BMW is a German luxury automaker founded in 1917. It moved some production to Spartanburg, South Carolina in the US in 1992. Key reasons for moving production outside Germany included access to cheaper labor, proximity to suppliers and customers for lower supply chain costs, and business-friendly policies in South Carolina. BMW evaluated over 10 locations based on these factors before choosing Spartanburg. The plant there employs 8,800 and was a $2.2 billion investment that strengthened BMW's global production network.