Issue 8 (April 2009)

Editorial

News

Good results in the ’07/’08 fiscal year – also in Italy; New workshops offered at the Porsche Akademie; Involvement in the Deutscher Gründerpreis and more.

Linde Stacks Up Success

Collaboration with Porsche Consulting ensures long-term success for a company – and for investors too. One example of this is the Kion Group, which was formed in 2006 from the fork lift manufacturers Linde Material Handling GmbH, Still and OM. It was at this time that the consultants from Bietigheim started working for the management of Linde. Today lean management is firmly established at all Kion factories.

From Oil to Motion

Oil has brought great wealth and prosperity to the Gulf state of Bahrain. To prepare the country for the challenges of the future, other sectors, such as the automotive industry, are being actively developed. Porsche Consulting is supporting the small Middle Eastern country in planning for its future.

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Essa Al-Khalifa is the Chief Executive of the Economic Development Board (EDB) in Bahrain. In the following interview, the member of the royal family talks about Bahrain’s vision, the decreasing dependence on oil and gas, and the reliability of Porsche.

The Long Path to the Summit

Köster AG is working on a comprehensive restructuring program. With assistance from Porsche Consulting, the general construction contractor has already introduced integrated process management. This has served as the basis for a continuous improvement process which is managed centrally at Köster by an internal organization. This has now gradually ensured optimization of the individual process steps – from the quotation stage right through to the specific work on the construction site.

The Big Picture

To ensure that companies are able to survive in the future in a tough competitive environment, they need to become leaner and reduce costs – including in such ancillary areas as administration or sales. With PRO, Process-oriented ReOrganization, Porsche Consulting scrutinizes not just individual processes, but the entire business model of a company, and highlights ways to increase efficiency and effectiveness.

The Constant Hit

In 1995, in an effort to stave off a crisis, managing director Stefan Liebe introduced lean methods in the production operations of the Askubal ball-bearings factory with the assistance of Porsche Consulting. It proved to be a successful move. Today the entire company is run in accordance with the rules of lean management. There is still contact with the Porsche consultants, and Liebe has stuck with the lean route because he is firmly convinced that he is on the right track.

Reduction in Setup Time Increases Flexibility

Long changeover times mean high levels of stock and low levels of flexibility. Porsche Consulting offers methods for noticeably reducing changeover times.