One of the greatest advancements in many industries has been the added attention given to employee comfort, happiness, and quality of life while at work. Many companies have offered different benefits including an on-site workout facility, nap rooms, relaxation pods, ergonomic chairs, and a variety of ways to make it easier for employees to get the breaks needed to focus on the job and do their best work. Studies have shown this is an important part of the working environment and it seems that at least one automaker has taken notice and created their own employee comfort item.
Automotive facilities are large and some sprawl out over several acres with different offices and machines spread across the campus. This often requires employees at automotive plants to walk several miles every day just to get from place to place to do their job. BMW took notice of the fact that some employees are covering as much as 3.7 miles per day on foot and some of these ventures require them to carry small parts and work materials along with them, which makes it more difficult to get the job done. With this in mind, the BMW team created a solution.
The BMW Mobility Solution for Their Employees
In order to combat this problem, the team decided they needed a means of transportation that had to be flexible, easy to maneuver, zippy, electric, agile, and tilt proof while offering the ability to carry objects. With this in mind, the team took the idea of a Segway and expanded on it to create a platform item that allows employees to ride from place to place with ease and save the wear and tear on their legs while the machine also carries the items that need to go with them.
This new item is called a Personal Mover Concept which measures 23 inches wide and 31 inches long to allow a person to stand comfortably on the platform while leaving room for larger and heavier objects that may need to go along with the person. There are wheels at every corner to make sure the platform never tips and it can turn with ease. This mover can rotate 360 degrees to give the employee the maneuverability that makes sense so that tight turns can be made and the vehicle can make a complete rotation when needed in the hallways or aisles of the facility.
As the Personal Mover Concept is used, the braking system makes use of a regenerative function that sends the power back to the battery and for those long rides, the PMC can ride at up to 15 mph. This seemed a bit too fast so the BMW team limited it to 7 mph on the plant grounds. The range between charges is 12-18 miles, making it an item that can run for a full shift before needed to be charged. This mobility solution is perfect for those who need to get where they need to go and it even has a bell to warn others that you’re coming near them.
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