Porsche 2007 Annual Report Download - page 86

Leipzig running at full capacity
February 2008 saw the celebration of a special land-
mark: the 200,000th Cayenne rolled off the assem-
bly line. The second generation of the sporty off-
roader, which first came onto the market less than a
year previously, met with great interest on the part
of customers on account of its high-performance,
economical engines. In fiscal 2007/08, the new
Cayenne GTS and Turbo S models were added to the
portfolio. Targeted quality planning in preproduction
series and during ramp-up enabled the Company to
meet planned quality targets from the very beginning.
In addition to current series production of the
Cayenne, the focus is on preparations for the
production of the Gran Turismo Panamera, which
will be launched on the market from 2009. Con-
struction of a 25,000 square meter assembly
hall and a 23,500 square meter logistics center,
begun in the fiscal 2006/07, was completed on
schedule. During the works vacation of December
2007 and January 2008, the existing Cayenne
assembly line was redesigned to assemble the
Panamera alongside the sporty off-roader. Con-
struction of preproduction vehicles began as
scheduled in June 2008.
In building the Panamera, Porsche has remained
faithful to its tried and tested production concept.
This makes it possible to construct quality vehicles
in Germany at competitive prices. While the engines
are manufactured in Zuffenhausen, the Volkswagen
plant in Hanover supplies the painted body shells.
This gives Porsche 15 percent vertical integration.
However, 70 percent of the value is added in Ger-
many, because the Company mainly works with do-
mestic suppliers. The production of the Panamera
in Leipzig has created around 600 new jobs, which
were largely filled in 2008.
Training is an ongoing endeavor
An important task at both Leipzig and Zuffenhausen is
the constant improvement of productivity and quality.
The Porsche Improvement Process (PVP), which is
firmly established throughout the Company, entails a
number of regular individual measures aimed at
optimizing the entire production process right down
to the suppliers. PVP workshops prepare the work-
force for the optimum production of new vehicles
from the very beginning and for meeting quality tar-
gets. The selection of employees for the production
of the Panamera began in June 2008. A recruitment
campaign not only unearthed the best candidates.
It also created a broad age range in keeping with
demographic developments.
The systematic analysis of previous workforce de-
velopment and future training requirements was
conducted with all employees at Leipzig in the form
of an annual interview. This formed a part of the
“s.p.e.e.d.” process. A 24-month program named
“MAX s.p.e.e.d.”, in which young management po-
tentials are prepared for future management roles,
ended in July 2008.
The success of Porsche's intensive efforts to im-
prove quality is shown by the top marks received
from the renowned US market research institute
J.D. Power. Apart from a first place for the Zuffen-
hausen plant in an international comparison, Porsche
also came first for the third time in a row in the pres-
tigious “Initial Quality Study”. In this, market resear-
chers assessed the satisfaction of new vehicle
customers in the first 90 days following delivery.
Magna Steyr to succeed Valmet
Porsche will continue its successful cooperation
with its Finnish partner Valmet for the production of
the medium-performance Boxster and Cayman until
2012, as agreed by contract. So far, the Company
has produced more than 200,000 sports cars of
exceptional quality.
Following an invitation to tender, Magna Steyr Fahr-
zeugtechnik AG & Co. KG in Graz was awarded the
contract as the future manufacturing partner. Apart
from making the most financially attractive offer,
the Company also has the capability to take on de-
velopment orders for Porsche’s sports cars. More-
over, synergies result from the range of supply
relationships. The Company already makes a num-
ber of components for Porsche, above all soft top
systems and body parts.
This new partner will enable Porsche to continue
its model of the “breathing factory” into the next
decade. All production volumes of the Boxster
series that cannot be made in Zuffenhausen for
capacity reasons will be built in Magna Steyr’s Graz
plant from 2012. Porsche will supply the engines
and components. This will ensure that the Zuffen-
hausen plant continues to operate at full capacity in
the future.
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