Roofing Ceremony of Paint Shop in Leipzig
Atlanta. The next milestone has been achieved: nearly one year after the foundation stone ceremony, Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG is celebrating the roofing ceremony for the paint shop at the Leipzig plant today. One of the most advanced paint facilities in the world covering more than 645,000 square feet, this shop is part of the largest construction project in the history of Porsche: the expansion of the Saxony plant into a fully-fledged factory with on-site body assembly and paint shop for the production of the new model, Macan.
“A number of aspects of this construction are very impressive,” said Wolfgang Leimgruber, Member of the Executive Board Production at Porsche AG, at the ceremony today in Leipzig during which the last steel beam of the roof structure was ceremoniously attached. “A paint shop is being built on a production area of more than eight football fields in record time, which will set new standards in environmental technology. This represents an important investment for the site, a major economic stimulus for the region, and a key enabler for the company’s growth strategy.”
Approximately 113,000 tons of concrete were used in constructing the shell of the new paint shop, which will be about 1,100 feet (360 meters) long, 230 feet (72 meters) wide, and 98 feet (30 meters) high – a structure that blends seamlessly and harmoniously into the architecture of the Leipzig factory.
“Construction works are absolutely on schedule,” said Leimgruber. “All efforts are geared at the production launch of the new Macan on time, and at the best quality up to Porsche standards as of the end of 2013.”
In the coming weeks, the facade of the paint shop is set to be completed. Work on the interior and the painting equipment will commence immediately thereafter, with operations set to begin in summer 2013. The Macan cars manufactured in the Leipzig body assembly facility will undergo a multi-stage paint process on several floors – all in accordance with sustainability measures. A newly-developed separation system for paint overspray will be installed, and solvent emissions from the painting process will be reduced to a minimum thanks to a chemical exhaust air cleaning system.
The use of waste heat from electricity generated by a wood chip power plant is also unique: a biomass power plant will supply the paint shop with up to 80 percent of its heat requirements from natural resources.
“In our expansion of the Leipzig plant, Porsche is not just setting a clear signal in respect of the environment, but also a clear signal to the people of the region,” said Siegfried Bülow, Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche Leipzig GmbH, in his address to the more than 800 guests present at the ceremony. “The plant expansion will create 1,000 new jobs. The paint shop alone will generate jobs for more than 400 new employees.”
About Porsche Cars North America
Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (PCNA), based in Atlanta, Ga. is the exclusive U.S. importer of Porsche sports cars, the Cayenne SUV and Panamera sports sedan. Established in 1984, it is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Porsche AG, which is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, and employs approximately 220 people who provide parts, service, marketing and training for 192 dealers. They, in turn, work to provide Porsche customers with a best-in-class experience that is in keeping with the brand’s 63-year history and leadership in the advancement of vehicle performance, safety and efficiency.
At the core of this success is Porsche’s proud racing heritage that boasts some 30,000 motorsport wins to date.
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Note: Photos and video footage are available to accredited journalists on the Porsche Press Database at http://press.porsche.com/
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