Plugging in for Thailand’s electric future

DRÄXLMAIER and BMW in Thailand could welcome not only the Deputy Director Industrial Works of the Ministry for Industry, Kornphattawee Muangnoy, but also about 60 journalists within the framework of a joint event at the new DRÄXLMAIER plant in Chonburi. After a short introduction the guests got to know the only high-voltage battery module assembly plant for BMW PHEVs in the ASEAN region better and had a look into the production area.

Reliable Partner
"It is a major honor for us to be entrusted with the production of high-voltage batteries for BMW Group Thailand. We are a reliable BMW partner in the regions in which we operate. With 53 years of supplier partnership at the global level, we are very pleased to expand our alliance and partnership with BMW Group Manufacturing Thailand”, stressed Gerhard Irnesberger, plant manager of DRÄXLMAIER Thailand during the Inauguration ceremony. At the moment, 45 employees are working in the partly automated plant. A second shift will be starting within October this year.

Specific training in Germany
Before taking up work in Chonburi, the DRÄXLMAIER employees got a specific training at the BMW Group Competence Center for e-drive production in Munich. Equipped with a strong grasp of battery production skills, the DRÄXLMAIER employees are working on battery cells provided by suppliers in the Asian region along with other imported parts – such as aluminum housing, electronics, and cables – to roll out high-voltage batteries that meet BMW Group’s high standard. Final batteries will then be transported to Plant Rayong for the production of the PHEV version of the BMW 5 Series, which has been in operation since July 2019. 

Respond to growing demands
During the Inauguration, Uwe Quaas Managing Director of BMW Group Manufacturing Thailand said: “One of the pillars of BMW Group’s global strategy is electrification. The start of local battery production enables us to better respond to growing domestic and export demands for electrified vehicles in Thailand. This new capability also strengthens the performance of Plant Rayong in fulfilling the country’s mission of sustainable mobility.”