The global pandemic is having a chaotic effect on businesses around the world, forcing many of them to shut down and weather the contagious storm, and hopefully come out the other side without too much of a dent in their finances.
The closure of these businesses allows photographers to take images you have to see to believe, such as these shots of the Porsche factory in Germany (the source article doesn’t reveal whether they’re of the factory in Zuffenhausen or Leipzig). Both factories were closed on Saturday 21st March, 2020, initially for a period of two weeks, but since the situation hasn’t improved too much in Europe, the doors have remained firmly shut.
Not only is it rare for many of us to catch a glimpse of the beating heart of the sports car manufacturer, but even its employees will surely attest to never seeing it as empty as it is right now. With production at a standstill, the cars that were well on their way to being built for their respective customers have been covered up with plastic sheeting, awaiting the day the machines can be started up again. Even without standing on the factory floor ourselves, the images certainly give off an eerie vibe.
That’s not to say the situation at Porsche is a bad one. Far from it. Speaking on the company’s own blog, CEO Oliver Blume says Porsche is now producing PPE equipment for those who need it in Germany first, and the rest of the world second.
He also reveals people are still placing orders for new cars, especially in China – where the situation is slowly but surely moving back to ‘normal’ – and that they’re in a strong financial position to allow them to get through the next few months without taking too much of a setback.
Their financial position will certainly be boosted by the announcement of a strong first quarter in 2020, with 53,125 deliveries. A small decrease of 5 per cent in the same period in 2019, but considering the coronavirus outbreak, it’s positive news.