BMW Taps Wendt to Head Purchasing and Supply Chain

BMW AG has promoted Andreas Wendt to oversee its supply chain and purchasing activities, effective Oct. 1.

He succeeds Markus Duesmann, who quit in July to join Volkswagen AG. He is expected to eventually be named to replace Rupert Stadler as CEO of the group’s Audi unit. Stadler has been in jail since mid-June after being suspected to interfering with a probe into diesel engine emission cheating.

Wendt’s challenge will be to develop a more flexible supply chain to cope with increasingly volatile trade landscape. BMW Chairman Norbert Reithofer notes that Wendt has been a champion for innovation in managing quality and complexity since joining BMW in 2002.

Reithofer notes that Wendt also will play a major role in forming critical partnerships between BMW and suppliers to hasten innovations in electromobility, autonomous-driving technology and digitization.