Porsche plant manager compares his plant with Formula 1

Since the start of series production in 2002, the Porsche plant in Leipzig has repeatedly been expanded and fundamentally altered. The development of the site began with the Cayenne, followed later by the Panamera and Macan. At the latest with the fifth plant expansion and the start of production of the all-electric Macan, Leipzig developed into a site that can flexibly manufacture combustion-engine vehicles, plug-in hybrids and purely electric vehicles on a shared line.

For the combination of consistently applied lean principles, intelligent digitalisation and automation, the plant received the Automotive Lean Production Award in the main OEM category in 2025. Gerd Rupp, Chairman of the Management Board of Porsche Leipzig GmbH, is thus responsible for a site where brownfield retooling has long since ceased to be an exception and has become part of industrial reality.

Using existing structures for new products

The most important trigger for the latest modifications in Leipzig was the electrification of the Porsche portfolio and the start of series production of the all-electric Macan. Instead of building a separate production facility for the electric vehicle, Porsche decided to integrate the model into the existing production structures. “Here, existing production processes and systems were extensively expanded in order to meet the requirements of electromobility,” explains Rupp. The goal had been clear from the outset: “To manufacture combustion-engine, hybrid and electric vehicles on a shared line.”

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This capability is the result of a development that extends over more than two decades and five plant expansions. In the process, the site had to manage an ever greater variety of models, equipment and drive concepts, without making compromises in quality and cycle stability. Lean principles were therefore not understood as individual methods, but firmly integrated into day-to-day production. A large part of the continuous improvement work takes place directly in the trades. Decisions should be made wherever possible where the actual value creation takes place.

The brownfield retooling for the electric Macan builds on this production philosophy. Before every investment decision, Porsche first examines whether existing technology can continue to be used, modernised or relocated within the plant. The decisive criteria include technical suitability for new vehicle concepts, cost-effectiveness, flexibility, space requirements and the expected production volumes.

Brownfield retooling therefore does not mean preserving existing systems at any price. Rather, it is about selectively developing existing structures further and installing new technology only where future requirements cannot sensibly be mapped with the existing set-up.

The fact that this process of change is continuing is also shown by the planned aftersales production for the first Macan generation. For this purpose, existing systems are being converted again, relocated and adapted to new production volumes. The factory is thus intended not only to master different drive types, but also to be able to react flexibly to model changes, fluctuating unit volumes and changed market conditions.

According to Rupp, areas with a high degree of process integration and complex material flows are particularly demanding. One example of this is the marriage. With the integration of the fully electric Macan, the number of bolting points between the underbody and chassis increased significantly. “In order to map these additional work steps, the entire process section had to be expanded and redesigned,” says Rupp.

The area was expanded from four to nine assembly stations, while the length of the process section increased from 24 to 60 metres. In addition, Porsche installed six more robots and 18 automatic screw stations. This did not merely mean adding individual technology. Rather, cycle timing, automation, material flow and space utilisation had to be newly coordinated with one another.

The flexible production of different powertrain types was also a key reason for the award with the Automotive Lean Production Award. The jury particularly recognised how Leipzig does not reduce high complexity by limiting variants, but instead systematically masters it.

This logic is also evident in other production areas. In front and rear axle assembly, around 20 different axle types are produced with several hundred safety-relevant screw connections. Quality acceptance is carried out fully automatically. Digital systems at the same time improve the documentation of build conditions and traceability. Pre-assemblies close to the line specifically take variants out of the main line, while flexible cycle lengths help to keep production stable.

The material flow in the body shop of the electric Macan was also largely digitised and automated. This includes optimised lorry delivery, RFID-supported load carriers and driverless transport systems that automatically bring large load carriers to the systems and dock there. Digitisation therefore does not serve as an end in itself, but is intended to improve throughput times, use of space, personnel expenditure and operating costs.

Retooling according to the pit stop principle

A particular challenge in brownfield projects lies in integrating new processes and systems into ongoing production. Larger interventions are therefore planned at an early stage and, wherever possible, placed in existing production stoppages or clearly defined conversion phases. Many measures are carried out step by step. Systems are, wherever possible, prepared in parallel, relocated or set up outside the line before they are integrated into the production process. Rupp compares this approach with a precisely prepared intervention in motorsport.

For such an industrial pit stop to work, all steps must be planned in detail in advance and coordinated between production, maintenance, logistics and other specialist departments. “In this way, we can implement conversions in a planned and efficient manner and reduce production interruptions to a minimum,” explains Rupp.

Digital planning methods play an important role here. New layouts, material flows and process sequences can be virtually checked even before the physical conversion. Risks, bottlenecks or unfavourable movement sequences thereby become visible before the new systems are actually installed.

“This allows risks to be identified at an early stage and ramp-up phases to be shortened,” says Rupp. The aim is to ensure production stability and quality as far as possible before the converted systems are started up.

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This form of digital safeguarding is part of a more comprehensive production system. Porsche Leipzig combines lean methods with automated inspection processes, digital material flows and system-supported sequence formation in assembly. The latter uses machine learning and qualitative labels to avoid overload situations and to ensure cycle stability even with changing production call-offs. Particularly where there is a high degree of variant diversity, the sequence of the vehicles can have a considerable influence on the load on individual stations.

Despite the high degree of digitalisation and automation, the workforce remains a central part of the system. Workstation rotation geared towards workload, ergonomically designed workstations and specialised service teams for employees with changed performance capacity are intended to safeguard productivity and quality in the long term.

Even in the case of larger conversions, preparation therefore does not begin only with the start-up of the new systems. “Changes of this scale are accompanied by extensive qualification measures,” emphasises Rupp. Employees, maintenance teams and managers are involved in the change process at an early stage and specifically prepared for new technologies, processes and safety requirements.

The retooling for the electric Macan thus exemplifies how profoundly Brownfield projects intervene in existing production systems. It is not only about new machines or additional robots. Product planning, factory layout, material flow, automation, digital validation and qualification must be further developed together. The Leipzig factory benefits here from a lean culture built up over many years. The fact that many improvements are developed directly in the production areas increases the plant's ability to respond to new models, technologies and market conditions.