...Table of Contents Executive Summary………………………………………………….2 History of General Motors…………………………………………...3 General Motors Exports to Argentina………………………………3 General Motors Exports to Brazil…………………………………...4 Trade Agreement between South America………………………...5 General Motors and WW II…………………………………………...6 General Motors in South Africa………………………………………7 General Motors in China………………………………………………7 The Chevrolet Brand…………………………………………………..8 Conclusion………………………………………………………………9 Works Cited……………………………………………………………..10 Executive Summary General Motors (GM) is one of the big three auto makers in the world and they have built some of the most famous vehicles on the road which have met all different types of consumer’s needs. General Motors has taken an unexpected turn in the past several years for the worse due to the changing economy that is affecting the world. Many economists claim that the United States has been pressed into a recession that started with the housing crisis in 2008. From this crisis restricted a major banking crisis that has led to financial institutions implementing tighter lending guidelines for businesses. This has greatly affected General Motors since the company relies heavily on short term returns. Out of all the auto making companies during the crisis of falling sales and crashing returns, General Motors was hit the hardest and filed bankruptcy. The fact that General Motors has such a large portfolio is working directly against...
Words: 3578 - Pages: 15
...the “Blue Macaw” Gravatai Plant in Brazil. This plant has revolutionized the auto industry in Brazil by becoming the first plant to sell cars directly from the customer. The plant uses an online ordering system to facilitate sales directly to consumers at a lower cost than before. The plant utilizes a make to order system and has all of its suppliers housed at the GMBG plant working together to produce the vehicles. The case study highlights the history of the Brazilian automotive industry, the GMBG plant itself, the production strategy/manufacturing process as well as the distribution strategy of this revolutionary and profitable division of GM South America. I thought that this was a very interesting and informative case study. I personally love the idea that is used at the GMBG plant in Brazil. The system works perfectly for the type of environment GM is selling their car and for the customer they are selling to. This system has a very significant impact on the supply chain. Not only does the customers ability to order directly from the customer affect the broad supply chain between the focal company and its suppliers, but also this system creates a unique internal supply chain at the manufacturing site itself. From a broad prospective, it has eliminated some of the points along the customer side of the supply chain. GMBG CASE STUDY 1. Having suppliers at the GMBG facility allows GM to improve their production of the Celta. It allows for GM to bring in suppliers that...
Words: 1202 - Pages: 5
...MAKE-TO-ORDER AUTOMOBILES AT GM’S GRAVATAI PLANT Case Study Analysis Executive Summary: This case study emphasizes GM’s Gravatai plant and the Brazilian Auto Industry to sell cars that were made-to-order for customers and connect assembly line and the internet-based sales system. Its purpose is to help bring a revolution to the automotive industry and the establishment of a new production model. The GMBG case study looks at the “Blue Macaw” Gravatai Plant in Brazil. This plant has revolutionized the auto industry in Brazil by becoming the first plant to sell cars directly from the customer. The plant uses an online ordering system to facilitate sales directly to consumers at a lower cost than before. The plant utilizes a make to order system and has all of its suppliers housed at the GMBG plant working together to produce the vehicles. The case study highlights the history of the Brazilian automotive industry, the GMBG plant itself, the production strategy/manufacturing process as well as the distribution strategy of this revolutionary and profitable division of GM South America. Introduction: The core notion was: to sell cars made-to-order for final consumer. This project was considered to be a true landmark for the world’s automotive industry. The Gravatai Plant brought about a true revolution in how cars were made, from its concept to the direct-sale model, through its production management system. The lessons learned during the experiment were relevant because...
Words: 750 - Pages: 3
...19 Make-To-Order Automobiles at GM’s Gravataí Plant 1 Introduction In December 2007, seven years after the launching of the Chevrolet Celta, Roberto Tinoco, the plant director, proudly recalled the inauguration of the Gravataí plant in mid-July 2000, an event that caught the eye of professionals and academia both in Brazil and abroad. The core notion was: to sell cars made-to-order for final consumers. The project, known internally by the handle “blue macaw,” was considered to be a true landmark for the world’s automotive industry. The Gravataí plant brought about a true revolution in how cars were made, from its concept to the direct-sale model, through its production management system. The lessons learned during the experiment were relevant because they contributed to the establishment of a new production model, helping put the world’s automotive industry on a new path. The plant was working at full capacity especially during the first years, and the production during this period is shown in the table below. The extraordinary increase in production in the last seven years is evident. The idea was to deliver a car assembled as per the consumer’s own specifications in the shortest possible time, at a cost lower than that of the traditional make-to-stock mass-production system. Year 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Production 24,007 91,407 109,916 115,304 136,114 135,097 140,994 192,272 The Background of the Brazilian Automotive Industry In the ’90s...
Words: 4800 - Pages: 20
...19 Make-To-Order Automobiles 1 at GM’s Gravataí Plant Introduction In December 2007, seven years after the launching of the Chevrolet Celta, Roberto Tinoco, the plant director, proudly recalled the inauguration of the Gravataí plant in mid-July 2000, an event that caught the eye of professionals and academia both in Brazil and abroad. The core notion was: to sell cars made-to-order for final consumers. The project, known internally by the handle “blue macaw,” was considered to be a true landmark for the world’s automotive industry. The Gravataí plant brought about a true revolution in how cars were made, from its concept to the direct-sale model, through its production management system. The lessons learned during the experiment were relevant because they contributed to the establishment of a new production model, helping put the world’s automotive industry on a new path. The plant was working at full capacity especially during the first years, and the production during this period is shown in the table below. The extraordinary increase in production in the last seven years is evident. The idea was to deliver a car assembled as per the consumer’s own specifications in the shortest possible time, at a cost lower than that of the traditional make-to-stock mass-production system. Year Production 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 24,007 91,407 109,916 115,304 136,114 135,097 140,994 192,272 The Background...
Words: 4812 - Pages: 20
...Tinoco, the plant director, proudly recalls the inauguration of the Gravataí plant in mid-July 2000, an event that caught the eye of professionals and the academia both in Brazil and abroad. The core notion was: To sell cars made to order for final consumers. The project, known internally by the handle “blue macaw,” is considered to be a true landmark for the world’s automotive industry. The Gravataí plant brought about a true revolution in how cars are made, from its concept to the direct-sale model, through its production management system. The lessons learned during the experiment are relevant because they contribute to the establishment of a new production model, helping put the world’s automotive industry on a new path. The plant was working at full capacity especially during the first years, and the production during this period is shown in the following table. The extraordinary increase in production in the last 7 years is evident. The idea was to deliver a car assembled as per the consumer’s own specifications in the shortest possible time, at a cost lower than that of the traditional make-to-stock mass-production system. 2000 Year Production 24,007 2001 91,407 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 109,916 115,304 136,114 135,097 140,994 192,272 The Background of the Brazilian Automotive Industry In the 90s, three big experiments were done in Brazil: The Gravataí GM complex (GMBG), the Ford Camaçari complex, and Volkswagen plant in Resende, each...
Words: 4737 - Pages: 19
...truck and the SG small truck. In 1956 the Toyopet chain was established. The first vehicle to be sold under this name was the Toyopet SA. The product line was discontinued in the 1960s due to negative connotations with the words toy and pet. During the 1960s Toyota opened a new research and development facility as well as establishing a prominent presence in Thailand. During this time Toyota also celebrated the production of its 10 millionth model. In 1982 the Toyota Motor Sales and Toyota Motor Company formed a merger to become one company, the Toyota Motor Corporation. Following this the company entered into a joint venture with General Motors called the New United Motor Manufacturing Incorporated or NUMMI. Toyota operated a manufacturing plant in Fremont, California as part of the deal. In 1989 Toyota launched their new luxury product line Lexus. Toyota then followed this by focusing more on luxury vehicles throughout the 1990s, adding vehicles such as the Camry sport, Scion, Prius and Tundra to their product line. Toyota is currently one of the...
Words: 2837 - Pages: 12
...marched onto the field and began uprooting and destroying a plot of genetically modified (GM) corn. Protesters used bare hands, trimming shears, and a mowing machine to destroy over 4 acres of the 6 acre plot. Farm workers tried to drive protesters away with a mechanical digger and shovels, while the farm manager disabled the mowing machine by ramming it with his tractor, but the protesters continued to demolish the crop field. After fifteen minutes police arrived and managed to break up the riot. The protest led to 30 arrests and 26 injuries (6 police officers, 12 farm workers, 8 protesters) (“GM Protesters”). After 12 more incidents like this one, numerous raids and attacks on food stores and labs selling or producing genetically modified products, the controversy and upset in England has still not reached an end. Around the world the debate on genetically modified food continues. Products containing genetically modified ingredients dominate the grocery shelves, with at least seventy-five percent of processed food products sold in United States grocery stores containing one or more genetically modified ingredients, according to current estimates by The Grocery Manufacturers of America (Ruse and Castle 32; Peters). The acreage of genetically modified crops in the United States is also on the rise. Between 1996 and 2004 the amount of land used to farm genetically modified plants has increased from...
Words: 5994 - Pages: 24
...NUMMI was formed in 1984, from the ashes of a plant that GM had closed in 1982. General Motors reopened the plant, employing many of the same workers who had staffed, according to the United Auto Workers union, the former worst performing plant in the US. Employees of the defunct factory regularly drank on the job, had very high rates of absenteeism, and performed deliberate acts of ‘anti-QA’ sabotage, such as putting empty bottles inside car doors to annoy customers. GM and Toyota had formed NUMMI as a joint venture to satisfy imperatives for both companies; GM needed to learn how to manufacture small cars cost effectively, with high quality standards, and Toyota to learn about producing cars in the US in the face of changing import laws. Some of the American workers were sent to Japan to learn the Toyota Production System, and the results were remarkable. In a massive turnaround, NUMMI almost immediately began producing vehicles to quality standards that rivalled the Toyota factories in Japan that they had learnt from. The emphasis on quality inherent in the TPS, meant that employees became empowered to do things such as stopping the production line when they saw a problem, rather than allowing defects to build up and have to be fixed at a later stage. “I believed that the system was bad, not the people” – Bruce Lee, union representative Initially, the reemployed workers hated the idea of change, until they started going to Japan to view Toyota’s system at work....
Words: 497 - Pages: 2
...attributes. However, GMOs also have adverse effects on animals, the environment and the health of the consumer. In order to understand why GMOs have these effects, it is important to know exactly what a GMO is and how these differ from the normal breeding farmers have done for years. The Free Dictionary defines a GMO as “An organism whose genetic characteristics have been altered using the techniques of genetic engineering.” It goes on to explain that modern science has the ability to modify the genetic makeup of plants and animals. Scientists can even transfer genes from one species to another. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/genetically+modified+organism Advocates of genetically modified organisms say that the use of the gmos could end world hunger they also say we could create plants and animals that are resistant to disease and tolerant to pesticides. They can also engineer plants to be drought resistant. They argue these changes would stop famine because the plants could naturally resist. The proponents use pathos to convince people they have the answer to world hunger. They show you pictures starving people around the world and tell you their “improved” seeds make hunger go away. Perhaps it could but the studies do not prove that yet. In fact, the only feeding study done with humans showed that GMOs survived inside the stomach of the people eating GMO food. This does not mean it is safe for our consumption. No other follow-up studies were done to determine the long term...
Words: 2243 - Pages: 9
...Introduction : Sidharth :--2 slides “ Genetic modification is the use of modern biotechnology techniques to change the genes of an organism, such as a plant or animal”. Passing to albert—2 slides For advantages * It creates resistant plants - to pests, weeds & diseases; * Efficient use of land with less use of pesticide and herbicide. This means that fewer plants are damage, by increasing the quality of the produce; * Longer shelf life; * Increase of productivity – Also, increases in land mean that there is more produce from which to select, resulting in higher quality food being available to the consumer. * Better texture, flavour and nutritional value; For disadvantages * Possibility of humans developing new allergic reactions to the foods; * Disturbance of the natural flow of ourenvironments; * Artificial characteristics can be passed to generations; * Unpredictable health effects; * Insufficient government regulation And information about brazil gm foods Passing to Syrinya-3 slides Sidharth : question about lunch Conclusion : It is clear that genetic modification will enable specific desired characteristics in seeds. We can have crops more quickly with good quality foods. Research or making gm foods is initial stage.it is still recommended more research has to be done. But it is also not recommended to ban it completely.if you take side of only natural things do you really thing that everything from the nature is good??what...
Words: 276 - Pages: 2
...from the government because of the size of the bailout; hence they needed to keep an open eye on these companies to make sure that this large amount of money was being used wisely. One of the ways the government was taking cautions was by examining the actions being taken by Japanese companies (Toyota Motor, Honda Motor and Nissan Motor) facing the same situation without requiring any government bailout. Their response had been the implementation of a more intelligent strategy, for example, Honda Motor reacted by closing down its plants for 13 days to reduce the production of even more cars they were aware they could not sell. Furthermore, Toyota reduced its production cuts and decreased their executive’s salaries. This and many more strategies led the “big three” to take into consideration some of the ideas of their Japanese fellows, for instance, to move some of their operations abroad to save costs. However, it was not an easy plan since the plants in North America are Unionized. As a response, the Unions were not...
Words: 1682 - Pages: 7
...Ghosn Bets Big on Low-Cost Strategy African Plant Underscores Race to Head Off Chinese, Indian Car Makers TANGIERS, Morocco -- The plan by French automotive group Renault SA and Japanese partner Nissan Motor Co. NSANY -0.75% to build a joint assembly plant in this North African port city highlights the accelerating race among global car makers to redefine the meaning of "low cost" for the auto industry, not just for emerging markets but for the developed world as well. With the sort of flourish that has become his trademark, Renault-Nissan Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn flew to Tangiers Saturday, where, in a carpeted tent overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, he signed the draft agreement with Morocco Prime Minister Driss Jetto for the future Tangiers plant. If Renault-Nissan and the Moroccan government can agree on certain key details, the two companies will invest as much as €1 billion ($1.36 billion) to erect one of the largest auto-production facilities on the African continent, designed to feed low-cost cars and trucks to showrooms in Europe, Asia and North America. The plant's initial capacity of 200,000 vehicles per year will increase gradually to 400,000 a year, including variants of Renault's low-cost Logan car line and a new range of $10,000 trucks under development at Nissan, the companies said. The plant is slated to open during the second half of 2010. Mr. Ghosn said moving into the no-frills segment represents a tough challenge. He set a high standard for...
Words: 1519 - Pages: 7
...find that GM foods promise to meet this need and it has been more and more popular not only for the producers but also for the consumers because of its numerous advantages such as pest resistance, lower price, more nutrition and so on. Although it is undeniable that GMO’s (genetically-modified organisms) still have some challenges to overcome including environmental hazards, human health risks and influence on the food chain of our ecosystem, the development of GMO’s will not be stopped since these difficulties are slight. Scientists find that GMO’s promise to meet the needs of a growing population, and has become increasingly popular with producers and consumers a like because of its numerous advantages such as pest resistance, decrease in price, nutritional value and more. But what are GMO’s and GM Food? GMO’s and GM Food are plants that have been modified in the laboratory to enhance desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content. The enhancement of desired traits has traditionally been undertaken through breeding. Genetic engineering, on the other hand, can create plants with the exact desired trait very rapidly and with great accuracy. For example, plant geneticists can isolate a gene responsible for drought tolerance and insert that gene into a different plant. The new genetically-modified plant will gain drought tolerance as well. Not only can genes be transferred from one plant to another, but genes from non-plant organisms...
Words: 1336 - Pages: 6
...TOYOTA’S BUSINESS STRATEGIES IN INTERNATIONAL MARKETS Assist. Mihaela Funaru Ph. D Student University of Braşov Faculty of Economics and Business Administration Braşov, Romania Abstract:Toyota’s success both on the Japanese market and international market due to its desire to make products with high quality. The Japanese believe that nothing is so good that it can not be improved, so they constantly struggle to increase the quality of everything they do. This attitude can be expressed by a single word:”Kaizen”. It means „continuous improvement” and is the key word to guide them towards perfection. This paper presents the strategies of Toyota Company in their attempt to gain supremacy in the international market. JEL classification: M16 Key words: global strategy; international markets; technological innovation; hybrid systems; kaizen 1. TOYOTA MOTOR COMPANY Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) is a multinational company that produces cars, trucks, buses and robots, with headquarters in Toyota City, Japan. Toyota is the largest car manufacturer in Asia and second largest producer. Toyota is one of the three major Asian car manufacturers competing U.S. producers on the world market, the other two are Nissan Motors and Honda Motor. Also the company provides financial services through its subsidiary, Toyota Financial Services, and works in other fields. Automotive products are sold under the names Toyota, Scion and Lexus. Toyota owns a majority stake in Daihatsu...
Words: 3012 - Pages: 13