Porsche 2009 Annual Report Download - page 107

Dependence on fleet customer business
As in the past, the fleet customer business is
experiencing increasing concentration and interna-
tionalization. In Europe, the Volkswagen group ex-
tended its market lead thanks to its extensive product
range and target group-oriented customer care. No de-
fault risks concentrations exist for individual corpo-
rate customers.
Quality risk
Ever-growing competitive pressure means
that product quality is becoming more and more im-
portant. In addition, the continuous increase in vehicle
complexity and the new drive technologies that are
becoming established pose new challenges for quality
assurance. The Volkswagen group combats potential
risks arising from poor quality in new vehicles from
the design and development stage onwards by continu-
ously developing new expertise and extensive safety
mechanisms. In this way, quality assurance ensures
that customer expectations are taken into account
when designing new vehicles and that practical ex-
perience is incorporated into the development proc-
ess. This is done in close cooperation with all divi-
sions and with suppliers.
Personnel risk
The individual skills and knowledge of its
employees are a major factor contributing to the
Volkswagen group’s success. The aim of becoming
top employer in the automotive industry at all levels
of the company improves Volkswagen’s chances of
recruiting and retaining the most talented employees.
The strategic, end-to-end personnel devel-
opment gives all employees attractive training and
development opportunities, with particular emphasis
placed on increasing technical expertise in the com-
pany’s different vocational groups. The Volkswagen
group counters the risk that knowledge will be lost as
a result of employee fluctuation and retirement with
intensive, department-specific training. In addition to
the standard twin-track vocational training, programs
such as the StIP integrated degree and traineeship
scheme ensure a steady rise in the number of highly
qualified new employees in the company. The Volks-
wagen group has also expanded its base of senior
experts in the group to ensure that the valuable
knowledge of specialists leaving Volkswagen is trans-
ferred to other employees.
Environmental protection regulations
The new German Energy Conservation Regu-
lation (EnEV 2009), which entered into force in Ger-
many on 1 October 2009, aims to help reach na-
tional climate protection targets. On the basis of this
Regulation, economically usable potential in buildings
will be tapped, making the buildings more energy ef-
ficient. To this end, buildings’ energy requirements
will be adjusted in keeping with economic viability,
the state of the art and trends in energy prices.
Stricter heat insulation requirements for the building
envelope are expected to reduce annual consumption
of primary energy sources in the future. In addition,
building services engineering will be required to be-
come more energy efficient. This Regulation will af-
fect building design and servicing facilities for Volks-
wagen’s industrial buildings.
The G20 member states have pledged to limit
global warming to 2°C and aim to reduce global
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