production associate

intern

logistics associate

material specialist

specialist

BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC

I just started working here 2 months ago. The benefits are good. I currently work with MAU (which is what they use to hire people at first then later on you can get hired eventually at BMW). I make 18.50/hour, but supposedly they're raising it to 19.50 soon. You get all the benefit goodies: dental, medical, eye. But when with MAU you get the typical benefits you probably pay now with regular employers. Versus BMW when hired on it's a huge difference. Instead of like a $250 copay for a family you'll maybe be paying $75 instead. You also get small discounts at some places, but it's usually only 10%.

Schedule of days can be like this.
You work 4 days in a row one week.
The next week you work split days like Monday Tuesday then off Wed Thursday then back on Fri Saturday.
The next week after that you work 4 days in a row but then you have your 5 day weekend (Friday to Tuesday)
Then it starts all over again.

Anyway, over to the cons. 
It's physically demanding. I'm extremely tired by the time I come home. We work 10 hours a day, with 40 min lunch, 2 10 minute breaks. As a line assembly my schedule is from 7am to 5:40pm. (Mandatory overtime can range from 30 mins to 2 hours, depending on company needs) But it's terrible cause the plant is so big it takes about 2-5 mins to get anywhere from your line to the bathroom. Most of the time you have to speed walk or run to do what you need to do before you start working. It takes me 10 mins walking fast to get to the cafeteria and by the time I come back with food I maybe only have 10 mins to eat.  The line starts exactly when breaks are done. I honestly feel like a slave working here, and honestly most of the workers on assembly do feel unappreciated and never heard because we're the lowest of the low versus everyone else. I've almost passed out a few times trying to keep up with demands. It's 60 secs to work on one car at a time and the line is slow but you mess up even once, you can get super behind. Sure there are Process Supporters that help you when you pull the cord when u need help. But they help you real quick then move on to the next person. They expect you to solo a two person job most of the time. That's where the running back and forth comes handy I guess. But like I said it's where I've almost passed out from the constant running for the 2 and a half hours of work. Oh yeah you work in 4 quarters, each quarter is 2 and half hours at a time. Management never really listens and when they do they gives you excuses to why they can't change a way job runs, and they just expect you to get run over and you get defects, Which can get you in trouble if you have too many. (They don't care if you caused it or even if the machine malfunctioned)

My body hasn't stopped hurting since working here. My hands hurt the most, but slowly my feet and my back are getting bad. (I've heard people that worked in other plants never had this type of pain working for other plants) Their physical therapist is a joke. They give you an ibuprofen and a splint or a something for your wrist whatever and expect you to keep doing your job and that you just need to get used to the pain. 

Also they don't like paying for stuff. Like water cups they want you to use their approved water cups. But it's $5 for one. Their cafeteria food is mediocre, it's like high school food. (There's some days where it's chef quality but that's only if they have a guest chef) But the prices are like the airport, you can spend up to $10 a meal. It's ridiculous. 

Also to get a good job within the company, you have to know someone to get anywhere. You gotta kiss some butt and hopefully you'll get a great job that doesn't require you to break your body. (Versus actually doing a great job at what you do) 

We need a union, but everyone who's been born and raised here hates unions even though they never had one. 

BMW in America needs to change, the other BMWs in Germany treat their workers much better. Do better Spartanburg.


● Work-life balance
Work-life balance at BMW ManWork life balance is good considering you do up to four days max days straight 12 hour shifts and have three days off and the next week those days rotate four days off in three days on

● Pay & benefits
Pay is only decent for the area considering other automotive manufacturers do make more money there is no union which would help with that pay increase benefits are decent if you’re a single claiming your health insurance premiums are excellent

● Job security and advancement
In terms of job security at BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC, I think It’s just as good as any other company the bad part is there’s very little training to move into different fields or different departments in the company so the upward mobility is almost nonexistent

● Management
In general, managers at BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC Company persons they do not and will not put the actual workers first and the company second they will rearrange your schedule at any given time with little to no notice and no one has a right to argue that human resources is a hands-off department that has nothing to do with fairness in the workplace

● Culture
Collaboration with my colleagues at BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC is Most employees and Bmw will admit morale is at 0% is kind of a dead end job some of those positions are considering there’s no upward mobility and very little if any chance of advancement

● Overall
My experience working at BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC I currently work and paint shop south I’m basically still working there simply because it’s a decent paying job for this area but I’m always looking for new employment I’m always looking to better myself

Due to cronyism and clique-ish promotions, including over-the-top DEI practices, the work environment is toxic.  You constantly have to watch your back and are never sure who you can trust.  If you are not part of the clique, your work is excessively and unnecessarily scrutinized.  Once on the outside of the clique, you are subjected to continual audits of your work by upper management with absolutely no support (actually the opposite) from your direct management.  It is a downward spiral that cause many people to burn-out and leave.  Also, many people are unclear of the direction of the company due to the petty and self-serving nature of management.  Those who choose to stay and tough out each workday labor in a burnt out state as they are constantly told this is the best place to work while being treated like just another number leaving them to feel that they have no choice but to keep doing what they are told.  No consideration is given to out-of-the-box thinking but only to falling in line.  The benefits and pay are not commensurate with the level of anguish and toil you will deal with on daily basis, unless you are the type of person who is good at getting into and falling in line with cliques.  And you will not advance in this company without strictly falling in line.  Even then it is nearly impossible to get any type of promotion.  If you are just starting out or are mid-career and looking for a place to advance yourself and your career, LOOK ELSEWHERE!  

A typical day at work would be going in and clocking in. Then we get in our team area for a morning briefing, which is just telling us hour the previous shift ran and if there are any cautions and announcements and alerts. I then look at the schedule and see where I am assigned to work for the first 2.5 hours. Our day is usually a 10 hour day with 1 hour overtime required on Tuesday and Thursdays. We work 4 quarters a day and the last 2.5 hours each. Lunch is at 11;43am until 12;25.As I work, I sometimes communicate with the coworker that's near me, but there are times when the job is so critical that it is a must that I do very little talking and pay very close attention to my assigned process. The hardest part of the job is getting behind and hating to pull the production cord because it stops the line, so you run and hustle to try and catch yourself up. The most enjoyable part of the job is when I look at the clock and it has 5;00pm on it. Then I know I have 25  minutes left till the bell. The main thing I have learned from working jobs period is you will encounter all kind of obstacles and personalities, you must adjust and go with the flow..

"You are of no value." A phrase I heard either directly or indirectly on a daily basis for 8 years. I could do any job in the company, including teaching management how to do their jobs, (which I often did, either individually or in a class setting) but was denied promotion because of an injury I acquired while serving in the military. I worked in both the assembly and the logistics side of bmw, and worked in every aspect of the company from shipping/receiving, delivery of parts to the line , assembly, and even rework. I held various key role positions, such as Inventory analyst, Dock Controller, logistic support specialist, material control specialist, and did the job of a process supporter, (all of which I was given the title and responsibilities, but none of the pay that others in these positions received). I worked overtime any time it was asked of me, and only missed 3 days of work in 8 years (all 3 being family medical emergencies). Unfortunately, bmw couldn't see past my military injury, which in no way effected my job performance, so I remained with a temp service for my entire 8 years at bmw. Finally after years of going no where, I decided it was best to leave and find a company that would appreciate a loyal, hardworking, and dedicated employee.

The lack of Education and knowledge of management was very taxing. Bery ignorant and they put focus on such menial things that have nothing to do with productivity. Which I would imagine has been a part of the job culture for the time the plant has been in Spartanburg. I am not sure if the logistics department will even still be up and running as it is presently. Massive call-outs are the norm. I would think that people with interpersonal skills and respect for others at a minimum would be hired and utilized. When being in a position with a company 20 plus years qualifies you for management. As I said initially not a very productive company at least on this basic level.
My suggestion would be to employ a educated management, with at least very basic interpersonal skills. Ignorance is very taxing and wears on you over time. The job is very simple, but as We Know simple is difficult for some

I've been with the company for going on 7 years, there's been a steady decline in morale due to the line speeding up, workload increasing, benefit cost increases...... overall more production, almost 60% more cars being built than when I first started, but yet cut backs on all benefits and fringe benefits that were here when I first started, and before I got here. Other than a steady paycheck and decent benefit packages, if you're hired on, there's not much more positive to say.  The morale is at an all time low, more production, management doesn't care about you, we're all just numbers....HR supports the management's best interest, not on your side in any form..... so if considering employment here, just be weary of the fact that you can earn steady money, at the cost of being yourself! 

I worked at BMW for eight years. I have a love hate relationship with the place. They definitely have some of the best wages for entry level positions and I enjoyed the twelve hour shifts because it allowed me to have a lot of days off in a row. There was also decent paid vacation. The work load was very easy for me because I worked in the paint shop doing finishing work, and luckily learned paintless dent repair early on. The management is what can make or break this place. I've experienced incredibly poor management, managers that were bullies. That or managers that treated you like a numbered robot. I've also experienced kind managers that saw you as a human and helped make the work place less toxic. If you do good work, it would depend on your manager if you were rewarded for it, or not. I experienced both bullying and praise for my work depending on who the manager was. So I do recommend applying and working here, I even learned a hard skill that has taken me further outside of the plant. But do realize that it can be a very toxic environment. 

To them you're just another body to fill a slot. First week there I was put on a machine I'd never been trained on because my trainer argued with his supervisor that he wasn't there to train and walked off. Had another supervisor come to me and tell me my numbers  were low on that same machine I'd never been trained on then said he'd find someone to teach me and never saw him for the rest of the night then had a third approach me and walked me to hr where they asked  me again why my numbers were so low and said they'd be watching me. Went  to  the bathroom  and as I came  back got stopped  by a green shirt supervisor who said  she  was  going  to write me up for being late from my break  and  I proceeded to tell her that  I didn't go to break that I went  to  the bathroom  and  she  said, "Ok I'm watching  you." Employees were falling  asleep on the floor on their breaks, blue shirts  are quick to run and tell  on any little mistake. Overall you have to keep your head low and don't talk or make eye contact  with anyone. 

For the associates, the work is relentless.  They are overloaded with little to no options for advancement unless they have contacts higher up in the company.  The pay is sufficient for SC, however, they fall short with comparison to other car manufacturers around the world including other BMW plants.  A typical day consists of a fast paced installation line with little to no relief.  I learned that since BMW leaders in Germany handed the daily operations to the Americans, the quality and morale of the workers has diminished significantly in lieu of profits.  As long as they produce, management receives the bulk of the rewards in bonuses.  The culture is not BMW family oriented like years ago, but profit based at the expense of the workers.  Yes, it is a business, but to what extent? At some point no one will want to work there and then the business fails.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Production associate 3 salaries reported	$21.33 per hour
Intern 3 salaries reported	$23.33 per hour
Logistics associate 3 salaries reported	$25.00 per hour
Material specialist 4 salaries reported	$30.50 per hour
Specialist 3 salaries reported	$96,667 per year

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