PALM SPRINGS, California, USA -- Before BMW can begin producing electric vehicles at its sprawling U.S. factory in South Carolina, the German luxury brand must develop a complex EV supplier network in the region.
Overseeing that critical development is the job of Joachim Post, a 20-year company veteran and BMW Group's head of procurement and supply chain.
Post helps ensure that 30 million parts reach the company's worldwide production hubs daily. As BMW switches factories to building EVs, Post is rethinking how new technologies and raw materials are sourced. The bottom line: Building EVs means suppliers must step up and manufacture the new parts for them.
"The industrialization of all the assembly, of all the components, is sophisticated and high tech and needs time," Post told Automotive News at a media event here this week. "We are focused on that, but it will be tough."