The Porsche ideas laboratory

The Lab provides a platform for collaborating with technology companies, start-ups and the scientific community. Porsche is partnering with its subsidiary, the Ludwigsburg-based company MHP – one of the leading management and IT consultants in the automotive industry.

“We are launching our initiative in the context of profound change in the industry. Digital transformation touches every part of the company – internal processes, customer interaction and our products and services. Vehicles are becoming more and more networked and mobility concepts have changed, sparking a revolution in the automotive industry and bringing new competitors into play. In this environment, Porsche is aiming to become the most innovative brand in the field of exclusive and dynamic mobility”, says Lutz Meschke, Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board and Member of the Executive Board, Finance and IT.

The philosophy of the project: aiming to achieve networked thinking

The Porsche Digital Lab is located in the Berlin district of Friedrichshain. It employs several teams from Porsche and MHP, each of which is tasked with investigating how Porsche can take innovations from the fields of big data & machine learning, micro services & cloud technologies, and Industry 4.0 & the Internet of Things, and turn them into practical solutions. The Lab currently employs twelve people but is structured to grow in the future. The tasks of these teams range from trend scouting and ideation to building IT prototypes and components. “The Porsche Digital Lab gives us the opportunity to experiment with new technologies and to put IT innovations into practice with speed and flexibility”, says Dr. Sven Lorenz, Vice President of Porsche Information Systems.

The work demands a creative approach and requires close contact with innovative technology companies. Berlin is home to a flourishing start-up scene, making it the ideal location for the Lab. “Berlin has two major advantages: It puts us in contact with the relevant people and we can work without being distracted by day-to-day business”, explains Boris Behringer, Director Porsche Digital Lab. The 42-year-old has spent 15 years gaining experience in various Porsche departments. His versatility is consistent with the philosophy of the project, which aims to achieve networked thinking. That means as many departments as possible at Porsche can benefit from the Lab’s results.