VIVIAN CAMPBELL
Cast your mind back to the mid-1990s and, though it may seem difficult to believe for anyone new to the Porsche scene, our favourite manufacturer was in a perilous position. Earlier, the boom and bust of the 1980s saw the 944 become the biggest-selling Porsche product of all time, before speed machines from the Land of the Rising Sun swallowed a significant percentage of market share enjoyed by European sports car makers, which were facing accusations of poor build quality, poor performance and poor fuel consumption from showroom visitors equally disturbed by high price tags. Demand for Porsche products beyond marque die-hards was drying up, a trend exacerbated by severe global economic downturn as the new decade got underway.
The company’s antiquated manufacturing processes didn’t help — each Porsche model was being produced on a separate assembly line and shared few components with its stablemates. A slow in sales saw idle workers in the Zuffenhausen plant moved to Porsche consultancy projects for other brands. Hand-building of the Mercedes-Benz W124 500 E and joint development of the Audi RS 2 Avant are two of the betterknown projects to emerge from this period, but Porsche was even assisting Volvo with cabin furniture trim design.
When it came to developing new cars for its own range, Porsche simply didn’t have the money to present anything fresh. For example, despite being introduced as a new model in 1991, the 968 was to all intents and purposes an evolution of the 944. Sure, chief designer, Harm Lagaaij, had worked hard to introduce a common design language across the Porsche range, reasoning 959 styling cues would make the company’s cars more desirable, but even with the 964 (and, later, the 993), 968 and late 928 looking more like a family of vehicles than previous generations of Porsche products, there was no mistaking the 968 for anything other than a derivative of the 944.
In truth, technological developments were occurring — VarioCam variable valve timing, for instance — but showroom visitors weren’t convinced. The Porsche product line was stale. Something had to change.
Change came in dramatic fashion and set the company on a course leading to its current status as the world’s most profitable car maker (on a per unit basis). Quite the turnaround. Two key contributing factors saved the day. First was adoption of Toyota’s Just in Time (JIT) lean manufacturing system, whichare made. Essentially, JIT focuses on efficiency, introducing workflow methodology aimed at both reducing the unnecessary cost-carrying of parts and radically contracting the amount of required warehousing space. It does so by ensuring assembly line technicians are only provided with components precisely when they need them. This brings the benefit of heightened attention to detail when it comes to the manufacturing of items — if a part doesn’t fit, there is no available spare to try in its place.
