The continuing need for accurate tracking of vehicles in the outbound supply chain became more of a critical issue last year as assembly plants ramped up production after the Covid shutdowns. Demand for new cars remained strong throughout the crisis, which shrank available inventory 32%, from 3.8m to 2.6m when plants were shut or operating on restricted schedules and according to new safety protocols.
The premium sector was no exception. Howard Chang, senior manager of North American vehicle logistics and port operations at Porsche Cars North America, told delegates at last week’s Automotive Logistics and Supply Chain North America Live conference that sales picked up sharply after the production shutdowns and its customers were not shy about wanting their cars quickly.
The carmaker delivered 57,300 vehicles in North America last year, despite the disruption caused by the pandemic, down only 7% on the previous year and up in the fourth quarter by 6.4% to 17,560.
Meeting that demand put pressure on Porsche to know exactly where its vehicles are so that its vehicle logistics team could keep both dealer and end-customer informed.
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