Inside A Factory I: The New Mini

Part of the Series: Essentials of Marketing Collection

How is a car manufactured? Alison Hammond, of "Big Brother" fame, goes inside BMW's factory in Oxford to provide a lively guide to the production process for its New Mini.

PRODUCTION PLANNING: First comes production planning. Customers' orders are analysed by a program called "Kiss" - this is vital to meet buyers' special requirements. Stage two is "Body in White" - 228 robots weld the basic framework together.

QUALITY CONTROL: Quality control is essential. The main aim is to spot any problems before the car is painted and finished. Painting each Mini takes 10 hours including the pre-treatment, electro painting, and drying time.

JUST IN TIME: Parts come from all over the world. They're ordered on just in time principles, to minimise on storage space and costs. Stage four is the final assembly of the car. Team-working is an essential part of the production process. Health and safety of workers is a major concern. But what about the health of the planet - do we really need lots more cars on our roads?