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The technological heart of BMW Group.
The BMW Group Research and Innovation Center, also known by its German abbreviation, FIZ, has been the technological heart of the company since it was inaugurated in 1986. Some 9,200 people work here developing vehicles and technologies of the future for BMW Group. The honeycomb floor plan of the FIZ makes for short walking distances, promoting communication networks among those working here, thereby enabling the development of innovative premium products at an ever increasing pace. For the first time in the automobile industry all of those involved in product development across all areas of expertise are united under one roof. Development time in the approximately 500,000 sqm of space is thus shorter, despite the increasing variety of models and variations and greater-than-ever complexity. The FIZ has achieved the status of pacesetter in the automobile industry.
However, the model initiative of BMW Group soon called for more space. Facilities were expanded and the "Projekthaus" was opened in 2004. Even the architecture of the Projekthaus reflects BMW Group's orientation toward innovation. It is the steel and glass representation of the product development process (PEP in German) and makes even more efficient development work-flow processes possible. With its openly designed project areas and the spatial proximity of process partners, the Projekthaus promotes a constant flow of information in real time among those working here. This makes it possible to take up and discuss new ideas early on and find solutions quickly to any issues that may arise. In this way BMW Group continues to set new standards.
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