This week, the consulting firm Agamus Consult and the specialist magazine Automobilproduktion honoured the Porsche Leipzig plant with this year’s Automotive Lean Production Award in the OEM category. The award ceremony was held as part of the Automotive Lean Production Congress, which took place at Volkswagen Poznań in Poland. The award is a prestigious international accolade made up of six categories.
“The Porsche Leipzig plant impresses with its technical expertise. It also follows a clear strategy that is rigorously pursued and continuously developed,” says Albrecht Reimold, Member of the Executive Board for Production and Logistics at Porsche AG. “The team, led by plant manager Gerd Rupp, sets itself ambitious goals – whether in terms of quality, innovation, or sustainability. What’s more, they also have a special team spirit. Across all levels, the Leipzig team succeeds in getting everyone on board and inspiring them to achieve ambitious goals.”
The process of selecting the winning plants takes place in two stages. In addition to completing a questionnaire, a professional jury visits the factories and discusses the results of the questionnaires with experts on-site. “We see competitions like these primarily as an opportunity to benchmark ourselves internationally against other plants and to be thoroughly evaluated by a professional jury,” says Gerd Rupp, Managing Director of Porsche Leipzig GmbH. “Recognising potential and continuously improving – this reflects Porsche’s pioneering spirit. We are also very pleased to have won in the OEM category this year.”
During its evaluation, the jury highlighted the high level of innovative automation combined with digital intelligence. One example is the use of automated guided vehicles (AGVs). For example, in the body shop for the Macan Electric, which has been in series production since 2024, a total of 77 AGVs transport components directly to the production line – intelligently controlled, as required. In the axle assembly area, the quality control processes are automated. The system handles a range of 550 test criteria across three component variants and requires 80 seconds for the entire inspection process. Digital intelligence also plays a central role in the dynamic production test drive. A special quality feature at the Porsche Leipzig plant is that every vehicle undergoes a test drive before leaving the plant. Until now, this test drive followed a standard scope. The intelligent evaluation of collected data now allows for specific testing based on certain requirements. A specially developed classification programme assigns one of three possible test scenarios for each vehicle.
The core process in focus: production
Employee involvement and continuous improvement are also part of Lean methodology. The focus on the shop floor and the organisation of workflows and value streams contribute significantly to the success of production in Leipzig. The plant’s philosophy is that production is at the centre. Management supports this core process. All production areas are organised into what are referred to as ‘centres of excellence’. Interdisciplinary teams work directly at the point where value is added – the ‘Gemba’. For example, in assembly, a shift supervisor, a production planner, and a quality controller form a ‘centre of excellence’. “Our centres of excellence operate independently like a company within a company,” says Rupp. “Short routes and quick joint decisions have often proven to be a guarantee of success in daily operations. One team, one goal – without silo thinking.”
This year’s winning plant will host next year’s Automotive Lean Production Congress. It will take place in November 2026 at the Porsche Experience Center Leipzig.
