Certified CenterInnovation is the name of the game at BMW, and that spirit of being on the cutting edge extends throughout the company, from the vehicles they manufacture to the tools they use to manufacture them. Right now, assembly workers at the BMW auto plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina are piloting an “ekso vest”—a bionic exoskeletal device. The pneumatic exoskeleton is worn like a backpack, and provides upper body and arm support. While wearing the device, objects feel almost weightless, and workers can do their jobs with far less fatigue. While journalists looked on, a worker bolted underbody panels and heat shields onto vehicles as they rolled down the line over his head.
The Spartanburg plant is responsible for building two of the most innovative BMW cars, the BMW X3 and BMW X4. Assembly planner Frank Pochiro is the man behind this pilot program, which currently involves 30 employees using the ekso vest device. Pochiro’s inspirations were colorful. “I think we really could use an Iron Man suit. And when I saw exoskeletons on a TED Talk, I got management approval to start a pilot program.” Now that his ideas have leapt off of the comic book page and into reality, they’re a hit. Pochiro said that once workers got a chance to use the vests, they didn’t want to go back.
Frank and the workers piloting the vests aren’t the only ones who are happy with the trial run. Richard Morris, vice president of project integration for BMW Manufacturing Co., definitely sees a future for devices of this type. “I see endless potential for helping with employee fatigue,” Morris said. “I would expect to see this technology utilized at other facilities.”
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