Current Market Conditions Competitive Analysis

To study the BMW case, the background information and role of new plant at Spartanburg will be described at the beginning. Secondly, the 3 alternatives options will be analyzed and compared accordingly to determine a proper conclusion. Finally, the recommendation will be presented with various considerations.

significant improvements in the product line. BMW wanted to position itself as the "best" rather

They started producing cars in 1928, after starting out as a motorcycle and airplane producer. (Kiley, David (2004) (Darwin Holmstrom, Brian J. Nelson (2002). During the second World War BMW returned to producing mainly aircrafts and temporarily ceased car production altogether until returning to producing luxury vehicles in 1951. (BMW AG, 2015) Nowadays BMW is known for its luxury and high quality motor vehicles and is subsequently part of the “Germany’s Big Three” together with Audi and Mercedes. (Autocar, n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2015) Their mission statement states “The BMW brand stands for one thing: sheer driving pleasure. Sporting and dynamic performance combined with superb design and exclusive quality." which underlines BMW’s goal of producing high-end cars of the highest quality. (RetailIndustry. 2015.) The BMW group - also known as BMW AG - has several subbrands, namely: Mini, Rolce Royce, BMW Motorrad and BMW which is again divided into BMW M and BMW i. (BMW Group : Brands. 2015). For the purpose of this report the sub brand BMW is the main focus, meaning the cars sold under the BMW name only, subsequently more insight is given into the BMW i-series when looking at the international marketing activities. The BMW i brand was established in 2011 with the purpose of creating electric cars with an emphasis on sustainability. (Capital Company. 2015) (BMW I :

After a thorough analysis of the presented options, our team has come to the conclusion that “Robots R Us” should be selected for our new manufacturing process. Although switching to fully autonomous manufacturing will be a major and somewhat controversial transition for our company, the economic benefits of this option lead to it being the most beneficial to our long term success. Not only does “Robots R Us” bring us to profitability faster than any other option, but also provides us with the highest profit margins of any manufacturing option presented.

The logistic part in BMW is an important part because there are many different tasks to do in this company and every problem can be surmounted as for example the supplier or the manufacturing defect of the piece.

BMW Group has its excellent technical system which offers a competitive advantage over its rivals. Training courses are also delivered to all the employees in order to develop new skills and highest quality standards.

The industrial robots are applied in all branches of the industry. The highest level of application is in the automobile industry, but the number of installed robots is increasing in other industries as well (Karabegovic, Dolecec, Husak, 2011).

For future development projects, Carl-Peter Foster should concentrate on BMW’s core competencies of concept design and assembly- then outsource its parts to experienced suppliers who can offer further technological knowledge. In order for BMW to introduce more models more frequently, they need to decrease the lead-time from the concept phase of the car to the release of the final product to the market.

Introduction: It has always been the desire of BMW to create automobiles of unmistakable identity. As you can see by the price of one, this has posed no problem to them over the last eight decades. But what you cannot see is the one thing that has always been true about BMW automobiles both in the past as well as in the present: a BMW is always "the ultimate driving machine".

Retail is a large industry in the USA. According to a research, in 2014, the amount of total retail and food service sales was 5.27 trillion U.S. dollars in the US (The Statistics Portal).

The history of BMW is one of ground-breaking innovations and exceptional automobiles, including motorcycles and aircraft engines. It has a history with people of vision and of pioneering creation in the world of aviation engineering. Already we can begin to see that the BMW group is a well known and significant player in its market.

BMW is currently the 1st most valuable car brand in the world and the 23rd most valuable brand in the world; in 2011 it was the 2nd right behind Toyota. BMW’s brand value increased 10% while Toyota’s brand value decreased by 10%. It currently own “Rolls-Royce Motor Cars” which is a British manufacturer of luxury automobiles and “MINI” which is a British automotive marque which specializes in small cars.

The current process: In 1990s a development process was entailed which is 60-month-long. Two major prototyping

BMW (U.S) Holding Corporation is a franchise of the high-end performance based global automotive company BMW. For the first time in its history, BMW is to launch its first American made car, the BMW Z3 Roadster. Having only made cars in Germany, this time the car is to be assembled in Spartanburg, South Carolina. BMW’s objective is to expand its market share in the U.S., make the brand name more global and improve its dealer network. With this in mind, the company developed a two phases launch plan for the BMW Z3 Roadster.

The Competitive Profile Matrix (CPM) is a tool that compares the firm and its rivals and reveals their relative strengths and weaknesses (Competitive Profile Matrix, 2013, October 29). These factors are influenced by external and internal challenges. The illustrated CPM below compares Domino’s Pizza with two of its top competitors, Pizza Hut and Papa John’s. The results of the CPM give Domino’s Pizza a 3.3, which is above average in its respective industry. The firm also has high market share. There is an opportunity to improve areas of product expansion and effective advertising. A strong social media presence will also help increase brand loyalty and give the firm the competitive advantage.