then, the Rosslyn plant has developed into an integral part of the Company’s global production network. Joh-mari Human works in the Environmental and Energy department at BMW Group South Africa. She explains:

“We have made a firm commitment to reducing carbon emissions, producing less waste, fostering the circular economy and conserving resources.”
JOH-MARI HUMAN Environmental and Energy
BMW Group South Africa

Since 2018, the plant has reduced its water consumption by almost a third, and landfill waste has been virtually eliminated. To achieve this, BMW Group South Africa has established sustainable initiatives and implemented state-of-the-art technologies. An example: In the paint shop, paints made from biomass are used instead of petroleum-based products. This also significantly reduces carbon and VOC emissions, i.e. volatile organic compounds.

32%

less water consumption in the plant since 2018.

Michael LeibrandtContract Manager
BMW Group South Africa

What’s more, as a zero-waste pioneer, the plant works together with the Envirolite organisation, which produces building materials from packaging waste. “At the Rosslyn plant, we make sure that our waste does not end up in landfills,” says Michael Leibrandt, Contract Manager at BMW Group South Africa.

Its upcoming electrification and transformation into a BMW iFactory will ensure that the Rosslyn plant remains one of the BMW Group’s most advanced production facilities in the future.

656

low-cost homes have already been built in partnership with Envirolite using recycled packaging waste from the Rosslyn plant.

Plant Rosslyn

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Bio2Watt

In order to supply the Rosslyn plant with renewable energy, BMW Group South Africa has been sourcing some of its electricity from the town of Bronkhorstspruit since 2015, where the Bio2Watt biogas plant is located. The plant uses bacteria to convert biomass into green energy.

“We are using organic waste to generate energy.”
SEAN THOMASCEO Bio2Watt

The resulting biogas is then converted into electricity by engines and fed into the national grid. This process is completely circular, as the process provides an organic fertilizer that farmers use to return nutrients to the soil.

> 300 t

of biowaste per day end up in the biogas plant instead of in landfills.

KOKETSO RANAKASustainability
BMW Group South Africa

“The biogas plant not only generates carbon-neutral energy, it also offers us security for the future,” explains Koketso Ranaka, who works in the Sustainability department at BMW Group South Africa. The biogas plant will be expanded in 2024 and 2025, allowing BMW Group South Africa to rely almost entirely on renewable energy in the future. Rosslyn is yet another BMW Group production site that is using renewable energy for production whenever possible, alongside the plant in Spartanburg, USA, which uses electricity from recycled methane, and the facility in Leipzig, Germany, which has its own wind turbines.

Bio2Watt

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PowerUp

Load shedding is a widespread phenomenon in South Africa. Because the national electricity grid is often overloaded, the state energy supplier regularly shuts down the grid in certain areas. For schools, this means no light, no water pump and no computer-based learning. But this is not the case at Ntsha Peu Elementary School near the Rosslyn plant.

“PowerUp allows us to supply classrooms with electricity throughout the day.”
JACOB HAMARBMW Group

BMW Group South Africa has provided support to the school for many years with a variety of different projects, including some extensive renovations and a number of educational programmes. The Company has now installed a stationary energy storage system that provides students with a stable learning environment.

The idea for PowerUp came from two BMW Group employees, Sabrina Kolbeck and Jacob Hamar, who are involved in volunteer work in South Africa. Six batteries from test vehicles have been given a second life in the system. The batteries are connected to solar cells on the roof of the school and can provide 36 kW of green electricity per day – more than enough to power the school during load shedding periods.

20

The batteries in this electricity storage solution are used for 20 years before they are recycled.

“You can go into the computer room during a load shedding phase and see the schoolchildren learning with no interruptions whatsoever. This is exactly what we wanted to achieve,” says Kolbeck. The initiative not only provides renewable energy but also reduces electricity costs and reduces battery waste. Given its tremendous potential, the BMW Group wants to roll the scheme out to schools across South Africa and beyond.

38

The PowerUp system at Ntsha Peu Primary School supplies 38 computers, around 100 light bulbs and one water pump with renewable energy.

PowerUp

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Yes-programme

Unemployment is a major problem facing many young people in South Africa. No job, no experience, no experience, no job – this is the vicious cycle that BMW Group South Africa has been addressing since 2022 in partnership with the Youth Employment Services (YES) organisation and other participating companies.

“The YES programme provides young people with 12 months of valuable work experience in order to help them find employment.”
VALENCIA MODIBA Communications
BMW Group South Africa

Valencia Modiba, who works in Communications at BMW Group South Africa, explains: “The YES programme provides young people with 12 months of valuable work experience in order to help them find employment.” The programme offers more than just a secure income. The qualifications the young people acquire give them an opportunity to remain employed and lay the foundation for long-term professional success in key industries.

1,506

BMW Group South Africa has provided 1,506 young people with work experience since 2020 as part of the YES programme. 63% of them have been women.

The Company has already placed 1,506 young people in jobs within the BMW network – like Nyuswa Noxolo, who is completing her traineeship in Government and External Affairs. “I have always wanted to make a positive contribution to the country,” says Noxolo. She is part of the team that manages the YES programme, putting her in the position to support other young people as they enter the world of work.

BMW Group South Africa uses this programme to foster the career prospects of young people and make an effective contribution to the country’s fight against high levels of unemployment. The programme also represents an investment in the specialists and managers of tomorrow and South Africa’s economic stability.