BMW's Dream Factory

[Hakon]

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_42/b4005072.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index_top+story

Spennende lesning.

[Kjetil Sømme]

Virkelig spennende. Man skjønner hvorfor BMW lager biler som føles som om de er tilpasset mine ønsker! Likte spesiellt dette partiet :

"Much of BMW's innovation, though, doesn't come via formal programs such as The Bank. In 2001 management decided to pull the plug on the disappointing Z3 sports coupe. But that didn't stop a 33-year-old designer named Sebastian Trübsbach from doodling a sketch of what a Z3 successor might look like. Ulrich Bruhnke, head of BMW's high-performance division, loved it. In Trübsbach's drawing, Bruhnke saw a car that could rival Porsche's (PSEPF ) Cayman S in performance but at a lower price. He persuaded a few designers and engineers to carve out some time for the renegade project. Next, Bruhnke gathered a team to map out the business case. The small group toiled for 10 months to build a prototype.

The moment of truth came in November, 2004, at a top- secret test track near Munich. Cars were lined up so the board could examine their styling and proportions in natural light. Only one was covered by a tarp. Panke approached the mystery model. "What is this interesting silhouette?" he asked Bruhnke, who invited his boss to take a look. Panke yanked back the cloth, exposing a glittering, bronze metallic prototype for what would become the Z4 coupe. Bruhnke breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Panke's eyes light up as they swept over the car's curved surfaces. Panke and the board quickly gave the go ahead, and the Z4 coupe sped to production in just 17 months, hitting showrooms this summer. Bingo. BMW's idea factory wins again."

[Fredrik]

Dette var absolut interessant stoff... ... og spesielt likte jeg å lese dette: "Last year line workers in Munich suggested adding a smaller diesel engine in the 5 Series, arguing that it would have enough oomph to handle like a Bimmer and be a big seller among those on a tighter budget. They were right. And Panke once insisted that all six members of the management board take an advanced driving course so they would have a better feel for BMW cars."

At dette kunne gjennomføres forteller etter min mening det meste om en dyktig ledelse, motiverte medarbeidere og en bedriftskultur som jeg mer enn gjerne skulle ha vært en del av...