Porsche 2004 Annual Report Download - page 57

emphasis on SAP solutions. In addition to its headquarters in Freiberg
am Neckar, MHP has branch offices in Ludwigsburg, Hattingen (Ruhr)
and, since August 2005, in Munich as well.
MHP offers its clients complete, integrated solutions for every stage
in the process chain, from planning through implementation and the
management of IT solutions. In addition to Porsche AG, it advises
and supports more than 200 leading companies in the automotive
and other industries. From this core market, its strategic innovations
are now being transferred to other business sectors.
In addition to MHP’s commercial success, an independent image
survey conducted in the Spring of 2005 by the Bauhaus University
in Weimar put the company in first place among the 20 leading
German IT consultants in the automotive competence area, and in
third place in SAP competence.
Business progress in the review year has borne out the successful
approach adopted by MHP: its turnover rose by more than 45 percent
to 35.5 million Euro and the staff increased to 230 (previous year:
176). MHP is thus one of the fastest-growing Porsche subsidiaries.
New License Partners for Porsche Design
Established in 2003, Porsche Lizenz- und Handelsgesellschaft mbH
& Co. KG (PLH) expanded its activities in the review year. New
licensees were signed up and subsidiaries founded in the USA, Asia,
France, Great Britain and Italy. With headquarters in Bietigheim-
Bissingen, the company presents itself internationally as the Porsche
Design Group. It employs some 80 people and markets the “Porsche
Design” and “Porsche Design Driver’s Selection” product programs
as well as operating the Porsche Design Studio in Zell am See, Austria.
Porsche AG has a majority holding of 65 percent in PLH, the re-
maining 35 percent being held by the partners in “Porsche Design
Produkte Vertriebs GmbH” (formerly “Porsche Design Management
GmbH”).
Porsche Design is one of the leading luxury brands in the high-value
men’s lifestyle products segment; its products stand for timeless,
functional, purist design and convincing technical innovation. The
program includes watches, knives, writing utensils, luggage and
leather goods, items for smokers and eyewear.
During the review year, new license partnerships were concluded
with sports goods manufacturer Adidas-Salomon AG, the Italian luxury
goods manufacturer Ferragamo Finanziaria S.p.A., the Italian fashion
house Belfe S.p.A. and others. In the course of these cooperations,
it is planned to market shoes, leather luggage, small leather articles,
a line of sports articles and a men’s collection.
Porsche Design products are on sale worldwide in the company’s
own stores, shop-in-shops at high-class department stores and
at other up-market retailers. During the review year a new store
concept was developed with the Italian architect Matteo Thun,
the first of these stores being premiered in January 2005 in Berlin,
with others in Leipzig and Hamburg to follow. Shop-in-shops were
opened in Ho Chi Minh City, Dubai, Athens, Singapore and elsewhere,
and showrooms in New York and Hong Kong.
Porsche Design Driver's Selection is a brand with a vehicle-related
product program for Porsche customers and enthusiasts. Like the
sports cars themselves, these products – which include innovative
luggage, high-value fashions and a big range of scale-model vehicles –
are notable for their quality, function and classic design. Porsche
Design Driver’s Selection products are available from Porsche
Centers and from Porsche AG’s online shops. To comply with the
Porsche Design Group’s new brand presentation, its shop-in-shop
system at the Porsche Centers has also been redesigned.
The Porsche Design Studio in Zell am See was founded in 1972
by Professor Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, who celebrated his 70th
birthday in December 2005. At his own wish, he retired from mem-
bership of the Porsche AG Supervisory Board at the Stockholders’
Annual General Meeting in January 2005. The studio’s designs reveal
a distinctive, unmistakable and timeless signature. In addition to
lifestyle products for men, Porsche Design has a portfolio including
industrial products, domestic appliances and other consumer goods
for external clients. In the review year, as before, the studio’s products
were awarded a number of prestigious design prizes.
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Porsche Design has concluded new license partnerships and is steadily
enlarging its product program.