Quote:
Originally Posted by lucid
Hmmm...I find that hard to believe, but I am speculating. Do you have facts on this? Forging metal has been around for centuries. I've been to plants that produce forged metal parts in several countries--developed or developing nations. It's a wide spread manufacturing method. Forged "wheels" is obviously a more specialized application, but it still is by no means rocket science. Producing them in volume requires planning like any form of mass production, but there is nothing special about producing forged wheels.
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You must understand that BMW must guarantee a supplier a significant amount of business to entice them to make an investment to produce a product like that just for them. Can other manufacturers make the same wheel? Of course. But BMW contracts with one supplier for most sub assemblies. Changing suppliers would take months. Tires are the only supplied product I know of where BMW often has two suppliers (e.g., Michelin and Coninental), but tires are more universal in application.