../.. We were fortunate to have recently visited the Porsche Factory during our two week trip to Europe. We learned the following information during our tour of the Porsche factory in Stuttgart and wanted to pass along this information:<br><br> -The tour lasted 1 1/2 hours. We were not allowed to take any pictures. As a matter of fact, all cameras and cell phones had to be locked in a locker prior to going on the tour.<br> -There are approximately 4,000 employees (3,000 factory workers and 1,000 office personnel) at the Stuttgart site. The employees are members of a Union and they get a 5 minute break every hour plus a lunch break. Just before lunch, the entire menu is broadcast on flat screen monitors throughout the factory so employees can start thinking about what they will have for lunch. Yes, employees can still drink a beer, but not too much. Because they are on a production line, they can pull a RED cord to stop the production line (an accident for example) or pull a Yellow cord (for a bathroom break, at which time a roving backup jumps in takes over the job while the employee goes to the restroom). The production line cannot stop unless it is extremely important. All workers on the production line wear blue overalls that have no buttons or zippers. Also the workers cannot wear jewelry (watches, etc,) This insures no scratches on the car. <br>-There are two shifts (day which starts at 6:00am and a night shift) of employees at the factory. <br> -All 911's are produced at the Stuttgart factory. Also, all engines for all Porsche cars are assembled at this plant. There are two other plants (Leipzig, Germany and Finland) <br> -One mechanic is responsible for building one entire 911 engine. It takes him approximately 2 hours to build a complete engine. The mechanic and engine move on a conveyor belt through over 25 stations which have special tools and parts at each station. After completion, the engine is immediately gassed up and tested. It must pass between 100% and 103% of spec's or it is rejected. If rejected the mechanic gets immediate feedback. <br> -The Stuttgart factory produces 160 cars a day. Of the 160 cars about 25 cars are picked up directly at the factory by their new owners. <br> -A car is not started to be built until a customer (Porsche dealership, or customer) orders the car with exactly what they want on it. It takes approximately 7 days to build the car from start to finish. All parts/inventory are ordered from the Porsche suppliers in a "just in time concept". Then at the factory a person at the inventory warehouse puts all the parts on a cart/trailer (specified by the build sheet) and pulled over to the assembly plant. <br> -It takes 7 hours to paint a car. <br> -Delivery.....38% of the Porsches go the United States, 18% to Germany and 16% to England. The rest (29%) are delivered to the rest of the world. <br> -All the leather is from Austria and delivered to the factory already dyed in the color a customer ordered. Through the use of a laser scanner and computers the leather is cut using a very small, high pressure water stream. At the end of the process approximately 60% of a hide is actually used. All leather is hand stitched. You can even order the air duct vents covered in leather if you want. <br> -There is only 1 piece of robotic equipment in the entire factory. It is used to place the windshield into the car. The rest of the entire car is built by hand. <br><br> The new Museum is now scheduled to open in November, 2008. A few tips that we learned on our trip. Take a GPS with you if you drive around Europe. It is wonderful. Also the traffic around Stuttgart in the morning and evening is crowded (just like Boston) so leave enough time to drive to the factory. Also, make your reservations as far in advance as possible. We made ours in April for September and could not get the first date we wanted. If you want an experience of a lifetime, plan a trip to Germany and visit the Porsche factory. You won't regret it. <br><br> Ralph and Linda Hadley slides/IMG_0737_38.html Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:56:28 -0700 Jalbum 8.0 Driving on the Autobahn to Stuttgart, Germany##Ralph Hadley Driving on the Autobahn to Stuttgart, Germany##Ralph Hadley IMG_0737_38.JPG slides/IMG_0738_37.html Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:56:28 -0700 Jalbum 8.0 The Porsche factory is actually in a town called Zuffenhausen which is just north of Stuttgart##Ralph Hadley The Porsche factory is actually in a town called Zuffenhausen which is just north of Stuttgart##Ralph Hadley IMG_0738_37.JPG slides/IMG_0741_34.html Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:56:28 -0700 Jalbum 8.0 Road sign to the Porsche Factory##Ralph Hadley Road sign to the Porsche Factory##Ralph Hadley IMG_0741_34.JPG slides/IMG_0742_33.html Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:56:28 -0700 Jalbum 8.0 Entrance to the Factory##Ralph Hadley Entrance to the Factory##Ralph Hadley IMG_0742_33.JPG slides/IMG_0743_32.html Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:56:28 -0700 Jalbum 8.0 Employee parking lot##Ralph Hadley Employee parking lot##Ralph Hadley IMG_0743_32.JPG slides/IMG_0744_31.html Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:56:28 -0700 Jalbum 8.0 Cars ready for shipment##Ralph Hadley Cars ready for shipment##Ralph Hadley IMG_0744_31.JPG slides/IMG_0745_30.html Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:56:28 -0700 Jalbum 8.0 Entrance and security gate to factory##Ralph Hadley Entrance and security gate to factory##Ralph Hadley IMG_0745_30.JPG slides/IMG_0746_29.html Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:56:28 -0700 Jalbum 8.0 Sign directing customers to Museum##Ralph Hadley Sign directing customers to Museum##Ralph Hadley IMG_0746_29.JPG slides/IMG_0747_28.html Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:56:28 -0700 Jalbum 8.0 Security guard ##Ralph Hadley Security guard ##Ralph Hadley IMG_0747_28.JPG slides/IMG_0748_27.html Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:56:28 -0700 Jalbum 8.0 ##Ralph Hadley ##Ralph Hadley IMG_0748_27.JPG slides/IMG_0749_26.html Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:56:28 -0700 Jalbum 8.0 ##Ralph Hadley ##Ralph Hadley IMG_0749_26.JPG slides/IMG_0750_25.html Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:56:28 -0700 Jalbum 8.0 ##Ralph Hadley ##Ralph Hadley IMG_0750_25.JPG slides/IMG_0752_23.html Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:56:28 -0700 Jalbum 8.0 ##Ralph Hadley ##Ralph Hadley IMG_0752_23.JPG slides/IMG_0753_22.html Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:56:28 -0700 Jalbum 8.0 ##Ralph Hadley ##Ralph Hadley IMG_0753_22.JPG slides/IMG_0754_21.html Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:56:28 -0700 Jalbum 8.0 ##Ralph Hadley ##Ralph Hadley IMG_0754_21.JPG slides/IMG_0755_20.html Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:56:28 -0700 Jalbum 8.0 ##Ralph Hadley ##Ralph Hadley IMG_0755_20.JPG slides/IMG_0756_19.html Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:56:28 -0700 Jalbum 8.0 ##Ralph Hadley ##Ralph Hadley IMG_0756_19.JPG slides/IMG_0757_18.html Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:56:28 -0700 Jalbum 8.0 ##Ralph Hadley ##Ralph Hadley IMG_0757_18.JPG slides/IMG_0758_17.html Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:56:28 -0700 Jalbum 8.0 ##Ralph Hadley ##Ralph Hadley IMG_0758_17.JPG slides/IMG_0759_16.html Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:56:28 -0700 Jalbum 8.0 ##Ralph Hadley ##Ralph Hadley IMG_0759_16.JPG slides/IMG_0761_14.html Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:56:28 -0700 Jalbum 8.0 ##Ralph Hadley ##Ralph Hadley IMG_0761_14.JPG slides/IMG_0762_13.html Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:56:28 -0700 Jalbum 8.0 ##Ralph Hadley ##Ralph Hadley IMG_0762_13.JPG slides/IMG_0763_12.html Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:56:28 -0700 Jalbum 8.0 ##Ralph Hadley ##Ralph Hadley IMG_0763_12.JPG slides/IMG_0764_11.html Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:56:28 -0700 Jalbum 8.0 ##Ralph Hadley ##Ralph Hadley IMG_0764_11.JPG slides/IMG_0765_10.html Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:56:28 -0700 Jalbum 8.0 ##Ralph Hadley ##Ralph Hadley IMG_0765_10.JPG slides/IMG_0766_9.html Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:56:28 -0700 Jalbum 8.0 ##Ralph Hadley ##Ralph Hadley IMG_0766_9.JPG slides/IMG_0767_8.html Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:56:28 -0700 Jalbum 8.0 ##Ralph Hadley ##Ralph Hadley IMG_0767_8.JPG slides/IMG_0768_7.html Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:56:28 -0700 Jalbum 8.0 ##Ralph Hadley ##Ralph Hadley IMG_0768_7.JPG slides/IMG_0769_6.html Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:56:28 -0700 Jalbum 8.0 ##Ralph Hadley ##Ralph Hadley IMG_0769_6.JPG slides/IMG_0770_5.html Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:56:28 -0700 Jalbum 8.0 ##Ralph Hadley ##Ralph Hadley IMG_0770_5.JPG slides/IMG_0771_4.html Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:56:28 -0700 Jalbum 8.0 ##Ralph Hadley ##Ralph Hadley IMG_0771_4.JPG slides/IMG_0772_3.html Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:56:28 -0700 Jalbum 8.0 ##Ralph Hadley ##Ralph Hadley IMG_0772_3.JPG slides/IMG_0773_2.html Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:56:28 -0700 Jalbum 8.0 ##Ralph Hadley ##Ralph Hadley IMG_0773_2.JPG slides/IMG_0774_1.html Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:56:28 -0700 Jalbum 8.0 ##Ralph Hadley ##Ralph Hadley IMG_0774_1.JPG