LVI Tour the BMW Mini Factory
16 July 2025 - All
In June, the LVI economists took a tour of the BMW Mini factory in Oxford. It was fantastic to witness the significant capital investment and automation, enabling large-scale production at maximum efficiency. We could better understand the impact of globalisation and specialisation as we toured the factory, learning for example that steel is sourced from Sweden and Belgium and that BMW even owns an ostrich farm in South Africa. It turns out that ostrich feathers are the perfect material for removing any small particles before spray painting. A definite highlight was seeing a new mini driven off the production line every 67 seconds; we witnessed the engine started for the first time and as each car crossed the finish line, we enjoyed the beeping of its horn in fanfare. Our tour guides had worked on the production line themselves so were extremely knowledgeable, answering the many questions the girls had. We are very grateful for the welcome and insight we gained.
Mrs Alison Kiln
Head of Economics and Enterprise and Head of Careers
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