Regardless of BMW’s ubiquity within the U.S. market, the producer has solely actually been promoting vehicles Stateside for 50 years. That’s not quite a bit — particularly in comparison with home manufacturers like Ford. An integral a part of any operation is its house base. On this case, we’re speaking about BMW’s North America headquarters, which has gone by means of a number of completely different iterations because the Seventies. 5 a long time of progress — and gross sales — meant that the group would frequently outgrow its outdated digs.
The Early Years: Montvale and a Transfer
BMW of North America was based in 1975, utilizing the previous Hoffman Motors Company constructing in Montvale, NJ. The constructing was designed with round 13,000 annual imports in thoughts. Which will have been advantageous early on, but it surely shortly turned clear that BMW of North America was going to be huge. As in, method larger than the constructing may accommodate. By the mid-Nineteen Eighties, BMW NA was shifting 100,000 vehicles per 12 months and had 370 workers on the payroll. Enlargement was vital, and a transfer was imminent.
In 1986, then CEO Dr. Günther Kramer commissioned a brand new, 205,000 square-foot facility. The brand new, trendy facility would transfer the bottom of operations to Woodcliff Lake, NJ — only some miles south of Montvale. Now positioned at 300 Chestnut Ridge Rd, BMW of North America now had the area to combine Motorrad workers, which previously labored out of a constructing in Norwood, NJ, into the brand new structure whereas providing ample area for the a number of hundred workers. The Montvale constructing continued to deal with the Jap Area workers, and Kramer purchased 40 further acres of surrounding land to make sure loads of room for progress. Speak about pondering forward.
BMW of North America Outgrows a Second HQ
Whereas the model thrived on the new facility, it too would show too small. By the early 2000s, BMW of North America’s gross sales had risen to almost 300,000 vehicles per 12 months. Workers numbers, naturally, rose accordingly. The brand new CEO, Tom Purves, acquired a further 45 acres that included the previous Ingersoll-Rand headquarters at 200 Chestnut Ridge Rd. The stage was set for a serious enlargement, and that’s precisely what Purves did. BMW of North America added 220,000 sq. toes of recent services on the land, with the Ingersoll-Rand constructing housing Motorrad and the outdated Hoffman constructing in Montvale exiting the image solely.
The “South Campus,” because it turned designated took three years to return to fruition. Whereas Motorrad and the Jap Area workers loved new digs, they had been removed from the one ones. A lot of the brand new area comprised engineering workshops and car storage services. The South Campus addition meant that BMW of North America had room for as much as 1,000 workers. That’s practically triple what the unique Montvale facility may maintain!
After all, there was nonetheless extra work to do. The 300 Chestnut Ridge constructing wanted inside updates that introduced the HQ into the 21st century. BMW of North America introduced in an architect to upfit the constructing as an open-plan workspace. As COVID appeared and BMW of North America deserted a strict work-from-office strategy, it additionally got here to gentle that the 300 Chestnut Ridge constructing wanted vital structural repairs. With much less workers within the workplace than ever, it was time for yet one more changeup for BMW HQ.
Goodbye to 300 Chestnut Ridge
December 13th, 2024, marked the final day of the 300 Chestnut Ridge constructing’s service in BMW of North America’s stewardship. The constructing and land had been bought to a developer. In the meantime, BMW constructed up the outdated Ingersoll-Rand constructing — now dubbed 200 BMW Drive. “With the brand new BMW North America headquarters, we foster cohesion, innovation energy, and in the end progress and success,” says BMW AG boardmember for Folks and Locations Ilka Horstmeier. “It’s not nearly the place we work, however extra importantly, how we work. It’s about adopting extra agile methods of working, utilizing digital instruments and strategies, and thereby driving our efficiency.”
As additional proof that BMW of North America is newly dedicated to hybrid work and the flexibleness it gives, the automaker can be offloading a number of the land bought adjoining to the outdated headquarters. Parting with 21 acres is simply logical now that hybrid work has turn out to be the norm. BMW of North America’s newest HQ changeup marks the primary time the corporate has “downsized” its HQ — but it surely’s most likely not the final swap we’ll see. Who is aware of what BMW NA’s subsequent iteration will take?
Supply: BMW USA
