Tour Greer BMW Plant

I love to see how products are made. When I received the invitation from the Greater Business Women’s Council to attend an event at the BMW plant on June 16th, I jumped at the chance. Yes, it was business networking and listening to a panel. I learned from both areas. However, the big draw was to take the plant tour.

First they checked the shoes. Having been in the textile industry, I learned to wear closed toe and closed heel shoes. After having toured a textile mill in high heels one time, I learned to wear flats or as close as I could get. I passed.

Then we had to turn in any devices that take pictures. I put my cell phone into one of their numbered bags and took my copy of the number. The phones and iPads were locked in a cabinet.

We then received our badges, safety glasses and earphones. Ryan introduced herself as our tour guide and made sure that we could all hear her. Then she instructed us about where we would be walking and warned about the sparks we would see.

We got to see the entire assembly line. We walked one mile in a little over one hour. The robots are fascinating to watch and I would still be there watching if allowed. I would love to just sit and watch the doors find their cars through the technology. The doors are removed after painting. The car interior and doors are assembled separately. Then they find each other at the right time via technology.

Every car is started in that plant when it comes to the end of the assembly line. They have an amazing air system because I did not smell any exhaust.

Ryan was a great tour guide. She told me that they have the tours booked for a couple of weeks. If you are going to that area, go online and reserve your tour time.