Lamborghini Spa & Ferrari Maserati Spa Face Demand Issues

Recently, on Tuesday May 29th, 2012, a deadly 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit northern Italy, causing chaos in the region. This had a large affect on the production of some of the worlds most amazing automobiles manufactured in the small town of  Sant’Agata Bolognese where the earthquakes epicenter was located. It also affected the other towns of Maranello and Modena where Ferrari and Maserati are located. This natural disaster brought production to a complete halt, causing widespread demand issues. This faces great concern with Both Lamborghini Spa and Ferrari Spa because this year they introduced two of there new flagship models which are completely sold out for the first years production.

Lamborghini’s Introduction of there new flagship model the Aventador, is the first all new model in over ten years, and has been completely sold out. The demand on them is so high that the automobiles are going from anywhere from $30,000-$100,000 over sticker price just to get an allocation. Lamborghini’s previous model run of there LP640 Murcielago super car they produced 4099 cars over a ten year span. This new model poses much larger demand, with Lamborghini ramped up production of 3.5 cars a day or 900 cars per year, a much higher number than its predecessor.

Lamborghini’s Aventador

Lamborghini Aventador Front Three Quarter

However, this poses some very important questions. What does a world renown company do when a natural disaster strikes delaying and bringing production to a halt. This has multiple implications on all of its suppliers and outsourced manufactured goods. They are already facing demand issues keeping up with the consumers buying power of these vechicles. Do they rush production to keep up with orders and potentially sacrafice quality. Do they outsource more parts from there main facility to speed up the production? Or are they facing bottleneck issues with the cars being completely handmade.

What are your thought and opinions that Lamborghini Spa and Ferrari Spa can do to combat there demand/manufacturing issues to produce there vehicles at a more efficient pace. And what could a corporation do to avoid natural disaster issues with manufacturing and outsourcing of parts.

http://www.insideline.com/ferrari/ferrari-lamborghini-suspend-production-after-earthquake.html

http://wot.motortrend.com/geneva-2011-lamborghini-aventador-supercar-smash-first-years-supply-sold-35641.html/0/

McLaren Automotive, Where Conventional Planning Wisdom Goes out the Window

When your McLaren Automotive and you pride yourself that everything you do is pure perfection, what would your Headquarters and Manufacturing facility look like and how would it operate? McLaren, who is  notorious for having more racing victories than anyones else finally built a facility to house there headquarters  and maufacturing that every square inch follows there exact philosophy of design and theory of the “McLaren DNA” that embodies there unique character.

The 57,000 Square Meter facility, Deemed the Mclaren Technology Center, houses all of there groups together in one building to create a diverse work environment where they can all feed off one another. And Recently, the Mclaren Automotive center Built adjacent to the Headquarters is now the hub for the manufacturing of all there vehicles. The two buildings are filled with desgin and technology elements that would shock the majority of the population. For example, the building through its design is naturally cooled, thats right no air conditioning units. Its cooled by using a system of pipe work that circulates water from the lake attached to it, and that water keeps the building at a consistent 21 degrees celsius. Furthermore, the building is designed that every door opening, wall, window or panel, is in the size of 1.8 meters, or a half, or a third. It was stated by the chairman of Mclaren Ron Dennis, that ” the reason for this is that the human eye subconsciously sees these ratios and as a result no single thing will jump out at you.”

The McLaren Technical Centre Photo by: The McLaren Group

The attention to detail does not stop there. In the newly opened Mclaren Automotive center, the diameter of the tubing of all the racks that hold parts before there assembled onto the car are the same size. The computers have no visible wiring and are held in a trench below the floors for the simplistic clean design, and the building is heated in the winters from the excess heat generated by the 180 mile per hour wind tunnel that the facility has installed in it.
 
 
With the building of the new Mclaren Automotive center they have introduced there new model the MP4-12c, the first exclusive Mclaren automobile introduced to the market not as an engineering exercise. This model unlike there first road going vehicle the F1, is being produced to gross revenue. There first vehicle the F1 was purely produced to push the limits of design and engineering and they lost money on every unit produced even at the hefty 1 million dollar price tag. Being the first “production” vehicle there producing they have built  the automotive center in large excess to have capability for expansion for future demand and model expansion.

Now, as we have learned throughout our course, Project planning can be a daunting task, but how does one plan the project of construction of a building where attention to detail goes down to ever square centermeter. How does all of this excessive attention to detail create value within the company?  How does the operations of the management of the company get affected since all of the groups are housed within the same building? And how do you think Mclaren Automotive would Forecast demand and production of there automobiles since this is the first production vehicle dedicated to a “mass production”?

http://www.autoweek.com/article/20111111/FREE/111119978

http://www.archdaily.com/185257/mclaren-production-centre-foster-partners/

http://www.dezeen.com/2011/11/17/mclaren-production-centre-by-foster-partners/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVGlqjCufMY