Klaus Draeger, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, responsible for Purchasing and Supplier Network, explained, “Innovation is a decisive factor in a vehicle’s market success. Many customers ultimately opt for the car with the most impressive innovations. In fact, innovations are a key driver in our role as a pioneer in shaping the mobility of tomorrow.”

Preh was nominated in the categories of productivity and quality for the iDrive Controller building block, as well as for a 3-D test station for control surfaces.

The iDrive Controller is the central control system in the center console that allows intuitive operation of infotainment functions. Based on the building block, the iDrive controller can be used in car model series of the different BMW group brands. For the BMW brand, the iDrive Controller is now a part of eleven model series in different designs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7-Series, as well as in the Model X, X3, X5 and X6.

The 3-D test station is used by Preh for the contact-free measurement of control panels. It is faster than the previous 2-D testing technology and ensures that various parameters of the control system exactly fit the specifications. For example, the gap variations between the bezel and buttons are checked, among other things.

Dr. Michael Roesnick, Preh’s president and chief executive officer, said, “As a development partner and series supplier to BMW, together with our customer, we have brought numerous innovations to the road since the 1980s. Now we have been nominated in two categories for BMW Supplier Innovation Award. Even if we were not at the podium at the end, we already feel this dual nomination is a valuable award showing the innovative strength of our company.”