Article – VDC Thorne Tour

Words and images by Mani Singh Hayer 

In August 2024, the team at BMW UK once again put on a fantastic tour for Club members at their Vehicle Distribution Centre (VDC), Thorne, Doncaster.

After a coffee with a meet and greet session, the morning kicked off with a brilliant and insightful presentation highlighting a bit of history behind the Thorne facility, its origin and its operational overview, an overview and the logistics of VDC Southampton and VDC Killingholme and what each VDC can specialise in and cope with demands. Operations at MINI, Rolls Royce and BMW Motorrad were briefly covered too.

The VDC Thorne facility, which is owned by BMW, was opened in 1992 and was the very first VDC for BMW in the UK which was originally set up as a facility to dewax cars. We were shown the area of where the cars were dewaxed during the tour. Over the years and as more VDCs have opened, such as the one in Killingholme and Southampton, the work that Thorne undertakes has changed.

Whilst Killingholme is the entry port for new cars destined for Northern retailers and Southampton is the entry port for new cars destined for Southern retailers (and where vehicles are inspected at these two locations), Thorne is very much seen as the technical base for BMW in the UK. It is where several BMW Senior technicians are based; where the refurbishment of all ex-BMW management, ex-fleet and ex-hire cars are undertaken to the strict AUC standards before being sold to retailers and is also the facility where carbon core products such as the BMW i8 are repaired.

The centre itself can hold about 4,000 cars over the 52-acre super secure site and the view from the office windows does change quite often since the cars are only on site for an average of 14 days before being moved on to the retailers where a vast collection of car transporters await to take them away or onto other VDCs for storage. We were lucky enough to be taken inside the photo booth studio where the completed cars are taken for their final photoshoots.

The tour started off at the entry point of where cars enter the VDC (at the old dewaxing station). Cars here get washed thoroughly and then inspected and noted for any damage they may have endured during transit.

The tour then took us deep into the workshop areas where we could see the cars being very carefully inspected both mechanically and cosmetically with any issues noted down on the report. The report is then sent to management for assessment / approval and then once the approval is provided, the work is scheduled to be undertaken on that car. It is all done in a very slick and efficient way with the ethos being one full assessment of the car at a very early stage as opposed to several individual reports as the car moves along the centre stopping off at each department.

As we moved further into the centre, we moved to the bodyshop area where almost every imperfection, blemish and stone chip can be rectified by using one of the many advanced in-house paint booths. If need be, a car can be fully resprayed given the facilities that Thorne has.

We were also shown how BMW factory paint is produced for Thorne in the in-house colouring station by using the exact formulas as stipulated by BMW and as shown on the computer systems to get the exact paint colour and formula as required.

The tour then moved into an area where the senior technicians work and it is also where campaigns (recalls) are undertaken along with the more complex work such as the rare occurrence of when an engine or electric car batteries needs to be replaced.

The area is also where any technical additions are added to the car such as M Performance Parts.

When a car has been completed, it then arrives at an area where several quality checks are performed adhering to the facility’s strict quality assurance procedures. What was evident was that if something is not up to the mark, procedures are put in place to correct the issue and prevent it from happening again. There is a big ethos on quality at the centre.

Outside of the centre, we were shown the huge car park of cars waiting to be processed, whether awaiting to have some work done or awaiting a transporter to take them to another VDC for storage or to the retailer that has purchased the car. With the many electric car products that Thorne handle, the centre has had to accommodate this change which is clearly evident with the many charging stations that are located in the bays.

The tour then ended with a fantastic lunch laid on by the team at BMW Thorne.

Following lunch, we were then given a fantastic presentation on BMW Motorrad and how the operations in the UK works. BMW Motorrad go to immense efforts to involve and arrange tours for fellow BMW bikers worldwide. We were also shown that for those who are interested in advancing their biking skills, BMW UK lay on special courses for just that (similar to the BMW Driving Experiences for cars). To remind all and if you happen to be interested, please head over to their website for more information: www.motorrad-tours.com

This was a fantastic event which once again showcases the exceptional high level of quality, commitment, processes and people that BMW UK VDC employ to help all customers, whether new to the brand or not, experience The Ultimate Driving Machine.

My sincere thanks go out to the entire team at BMW Thorne for supporting the Club in such a fantastic way with access and tours like these and we hope to be back again soon!

Thank you, BMW VDC’s Thorne, Southampton and Killingholme!