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:
-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.
-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.
-There are two shifts (day which starts at 6:00am and a night shift) of employees at the factory.
-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)
-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.
-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.
-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.
-It takes 7 hours to paint a car.
-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.
-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.
-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.
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.
Ralph and Linda Hadley
-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.
-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.
-There are two shifts (day which starts at 6:00am and a night shift) of employees at the factory.
-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)
-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.
-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.
-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.
-It takes 7 hours to paint a car.
-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.
-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.
-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.
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.
Ralph and Linda Hadley
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