Carnforth sees state-of-the-art Porsche workshop open

Born out of the success of the Porsche Centre South Lakes after its relocation, the facility will answer increased demand for sales and servicing.

In 2021, Porsche Centre South Lakes moved from Kendal to a newly constructed hub just off the M6 in Carnforth.

Proximity to the motorway has attracted a swarm of new customers.

Footfall, sales, and demand for servicing have surged, increasing the business's staff count to 50.

The workshop moved from Kendal to Carnforth in 2021 (Image: French and Lamming Media Ltd)

The original Kendal site was one of the country's first Porsche dealerships.

To meet growing demand, owners Ian and Simon Parker invested £2.3 million, creating a state-of-the-art workshop geared to meet the needs of both electric and petrol-engine Porsches.

Simon Parker 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."

Technician Aaron Jenkins makes the most of the new facilities at Porsche Centre South Lakes (Image: French and Lamming Media Ltd)

This 4,822 sqft workshop will allow room for a standalone wheel alignment setup and a valeting area.

It also boasts spaces for vehicle software update bays.

Over the last nine months, a car park was built on the site, followed by the new workshop where the old one originally stood.

A feature of the new premises is the solar panels that meet a quarter of the site's energy needs.

With an eye on the growing influx of electric and hybrid vehicles, the workshop is designed to offer battery repairs, saving customers the cost of full replacements.

The business now employs 50 staff, twice the number it did when based in Kendal (Image: French and Lamming Media Ltd)

Simon said: "Our technicians are undergoing intensive training with Porsche and are now experts in the latest technology.

"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 per cent 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."

Reflecting on the launch, Simon said: "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."