News: BMW will Outsource Vehicle Processing at Port of Hueneme

BMW will outsource vehicle processing at Port of Hueneme

More than 100 workers will be affected

By Stephanie Hoops
Originally published 02:35 p.m., September 1, 2009

BMW of North America has decided to outsource its vehicle processing through the Port of Hueneme, a move that will require more than 100 people to reapply for jobs with a Jacksonville, Fla., company.

The company, AMPORTS, will begin managing the facility Nov. 1 and current employees can interview for jobs up until that time, BMW spokeswoman Charlene King said today. There are 70 BMW employees currently on staff and an additional 40 temporary workers. The were told about the change Monday.

Most BMWs purchased on the West Coast come through Port of Hueneme, accounting for about 33 percent of all BMWs sold in the United States. BMW was one of a handful of auto manufacturing companies still handling its own port processing.

http://www.venturacountystar.com/new...axxfcbmwweb02/

From the AMPORTS News Release:

BMW to outsource vehicle processing at Port of Hueneme
09/02/09

BMW of North America plans to outsource its vehicle processing through the Port of Hueneme, a move that will require more than 100 workers to reapply for jobs with a Jacksonville, Fla., company.

Employees at the Oxnard Vehicle Preparation Center can interview for jobs until Nov. 1, when Amports will take over managing the facility, BMW spokeswoman Charlene King said Tuesday.

Amports operates auto processing centers in 11 ports, seven in the United States and four in Mexico, offering real time vehicle tracking and state-of-the-art technology, according to the company's Web site.

BMW's 70 employees and 40 temporary workers were told about the change Monday.

"Of course, it's a difficult business decision and we're working hard to minimize the impact on the staff so we're holding workshops and doing all that we can," King said.

She added that Amports' salaries will be comparable with BMW, based on the information she has gathered.

Most BMWs purchased on the West Coast are unloaded at the Port of Hueneme, accounting for about 33 percent of all BMWs sold in the United States.

The change is not expected to affect the number of BMWs moving through the port, King said. BMW processed 90,612 vehicles in the 2007-08 fiscal year through the Port of Hueneme.

The decision to outsource was made "to increase our effectiveness and efficiencies," King said.

Asked if it was a money-saving decision, she said: "No, I wouldn't say that it's a money saving move. It's being more efficient and effective. It's not all about the money. As a company you want to have the right fit in terms of your employees, process and protocol, and it's just time that we take a look at all that."

She said the employees who've been handling the processing have done a "great job."

"It's just we decided to move in a different direction," she said.

BMW's vehicle processing involves several steps. When a ship arrives, BMW has up to three days to move the vehicles out before fees kick in. After the vehicles are checked for damage, part-time workers drive them one mile to the Oxnard distribution center where they're washed, de-waxed and hooked to computers that download electronics into them.

A spokesperson for Amports could not be reached for comment, but Anthony Taormina, executive director of the Oxnard Harbor District, which oversees the port, said it's an "excellent company."

"We've had the opportunity of meeting with their CEO and will soon welcome them into the family of businesses that do business with the port," he said.

BMW has a long-term agreement with the port and a new extension was just approved in July, Taormina said, adding another five years with two 5-year options.

"I think it goes all the way out to 2023, so we're still bullish on BMW and see them as an important partner in our community," he said. "We don't see this in any way detracting away from their business at the port.

"That said, we've very hopeful to see many of the existing employees retained by Amports in this outsourcing process. We want all the BMW people to continue their jobs."

http://www.amports.com/

http://www.amports.com/news6.html

Originally Posted by hayden

She added that Amports' salaries will be comparable with BMW, based on the information she has gathered.
...
The decision to outsource was made "to increase our effectiveness and efficiencies," King said.

Asked if it was a money-saving decision, she said: "No, I wouldn't say that it's a money saving move. It's being more efficient and effective. It's not all about the money. As a company you want to have the right fit in terms of your employees, process and protocol, and it's just time that we take a look at all that."

uhhh huuh... yep - fits with current outsourcing rhetoric beautifully... perfectly scripted to the model... not about cost, all about effectiveness, we love our employees, wanted a good fit, but the lowest bidder (if there were bids) won... So, how exactly will the new service provider be able to do everything more efficiently and effectively if they're hiring the same staff at the same salaries and benefits?... oh yeah, scalability of their top secret management processes to get rid of all the slacking-off and effort duplication that was previously going on...

Next up: BMW Assist call center moves India or one of the BRICs

(oh, was "snarky" the wrong comment tone? Terribly sorry...)

Hey - not denying economic realities here... I'm sure BMW NA had good reasons for outsourcing...

Originally Posted by archie253

uhhh huuh... yep - fits with current outsourcing rhetoric beautifully... perfectly scripted to the model... not about cost, all about effectiveness, we love our employees, wanted a good fit, but the lowest bidder (if there were bids) won... So, how exactly will the new service provider be able to do everything more efficiently and effectively if they're hiring the same staff at the same salaries and benefits?... oh yeah, scalability of their top secret management processes to get rid of all the slacking-off and effort duplication that was previously going on...

Next up: BMW Assist call center moves India or one of the BRICs

(oh, was "snarky" the wrong comment tone? Terribly sorry...)

Hey - not denying economic realities here... I'm sure BMW NA had good reasons for outsourcing...

Nothing new. If you ran a poll, I bet 99% of the folks out there do not realize the X3 was not even made by BMW, but outsourced to another company.

BMW Assist simply uses regular cell network and the same person answering the phone at Assist could easily say Onstar for the next caller.

iDrive was all outsourced to various companies over the years. I think it ran on at least three O/S's. Lowest bidder I suppose.

Originally Posted by archie253

Next up: BMW Assist call center moves India or one of the BRICs

Originally Posted by NetSpySD

BMW Assist simply uses regular cell network and the same person answering the phone at Assist could easily say Onstar for the next caller.

Well, at this point at least BMW Assist is handled by BMW at a response center in Irving, TX. I've actually been there. They did the Komen Ultimate Drive there a couple of years. It was nice, 'cause you didn't have to deal with dealership traffic and it's really close to a great hairpin turn.

Originally Posted by NetSpySD

Nothing new. If you ran a poll, I bet 99% of the folks out there do not realize the X3 was not even made by BMW, but outsourced to another company.

...agree - and I'm sure BMW originally outsourced the X3 to Magna to improve product quality and support their staff as well - not to reduce costs - which is why they're moving it back in-house to Spartanburg next year. That's gonna be one high-quality vehicle by the time all this is done!

Oh, wait, was there something about relative currency strengths and proximity to markets in there somewhere?

...Just advocating for truth in PR spin!