GM creates global product board

[TuuSaR]

Automotive News:
Pätkitty versio:

GM created the global Automotive Product Board to develop platforms and vehicles useful in many markets.
Move engineering and design work worldwide to offices that have capacity.
Cut costs by creating global platforms and common parts.

Who's on the GM boards?

Automotive Strategy Board
Rick Wagoner, CEO
Bo Andersson, vice president, global purchasing and supply chain
Katy Barclay, vice president, global human resources
Larry Burns, vice president, r&d and strategic planning
Troy Clarke, president, GM Asia Pacific
Gary Cowger, president, GM North America
John Devine, CFO
Eric Feldstein, chairman, GMAC
Tom Gottschalk, general counsel
Fritz Henderson, chairman, GM Europe
Maureen Kempston Darkes, president, GM Latin America, Africa and Middle East
Tom Kowaleski, vice president, communications
Robert Lutz, vice chairman, product development
Tom Stephens, group vice president, GM Powertrain
Ralph Szygenda, chief information officer

Automotive Product Board
Rick Wagoner, CEO
Bo Andersson, vice president, global purchasing and supply chain
Larry Burns, vice president, r&d and strategic planning
Troy Clarke, president, GM Asia Pacific
Gary Cowger, president, GM North America
John Devine, CFO
Fritz Henderson, chairman, GM Europe
Maureen Kempston Darkes, president, GM Latin America, Africa and Middle East
Tom Kowaleski, vice president, communications
Robert Lutz, vice chairman, product development
Jim Queen, vice president, global engineering
John Smith, group vice president, global product planning
Tom Stephens, group vice president, GM Powertrain
Ed Welburn, vice president, global design


The Automotive Product Board will include the company's top global executives. It will have control over which vehicles land in global showrooms in years to come.

The committee plans to cut costs, create innovative niche products and speed up GM's ponderous product development. As the committee centralizes control, regional product development chiefs will lose some power.

A hassle with the Pontiac G6 helped prompt GM to create the committee. GM engineers in North America wanted to create a convertible model. But they couldn't use the Saab 9-3 convertible as the basis for the G6 convertible, even though they share the same platform.

Saab engineers had changed the location of the points on the vehicle that attach it to the assembly line, GM CEO Rick Wagoner said. The board will "clean up those kinds of things," Wagoner said in an interview at the Geneva auto show.

GM had created global platforms including Epsilon, the automaker's platform for mid-sized cars such as the Saab 9-3 and Pontiac G6. But in practice, each region modified Epsilon for regional needs, increasing cost and decreasing commonality.

"We call them all Epsilon, but Saabs can't be built in a German Epsilon plant," Lutz said. "German Epsilons can't be built in a Saab plant. Malibu and G6 couldn't be built in Europe. They are almost the same -- but not quite."

"In the future, we will have differences" in products on the same platform, Lutz said. "But the differences will be 'plug and play,' so that you can plug in this rear suspension or that rear suspension, but it will attach to the same bolt system."

By standardizing more vehicle parts and factory equipment, GM will save money by purchasing parts in higher volumes. GM also will be able to identify trends faster.

"We will be able to build a Buick Epsilon in China, a Saab Epsilon in Korea or the United States," Lutz said. "A German Epsilon in Latin America, Germany and Korea with a minimum lead time. Once we get identical parts, we have these enormous savings in worldwide parts buying."

[tknummelin]

Ja tämä johtaa tietty siihen, että kohta tulevat kaikki autot korkeintaan kahdelta tai kolmelta tehtaalta. Syntyy taas säästöä!

[pertti666]

Ja tämä johtaa tietty siihen, että kohta tulevat kaikki autot korkeintaan kahdelta tai kolmelta tehtaalta. Syntyy taas säästöä!

eikä tulevissa saabeissa ole yhtäainoaa uniikkia saab-komponenttia, miten mahtaa virtalukon käydä? vai tehdäänkö buick-epsilonin keskikonsoliin peitelevy, jonka tilalla saab epsilonissa on plug and play virtalukko ja sitten taas saabin ohjauspylväässä on peitepala jotta vectra epsilonissa voidaan siihen laittaa plug and play virtalukko.

(lievää kärjistystä)