Porsche 2006 Annual Report Download - page 98

96 Production
Construction of a New Spare Parts Warehouse
Customer demands on supplier service in After Sales
continue to increase and Porsche attaches great
importance to premium service. Porsche currently
operates a central spare parts warehouse in Lud-
wigsburg and further depots in the Stuttgart and Waib-
lingen region, which have expanded over time. The
worldwide dealership organization is supplied with
original spare parts from these locations. The decen-
tralized structure and the resulting mounting trans-
port costs make it increasingly difficult to meet the high
demands. The supply of additional spare parts for the
Panamera will present a further challenge.
Porsche is planning to combine the current locations
to ensure that the high quality demands on the com-
pany are met and to safeguard long term growth.
The company is thus in the process of constructing
a new central spare parts warehouse in Sachsenheim
near Ludwigsburg. On completion of the final devel-
opment stage, the warehouse will cover an area of
approximately 110,000 square meters.
In the review year construction began on the 26
hectare plot of land and stocks will gradually be
transferred to the new location. A 100percent sub-
sidiary will be established to assume responsibility
for operations. Up to 300 new jobs will gradually
be created in Sachsenheim over coming years.
By taking such a step, Porsche has once again
strengthened its ties with both the Stuttgart region
and Germany as a whole.
En Route to Digital Planning Methods
During the review year, the Production department
analyzed in detail the opportunities presented by the
so-called Digital Factory approach. The way in which
digital planning could be methodically implemented
and applied at Porsche was determined following a
comprehensive examination of the methods and
tools. Preparations are currently underway to incor-
porate the new system into production planning
throughout the group and at all locations.
Because the system closely links production
planning with the current stage of vehicle devel-
opment, demands on future production can be
identified at an early stage and designs can be
implemented in a way which is compatible with
manufacture – from the very beginning of a project.
The capability for virtual examination and simula-
tion of production processes results in a clear
improvement in planning quality.
Further Improvement of the Order Process
In the 2006/07 fiscal year, Porsche implemented the
Order Management, Demand Planning and Resource
Management modules which are part of the first
stage of the so-called PIA program (Porsche Inte-
grated Order Management), with the aim of further
enhancing customer relations and order processing.
This considerably enhances the flexibility of both
order development and demand planning, as the
processes involved are now much more transparent.
It is also possible to identify and avoid bottlenecks
in the factory supply of parts at an earlier stage.
This further optimizes the whole chain associated
with the customer order process.
A date for completion of a vehicle can now be set
even before production has begun, as all suppliers are
integrated online in the planning process. When an
order is placed, the customer is informed of the pre-
cise delivery date for the vehicle, and this deadline is
met despite the increasing individualization of models.
Leipzig Prepares for the Panamera
In September 2006, work began on the extension
of the Porsche plant in Leipzig. A manufacturing
hall covering approximately 25,000 square meters
and a 23,500 square meter logistics center are to
be built for the production of the four-door Gran
Turismo Panamera, due to be launched in 2009.
The existing hall for assembly of the Cayenne will
be extended to include a pilot and analysis center
and a training workshop. Porsche is investing a
total of approximately 150 million Euro, four fifths
of which is earmarked for Panamera production
facilities. The company is forgoing its entitlement to
subsidies for this extension, as it did for the first
stage of extension in Leipzig.
600 new jobs are being created in Leipzig for pro-
duction of the new model and these positions will,
for the most part, be advertised and filled in 2008.
Porsche will abide by its proven production concept
for the manufacture of this new model, a concept
which enables the company to produce premium
vehicles in small production series at competitive
prices. While the engines will be manufactured at
the parent plant in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, the Volks-
wagen plant in Hanover will supply the painted chassis.
Porsche thus achieves an in-house production depth
for the Panamera of 15 percent. Since Porsche
works predominantly with German suppliers, around
70 percent of the vehicle’s added value comes
from Germany.