There was a palpable feeling of excitement and pride in the air at the grand opening of Porsche Cars Canada, Ltd.’s first-ever Canadian parts fulfillment centre on November 7, 2019.
With more than 100 guests in attendance, including representatives from Porsche Cars Canada, Porsche Cars North America, Porsche AG, and Porsche Centre, the event hosted staff, global partners, suppliers, vendors and media who were treated to personalized tours of the enormous 175,000 square-foot facility.
Various Porsche models were also on display, including the all-new electric Taycan.
Built at Heartland Town Centre in Mississauga, Ont., the stunning warehouse’s location was specifically chosen because of its size and proximity to Hamilton and Pearson airports, which allows Porsche Cars Canada to provide overnight delivery.
Now, Porsche Centres across Canada can place orders until 5:00 p.m. and receive the parts by 8:00 a.m. the following morning — a crucial advantage for the 19 Porsche Centres across the country which have, in the past, relied on shipments from Germany and the United States that could take days or longer.
The journey began back in 2011, with a process based on Porsche’s existing warehouse in Germany. In fact, throughout each stage of the project — from procurement to training, the German team was heavily involved.
In considering what was most important for the resulting modern facility, Marc Ouayoun, President and CEO of Porsche Cars Canada, commented that the facility needed to accommodate 10-15 years of growth and the launch of new vehicles like the Macan.
Porsche Centres across Canada can place orders until 5:00 p.m. and receive the parts by 8:00 a.m. the following morning.
Additionally, the facility needed to factor in battery storage, parts growth and new products, as well as store a massive collection of winter tire sets (a challenge specific to the Canadian market).
Porsche also wanted to maintain a strong focus on classic cars with room to store the massive number of parts associated with their classic vehicles. “Classic cars are part of our heritage,” said Ouayoun. “The way we use new cars now is changing, but having a strong focus on classic cars will bring more activity to our workshops and also bring new customers to the brand.”
The warehouse itself was designed with special areas and security for classic car parts, motorsport parts, battery storage, high rotation and low rotation areas, and other secured areas. With two shifts of fifteen people at a time, focusing on the right flow has maximized productivity.
Throughout this process Porsche is supported by Schenker, which provides all the on-site logistics and warehousing details, including maintaining health and safety standards. The overall size of the building is massive for a reason: to allow for considerable growth, including room for a training center and additional opportunities in the coming years.
Feedback to-date from dealers and customers has been extremely positive, according to Ouayoun. “Increased service rates by dealer groups for parts is approaching 90 per cent, which means for most of the parts they can get them out right away. Dealers have really been waiting for that,” said Ouayoun.
For parts departments especially, they can now offer better service, faster turnover, and better rotation for vehicles.
It’s been a long journey for Ouayoun and his team, but the outcome is better than anything they expected.
“It means a lot to us because we have increased in sales over the last ten years and needed better parts service for our customers,” said Ouayoun. “Having our own facility means much better service, better freight, overnight delivery and the ability to increase our customer satisfaction and experience.”
