BMW Korea opens distribution center in Anseong
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BMW Korea CEO Kim Hyo-joon speaks during an opening ceremony for a BMW distribution center in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. / Courtesy of BMW Korea
By Jhoo Dong-chan
ANSEONG, Gyeonggi Province _ BMW Korea has opened a new auto parts distribution center south of Seoul.
The German carmaker’s affiliate here invested 130 billion won ($115.6 million) to build the BMW Regional Distribution Center (RDC) in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province in March 2016. It took 15 months to complete the facility.
“BMW Group’s commitment and support for the Korean market has materialized through the Anseong BMW RDC,” BMW Korea CEO Kim Hyo-joon said during an opening ceremony.
“The center will satisfy the nation’s BMW vehicle owners with its timely auto parts delivery across the country.”
Sitting on a 57,103 square-meter site, this BMW facility is 30 times larger than a regular football field and is also the carmaker’s largest distribution center outside Germany.
The center is made up of six buildings that include a main warehouse, two warehouses for inflammables and explosives, a welcome house and a security post.
“The BMW RDC will hold 86,000 kinds of auto parts for BMWs,” a BMW Korea official said. “The center will also contribute to society. For example, it will hire about 600 workers.”
Compared to other BMW RDCs, the Anseong facility has better storage space that can accommodate bigger auto parts. It also has easy access to Incheon International Airport and Pyeongtaek Port, and is close to highways, which is expected to shorten the auto parts service responses.
“BMW has about 40 RDCs around the world stocking more than 400,000 kinds of parts for possible customer needs,” BMW Group Parts Logistics Management Vice President Wolfgang Baumann said.
“Thanks to the Anseong RDC, BMW will be able to annually process up to 2 million auto parts for its customers in the region.”
This is not the first time for BMW Korea to invest big money to build facilities here. BMW is one of the leading foreign automotive brands together with Mercedes-Benz. The two have waged an uphill battle to take the top position.
In 2014, BMW Korea spent 77 billion won to build a BMW Driving Center in Incheon, the nation's first cultural complex exclusively for cars.
The official also said the firm will spend 20 billion won to build BMW Group's fifth research center here by 2020 while funneling another 20 billion won to expand its Pyeongtaek vehicle distribution center.