Lawsuits Filed Against California Porsche Restoration

[sithot]

And now Porsche are suing SINGER.



Reminds me of Harley Davidson going after everyone using "Harley Davidson" for marketing BITD. Lots of T-Shirts went in the garbage.

[TonyI]

That was CPR East/Classic Porsche Restoration, and it's completely unaffiliated.

I had a sit-down with them when they were getting their restoration shop up and running, but have had zero communication in many years.

No reason for collateral damage to them or the PCA.

But tons of collateral damage to customers of CPR Classic in Fallbrook, CA. CPR Classic in Fallbrook, CA sent me phony wire transfers, which is a crime. My hope is the courts come down hard against those that steal from others.

[patrick911]

And now Porsche are suing SINGER.

I don't know. Googling this it all goes back to this one single Youtube video from Outlaw garage.
I haven't seen any sources listed or this seen mentioned anywhere else.

[LongRanger]

. . . I don't know. Googling this it all goes back to this one single Youtube video from Outlaw garage.
I haven't seen any sources listed or this seen mentioned anywhere else . . .

?



...............................................

[patrick911]

Thank you - my Google skills are clearly not that good

[1970rsr]

Looks like Porsche and Singer came to an agreement.... The case was Voluntarily Dismissed by Porsche on 3/22

[sithot]

When you are looking at a company with these numbers it makes sense to "play ball".

In 2023, Porsche made a profit of €7.3 billion ($12.1 billion), an improvement of 7.6 per cent or around €500 million over the previous year. Revenue grew by a similar percentage to €40.5 billion ($67 million). Its profit margin on sales remained stable at 18.0 per cent.

Some other "Tuners" may get a letter too.

[Jim Breazeale]

When you are looking at a company with these numbers it makes sense to "play ball".

In 2023, Porsche made a profit of €7.3 billion ($12.1 billion), an improvement of 7.6 per cent or around €500 million over the previous year. Revenue grew by a similar percentage to €40.5 billion ($67 million). Its profit margin on sales remained stable at 18.0 per cent.

Some other "Tuners" may get a letter too.

Back in 2008, I attended a banquet hosted by the 356 Registry at their West Coast Holiday in Squaw Valley, Ca.( since renamed "Palisades" so as not to offend some snow flake). The key note speaker was the CFO of Porsche AG. He went on and on, while addressing a room full of Porsche addicts and potential customers, about the fact that Porsche made the highest profit per car in the industry. I was repulsed!

[steve shea]

Hey Jim. For me it will always be Squallywood. Great skiing there.

[sithot]

From a company that nearly went away to making a profit. I like a success story. Doesn't mean I have to buy the product but I admire them for making a turn around. It means I can still get parts for my 911's.

Back in the early 90s, Porsche hired Japanese engineers, mostly Toyota alumni, to improve efficiency in their manufacturing process, which eventually bring Porsche out of the brink of bankruptcy.


https://blog.grabcad.com/blog/2018/1...manufacturing/
Lean Manufacturing

One of the keys to Porsche’s current profitability comes from the effective use of Lean Manufacturing principles. I’ve written about this manufacturing approach before, so it’s not necessary to launch into details about it here. Most people think it’s all based on Japanese principles.

While Toyota certainly fused key cultural characteristics into its practice of Lean Manufacturing, the concept wasn’t created by the automaker. It was American business professor W. Edwards Deming who really created this innovative way of making things. The fact it translated well from American to Japanese culture was a testament to its universal effectiveness.

When Porsche found itself in a deep financial hole, Lean Manufacturing was the escape rope. It’s detailed out in quite the story from The New York Times, called “Putting Porsche in the Pink.” To give you the short of it, Porsche’s production floor was a mess.

Workers would need to climb ladders to get parts for the production line, causing holdups. Nothing was really organized. It was a model of inefficiency. Any outsider could immediately see why Porsche was losing money and sinking fast.

In a desperate bid to become profitable again, Porsche hired several Japanese engineers from the Shin-Gijutsu group. Many of them had worked for Toyota before. Today, theses kinds of moves are pretty common. But back then, Porsche was a symbol of German national pride, so having foreigners come in and run things was…awkward.

Of course, the alternative would have been bankruptcy. Supposedly BMW and Mercedes were waiting to pluck Porsche up for a steal. German automakers had tried adopting Just in Time Manufacturing techniques in the past, but tradition and culture stood in the way. It was pure desperation that brought everyone to their knees in Porsche, and it actually worked.

Before the new manufacturing approach was instituted, it took about 120 hours to assemble the average Porsche. With the changes, that time was reduced to just 72 hours, or a 60 percent boost in efficiency. You’d think maybe workers were slopping through the cars, but they weren’t. The number of errors for vehicles had fallen 50 percent. The proof was in the results.

First Experiment

You could say the Boxster was the experimental Porsche. It was a huge departure from the 911 and the slew of front-engine models. Some decried it as a Saab imposter, thanks to the turbocharged four-cylinder engine. The idea was to attract younger buyers who might have skipped over Porsche before. It was affordable, sleek, and actually linked in principle to the Porsche 550 Spyder from way back.

The Boxster was a pioneer in another key area: it was the first Porsche to be made using Just in Time Manufacturing. As noted before, it worked beautifully. To save on manufacturing costs, Porsche used many of the same parts for the Boxster as it did for the 996. That didn’t make enthusiasts happy, because they thought the move really watered down the 911 (no pun intended).

Porsche purists have a history of complaining about any changes. For example, when the Cayenne was released, they howled and moaned about it. The SUV has funded the creation of a continuously-expanding array of 911 models, but that apparently isn’t good enough.

From Bosses to Consultants

When the team from the Shin-Gijutsu group was first hired, they walked the Porsche production floor day after day. The Japanese engineers would scold German workers and foreman, explaining to them in no uncertain terms that they had to change processes fundamentally. As described by The New York Times, it wasn’t a pretty sight, but it was necessary.

After Porsche got back on its feet and enjoyed consistent profitability, things changed. The factory workers perceived the value of Just in Time Manufacturing. Likely grateful to not be looking for a new job, they didn’t resist the foreign methods like before. As for the Japanese engineers, they melted into the background, acting as consultants instead of task masters. They would show up quarterly to scold workers and management.

Porsche Today

While stern Japanese engineers no longer walk the Porsche assembly lines, their influence is still felt. The German automaker has been singled out quite a few times for making reliable vehicles and using highly efficient manufacturing processes.

For example, in 2011 Porsche was recognized by the Manufacturing Leadership Awards. It has set up a consulting firm to help other companies streamline manufacturing, with a long list of clients. You could say Porsche is a model student of Toyota, which was a student of W. Edwards Deming.