Watch: Raúl Gamboa on reimagining supply chain control and digitalisation at BMW San Luis Potosí

In this Red Sofa interview at Automotive Logistics and Supply Chain Mexico, Raúl Gamboa outlines how BMW Group Plant San Luis Potosí is reshaping supply chain management for North America and beyond.

Gamboa explains how the plant has expanded its scope to take on greater steering responsibility across the region. What began two years ago as a conversation about nearshoring and insourcing has now materialised into a full operational model. The Mexican logistics control team now manages BMW’s entire Mexico-to-US supply base, oversees just-in-time and just-in-sequence flows from southern US states, and has recently taken full responsibility for returnable container management.

The next phase includes establishing a Mexico-based transportation control tower. “Most of our carriers are willing to do that with the same advantages as well,” Gamboa notes, highlighting the efficiencies created by a unified regional steering model.

He also outlines how the San Luis Potosí team has taken on logistics planning responsibilities for BMW’s US operations and is now serving as a template for replication worldwide. The group’s newest plant in Hungary is adopting the same structure, with similar models planned for the UK.

Digitalisation plays a central role in this transformation. Gamboa highlights two tools developed and deployed in Mexico. The CrossBer platform provides end-to-end transparency across cross-border flows, using AI to identify missing documentation before trucks depart suppliers. This has delivered a 90% reduction in communication overhead and a 95% drop in expedited shipments. A next-generation dynamic supply chain tool provides part-level visibility and a real-time AI chatbot that recommends actions to avoid disruptions, due to go live imminently.

The rise of the BMW Neue Klasse adds further complexity. The plant is preparing for assembly of the next-generation EV platform and its new battery module facility. Logistics teams are coordinating new global supply bases and technology flows, with Mexican specialists already embedded in Hungary to build expertise on advanced EV manufacturing processes.

Resilience remains a priority. For BMW, this is a mix of localisation, global backup, and dynamic network design. Gamboa points to dual-sourcing models such as shared X3 production (with the IX3 planned for production in 2027) between Mexico and Hungary, strategies for reallocating raw material sourcing, and future plans to enable tooling mobility across supplier locations.

Automotive Logistics & Supply Chain Mexico

11-13 November | Mexico City, Mexico

“Resilience isn’t one thing,” he says. “It’s localisation, globalisation, digitalisation, and innovation working together.”

Watch the full interview to hear how BMW is building its next-generation supply chain capabilities across Mexico, North America and the global network.