Family firm opens new £2.3m workshop to meet demand
A multi-million pound workshop is opening to meet huge demand for sales and servicing generated since a family car dealership moved to its new state-of-the-art site
Porsche Centre South Lakes relocated from its Kendal home to purpose-built premises just off the M6 at Carnforth in 2021.
Since then millions of motorists have passed its doors boosting footfall, sales and servicing. The business now employs 50 staff, twice the number it did when based in Kendal, where it was one of the first Porsche dealerships in the country.
To meet the demand for new and used car preparation and servicing, PCSL owners Ian and Simon Parker have invested £2.3m in a large hi-tech workshop. Fitted with the very latest Porsche diagnostic equipment needed for the current range of electric and petrol engine cars, the facility is designed to reduce waiting times for customers.
Simon said: “We have been victims of the new site’s success as we are so close to the motorway. Because we are so accessible we have attracted new customers from around the region and demand for servicing has gone through the roof.
“For us it’s all about the customer experience and having to wait for servicing is far from ideal. Now we have an additional workshop and three extra technicians this will cut down the lead time on new and used car preparation and aftersales care.”
The 4,822sqft workshop doubles the business’s ramp capacity. It also provides a standalone wheel alignment set up, which frees up a service bay, and a dedicated valeting area.
Vehicle software update bays have also been included leaving the ramps free for servicing. “Today’s cars are highly complex computers so don’t necessarily need to be on a vehicle ramp for a software update,” Simon said.
Building work began with a new car park nine months ago and the latest workshop was then constructed on the site of the old one.
The new premises feature solar panels which produce 25 per cent of the site’s power needs.
With the growth in full electric and hybrid vehicles, the workshop will also specialise in battery repair, so the high cost items don’t always have to be replaced.
“Our technicians are undergoing intensive training with Porsche and are now experts in the latest technology,” said Simon. “ Electrified vehicles are expected to outnumber internal combustion engines moving forward and our investment reflects that.
“Porsche was an early adopter of electric cars, is at the cutting edge of EV technology and is very particular about training, which is over and above most manufacturers especially on repairs. A battery fault could be caused by just two percent of the cells so in terms of costs and sustainability it is important to have the skills to repair them rather than replace the whole battery.
“It’s been an amazing few years. We started the whole investment in uncertain times in the middle of the pandemic, when we didn’t know what was going to happen, which brought challenges we didn’t expect.
“Thankfully, the Porsche brand has enjoyed enormous success and we have been busier than ever with new and used car sales and servicing. We have also been able to take on extra staff including apprentices. I feel I have learned a great deal from the experience and am looking forward to exciting times ahead.”