History
As part of the expansion of electromobility in the Porsche Group, the Porsche Smart Battery Shop was founded in Horná Streda, Slovakia, in February 2022. The company is part of the Porsche Werkzeugbau Group, which consists of Porsche Werkzeugbau GmbH with headquarters in Schwarzenberg (Germany), Porsche Werkzeugbau s.r.o. in Dubnica nad Váhom and Horná Streda (Slovakia) and Porsche Smart Battery Shop s.r.o., also in Horná Streda.
Completion of the production areas is planned for the end of 2023. Series production of the function-integrated batteries will begin in 2024.
Porsche Werkzeugbau GmbH has a history of more than 100 years. The company was founded in 1898 to continue the tradition of metalworking in the Erzgebirge in Germany. The craft business developed in a very short time into a market leader that became known beyond the borders of the region. The company was responsible for the development of cutting and forming tools for the automotive industry, so that it is rightly referred to as the "cradle of large toolmaking" in Germany.
In 1938, the production of tools for the first "VW Beetle", developed by Prof. Dr. Ferdinand Porsche. For the first time in German automobile construction, the roof, rear window, and bonnet were made in one piece.
After the Second World War, the company, which was restructured as VEB Formenbau Schwarzenberg, gained an excellent reputation worldwide and played a key role in determining the development of body tooling in the former GDR. From 1 January 1993, the former Formenbau GmbH Schwarzenberg became KUKA Werkzeugbau Schwarzenberg GmbH and from 2007 operated under the name KUKA Systems GmbH Toolmaking Division.
On 3rd August 2015, the tool room was taken over as a wholly owned subsidiary of Dr. Ing.h.c. F. Porsche AG and has since traded on the market under the brand name Porsche Werkzeugbau GmbH in Schwarzenberg, and as Porsche Smart Battery Shop s.r.o. in Dubnica nad Váhom, Slovakia. It also has a sales unit in China. The Porsche Smart Battery Shop also produces the most comprehensive tools for other well-known car manufacturers. In addition, the range of services from induction to regular maintenance is constantly expanding.
As of 2018, the business area in Slovakia has expanded to include an automated production equipment division located in a newly built plant in Horna Streda.