Singapore - BMW Designworks

would like more info/specifics on the mystery bmw designworks singapore studio. (the designworks website has no real information and a couple email enquiries there have gone unanswered. google search mostly shows old press releases.)

questions:

  • about how many people working there?
  • what disciplines?
  • what emphasis or positioning?
  • how is business lately?
  • what’s their primary client base?

it’s fairly easy to find most of this stuff out about other design studios in boston, sf, london - i’m not asking for proprietary secrets here. anyone have some answers or rumours or reality to share to put this office on the map? thank you!

more specifically…

  • disciplines? (mostly product/id, or do they have graphics, gui, computer animation, research, strategy, engineering?)

  • emphasis or positioning? (related to above - are they promoting themselves as trendy visualizers and sculptors of cool desirable objects? as technology savvy interface gurus? as broadly innovative design thinkers impacting and creating new business models? as global [hiring white expats and talking about apple and bmw] or as a local/regional answer to local/regional needs [hiring asians and talking about osim, lg, and manufacturing connections in china?] etc.)

  • business lately? (growing, shrinking, profitable, or supported by parent company, hiring, letting people go?)

  • primary client base? (singaporean companies, s.e.a. companies, asian, global - medical, consumer electronics, sport, transport, cpg, etc.?)

2006 article about BMW design, and DesignWorks.

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_42/b4005076.htm

Sounds like all stuidos do the same projects. Just most likely regional customers for their work outside of BMW.

thanks for the article…but this is sort of one of those “old press releases” i was talking about. and focused on california and munich and automotive.

anyone know about singapore and the reality there?

the mystery continues. i’m beginning to think the singapore office is a very quiet outpost with little going on, few people doing it, and nobody caring about it.

just taking the government give-away for as long as it lasts in order to give bmw designworks the appearance of a “global” operation.

or?

@tixe: I’m sure that there are a lot of things happening, but I’m not at liberty to say. Why not call the studio and have a chat with the branch director?

BMW Designworks is shutting down the Singapore office at the end of this year and moving to Shanghai!!!
http://www.tremeritus.com/2011/05/03/pap-covers-up-information-to-clean-their-track-record/

They were only there for five years. Seems that they were just leeching on government subsidies and never serious about staying in Singapore…

Interesting news: BMW Accessories Designworks in Singapore will shut down and move to Shanghai!
BMW just opened the office there just a couple of years ago with support of the local authorities…
Seems the Singaporean government is quite pissed about it:
http://www.tremeritus.com/2011/05/03/pa … ck-record/

also a matter of time until the RED DOT leaves unless they are stilling getting high $$$$ from PAP. Singaporeans are leaving as well and have immigrated to China. The PAP on the other hand are letting many mainland Chinese into the country since they lack workers. I hope Singapore will be free of their government soon!

End of story - studio is closed and moved to Shanghai:

Whew. Thank God we got to the bottom of that!