JUNE 2008
Sportwagon
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VE Sportwagon launch poster inside
NEWS
NEWS
THE
FROM THE
CHAIRMAN’S VIEW So far this year, you’ve heard a lot about our Strategic Plan and our vision of becoming “Australia’s own, competing and winning on the world stage.” This five-year plan is focused on what we need to do to ensure Holden’s long-term sustainability in an extremely competitive global automotive industry. You have to win the battles before you can win the war. The aim of our Holden Battle Plan is to make us a smarter buy than the competition. We can accomplish this by providing three compelling reasons, vehicle by vehicle, to purchase a Holden. First, it’s styling and design – an area where I believe we’re already winning, and the critics generally seem to agree. Second, it’s vehicle performance and the “fun to drive” factor where we also have an edge on the competition. Third, it’s about providing improved technical content and option packages that are appealing to our customers. This is why we’re moving quickly to provide a range of fuel saving and alternative fuel technologies for the Australian market that include LPG, ethanol, SIDI, diesel, active fuel management, and hybrid strategies. You’ll hear more about this as we finalise our plans. In addition, we seek to remove the reasons customers might have for not buying Holden. Always improving the perceived quality of our vehicles tops the list. Several stories in this issue of People will discuss the progress made by employees across the business in this regard. I’ve visited a number of dealerships and have observed the opportunity to make our customers’ buying experience a lot better. While some dealers set a benchmark in this area, others have work to do. Fixing this problem is a priority. The sometimes “blokey” image of Holden is another thing we aim to improve as we develop creative ways to reach out to female buyers and rekindle the emotional bond consumers still have with our iconic Aussie brand – a true competitive advantage for us. We’ve been there before, let’s get there again. Announcing the timeframe for ending Family II engine production last month was difficult but necessary as our GM export customers move to more technologically advanced four cylinder engines. Our focus going forward is on providing world-class Global V6 engines for local and global markets and growing the business where we can. The road back to leadership begins with the launch of Sportwagon and the full point of market share we plan to win back with that vehicle. It’s great to be on the offense with new product, and it’s the start of a broader call to action. Let’s make the Lion roar!
Mark Reuss Chairman and Managing Director
BOARDROOM Richard Miziewicz Executive Director Customer Satisfaction and Quality
Since adding Customer Satisfaction and Quality to my other role of Director, Validation and Warranty in February this year, I have received letters and emails from customers who have had bad experiences with either the quality of a Holden product or the service provided by our dealers. Responding to these dissatisfied customers is not something I enjoy. But the other day I received a letter from a woman who has had a great experience with her car and is now looking forward to buying another Holden. She is evidence of the great strength and loyalty built around the Holden brand. Our ability to retain that strength is very much dependent on our quality image, right across every facet of our business. Holden is a global company, and globally we want to be best in segment in every market we participate in by 2012. Everyone needs to understand that they can contribute by dealing with issues with a sense of urgency and really knowing their product and their customer. Whether you are working on the production line, processing a purchase order in Finance or in IS&S ensuring that people have the equipment they need to do their job, everyone can contribute. I have been at Holden for 33 years, starting as a young buck straight out of University. I am extremely proud of this company for giving a lot of people opportunities. I want to make sure that on my watch we are going to continue to succeed. This requires a commitment to quality by all of our people, all of the time.
Anniversary Souvenir Employees can collect their own piece of anniversary memorabilia in the form of a commemorative pin distributed with your copy of People Magazine. The pin is part of ongoing celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of the first all Australian designed and built car, the legendary 48-215 in Gawler Cream that rolled off the production line in 1948. Acclaimed as the most important car in Australian automotive history, the 48-215 symbolised our coming of age as a nation and reignited industry following the war years. It was the first chapter in a long, proud Holden history in automotive manufacture.
COVER PHOTO: Tammy Borg and Tim Roberts from General Assembly are just two of the team building the all-new Holden Sportwagon that is now in full production at Elizabeth. Story Page 3
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Sportwagon Loads of Appeal Danny Alfino Area Leader General Assembly, “Sportwagon has meant that every line has work to do above and beyond their normal job. I think we’ve got it down now where people can do what they need to within their line cycle to achieve not only the build, but also the instation quality.”
Ron Stevens
Sportwagon, the very latest offering in the acclaimed Holden VE Commodore line-up, is now in full production. The first of the anticipated 12,000 vehicles to be built over the next 12 months rolled off the production line on June 11. Executive Director Manufacturing, Rod Keane, said Sportwagon reinforced volume commitment for the Elizabeth assembly plant where expectations for the exciting evolution of the Holden wagon are high. “Sportwagon has some unique visual appeal. It’s created lots of interest in the plant, and we expect an extremely positive response from the market. It is certainly going to focus customers’ attention back on the large car market,” Rod said. “The fact that this vehicle is built in the footprint of a sedan of today is a departure from our traditional wagons which have always been long wheel base versions of the short wheel base sedan,” he added. Successful start of production of Sportwagon brings particular satisfaction to Program Launch Manager Ron Stevens and his team. Sportwagon continues a busy string of launch programs including Ute last September and Pontiac G8 in November. “VE has been out in the market for two years in August. So much time has gone that it really is great to have another product that is going to capture
people’s attention and drive them into dealerships,” Ron said. “I think we can put something in front of the people who buy a Mercedes, BMW or Audi in particular that says we offer a car that gives a little bit more value for the money in that it’s a little bit bigger, certainly drives like a sedan and it looks good. People with a family or business can have a nice looking car that serves the other practical functions,” Ron said. “Sportwagon takes the wagon into excitement car territory. If the enthusiasm internally for the car translates to customer enthusiasm, then we are looking at a lot of interest and sales,” he added. Executive Director of Sales, Marketing and Aftersales, Alan Batey, said the new Sportwagon offered buyers more choice and more features to enhance its appeal to private and business customers. With seven models to choose from, the range boasts more than twice the offering of the previous Holden VZ wagon offer. “The extended VE range offers real choices in practicality and flexibility to both the business buyer and Aussie families. “With safety features such as ESP and six airbags as standard across the range, many potential buyers will see this as a great value car which ticks all the right boxes,” Alan said. PEOPLE
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Rebecca Williams Trim line General Assembly “It’s’ great to build - goes together really well. Judging by the reaction of my friends and family, I think it will sell really well.”
Kaher Kazem Vehicle Operations Area Manager “This is truly a globally competitive car from a quality perspective Employees are not just engaged in improving the quality of the vehicle but also in improving efficiency in terms of building the car. Not only do we want to build be best quality car, but also want to build a car that is cost competitive.”
NEWS
NEWS
Back to the future Memories of the past combined with messages for the future during celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of GM Holden’s manufacturing plant in Elizabeth, South Australia. Thursday, May 8 marked 50 years to the day since the first concrete was poured to commence construction of Plant 1, Hardware on the 123 hectare site in 1958. Premier of South Australia, Mike Rann, community partners and local school children joined senior Holden executives and employees to mark the occasion. A time capsule crammed with assorted memorabilia was buried
beneath a commemorative plaque. The capsule contents included a production worker’s shirt, emblems and brochures for the current range of locally built cars, drawings from children at nearby Elizabeth Grove Primary School, a Central District Football Club members’ badge, People magazine, HVO Communicator, and a computer memory stick loaded with historic information. How computers of the future will deal with current technology will all be revealed when the capsule is opened at the 75th anniversary of the Elizabeth plant in 2033.
Ken Sykes
Alternatives to Leadership
Jon Dennis
An Australian fuel for Australia’s favourite car is just one of the alternative fuels and technologies that GM Holden is looking to offer motorists in the future. Commodores powered by dedicated liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is one scenario seen as having strong potential among the high level team of engineers and planners exploring various technologies aimed at delivering more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly Holden vehicles and engines. Shorter term, motorists will be able to benefit from Active Fuel Management being introduced to all new Holden V8 petrol engines. Other improvements to Holden’s V6 petrol vehicles are also to be announced. The introduction of more diesel models into the Holden range also continues. Diesel, ethanol, and hybrid technologies are all clearly visible in the crystal ball that Portfolio Planning Manager, Ken Sykes and the team are staring hard at. “This is an incredibly exciting juncture in Holden history, and the rate of change in our product discussions is phenomenal,” Ken said. “The challenge of fuel prices rising faster than anyone expected really has put the spotlight on the need to find
alternatives to foreign oil. At Holden, we are not focussing on any one particular technology, rather a range of solutions because we believe there is no silver bullet to meet the rapidly changing landscape that lies ahead,” he said. Media attention around Toyota’s recent announcement of a production Hybrid vehicle has furher heightened public interest in Holden’s own plans to reduce dependence on oil. “We were not surprised that Toyota is doing that car and we welcome the support that the Government is putting behind the industry which is Australia’s second biggest exporter and a major employer. Here at Holden and within GM globally, we have our own strategy. We know where we are looking to go. We do have a plan,” Ken said. Part of that plan could see dedicated LPG vehicles rolling off the production line at Elizabeth. “This is a major strategic initiative that will go well beyond just developing a car. It has implications for the whole LPG business - infrastructure, tax, everything. Our plan is to develop an LPG monofuel vehicle that is specifically designed to run on LPG - no compromises. It would be good for CO2, efficient to operate and relatively low cost. LPG makes sense for the mass market. It is an
Mike Rann and Rod Keane
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Australian solution for Australia’s own car,” Ken said. Exploring alternative fuel technologies is critical to securing the future of GM Holden, Commodore and Holden engines. GM Holden has already taken a leadership role in adopting ethanol technology. All VE Commodores are E10 compatible, and an E24 Commodore is exported to Brazil. And there’s more to come. “I have no doubt that if we get as little as 30 per cent of what we are working up across the line, we will be making a very clear grab at the leadership in fuel efficient vehicles and I’m not just talking about Commodore, but across the full range of vehicles we sell. “I know some people think there’s this big space of nothing going on. But that’s what planning is about, it’s usually happening out of sight, and it’s great when we can bring it out like this and get people energised,” Ken said. “In the past, having worked at Ford, Jaguar Cars and Mitsubishi Motors, I can say that this period, and what I am involved with here, is absolutely the most dynamic period that I’ve been through in my 25 years of automotive experience. This is an incredibly exciting time,” he added.
MAY SALES
NEWS
GM HOLDEN OVERVIEW
INDUSTRY OVERVIEW
• Holden sold 11,118 vehicles in May, to finish in second place with 12.5 per cent market share, behind Toyota with 23.4 per cent of the market.
• May was a flat month compared to the same month last year, but year-todate the market was up 16,875 units.
• Commodore regained its title as Australia’s best-selling passenger car for the month. • Captiva held its place in the top 10 of the SUV segment with sales of 918 units.
MARKET LEADERS
• The large car segment continued to contract, down 875 units compared to May 2007. • The SUV segment grew slightly during the month, up 2.3 per cent with sales of 17,279.
MARKET LEADERS
(MAY)
TOYOTA TOYOTA 20,754 20,754
TOYOTA TOYOTA 101,816 101,816
HOLDEN HOLDEN 11,118 11,118
HOLDEN HOLDEN 55,155 55,155
FORD FORD 9,650 9,650
FORD FORD 44,183 44,183
MAZDA MAZDA 6,530 6,530
MAZDA MAZDA 34,969 34,969
MITSUBISHI MITSUBISHI 5,134 5,134
MITSUBISHI MITSUBISHI 26,831 26,831
NISSAN NISSAN 5,073 5,073
NISSAN NISSAN 25,448 25,448
HONDA HONDA 4,503 4,503
HONDA HONDA 23,951 23,951
HYUNDAI HYUNDAI 4,912 4,912
HYUNDAI HYUNDAI 18,970 18,970
SUBARU SUBARU 3,217 3,217
SUBARU SUBARU 16,690 16,690
KIAKIA 1,770 1,770
(2008)
Andrew Holmes
KIAKIA 9,041 9,041
0 0
5,000 5,000
10,000 10,000
15,000 15,000 20,000 20,000
0 0
20,000 20,00040,000 40,00060,000 60,00080,000 80,000 100,000 100,000
HOLDEN CAR LINES
BARINA May 2008 sales: May 2007 sales: 2008 YTD sales: 2007 YTD sales:
952 928 5,299 5,246
VIVA May 2008 sales: May 2007 sales: 2008 YTD sales: 2007 YTD sales:
434 605 2,935 3,521
ASTRA May 2008 sales: May 2007 sales: 2008 YTD sales: 2007 YTD sales:
1,487 1,520 6,427 8,495
ASTRA twin May 2008 sales: May 2007 sales: 2008 YTD sales: 2007 YTD sales:
171 237 839 1,021
UTE (inc. one tonner & crewman) May 2008 sales: 1,112 May 2007 sales: 1,035 2008 YTD sales: 6,112 2007 YTD sales: 4,365
COMMODORE May 2008 sales: 4,215 May 2007 sales: 5,001 2008 YTD sales: 19,049 2007 YTD sales: 24,495
STATESMAN May 2008 sales: May 2007 sales: 2008 YTD sales: 2007 YTD sales:
86 166 691 886
CAPRICE May 2008 sales: May 2007 sales: 2008 YTD sales: 2007 YTD sales:
RODEO May 2008 sales: May 2007 sales: 2008 YTD sales: 2007 YTD sales:
COMBO May 2008 sales: May 2007 sales: 2008 YTD sales: 2007 YTD sales:
90 61 413 391
HUMMER H3 May 2008 sales: May 2007 sales: 2008 YTD sales: 2007 YTD sales:
1,531 1,685 6,999 7,447
Safety First
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top
77 123 394 616
EPICA May 2008 sales: May 2007 sales: 2008 YTD sales: 2007 YTD sales:
43 480 1,295 659
CAPTIVA May 2008 sales: May 2007 sales: 2008 YTD sales: 2007 YTD sales:
918 971 4,695 3,966
SAAB May 2008 sales: May 2007 sales: 2008 YTD sales: 2007 YTD sales:
122 188 592 812
Electronic Stability Program, better known as simply ESP, is being phased in as a standard across the Holden line-up. Holden already offers this sophisticated safety technology as a standard feature on every one of its locally produced VE Commodore and WM Statesman and Caprice models and is committed to expanding this to include all imported vehicles as they become available. Program Engineering Manager, Andrew Holmes has lived and breathed ESP since its early days and knows
well the safety merits of the technology that research suggests reduces single car accidents by up to 30 per cent. This high-powered version of the anti-lock I think that the best part about this job is that we drive home what we’ve built every day. It’s nice to know that this company has the strength of conviction to be first.
braking system modulator uses the brakes to correct the vehicles path in an emergency situation. Put simply, it can read the intended path of the car by the angle of the steering wheel and, using wheel speed and other sensors, can detect the path the car is actually travelling and take corrective action. “When Holden introduced this technology on a base model Commodore, it was a strong statement that safety does not have to be a luxury option,”Andrew said. Holden has a long, proud history when it comes to safety innovation. Its products were at the front of the grid when it came to standard fitment of seatbelts and driver and passenger airbags in Australian-built vehicles. It is a reputation that Andrew is proud of. “Leading is the hardest thing to do because it comes with risk. What if you are wrong? What if the market chooses the competitor’s product because it’s cheaper when it doesn’t offer this technology?” Andrew said. “I think that the best part about this job is that we drive home what we’ve built every day. It’s nice to know that this company has the strength of conviction to be first. Typically, in this area of safety, we try to do that. Making a commitment to phasing in ESP as standard across the range continues Holden’s leadership in the important area of safety,” he added.
Feedback Welcomed GM Holden employees can now share feedback about the performance of their Holden cars through the Company Vehicle Evaluation Program. Launched in May, the initiative encourages employees to participate in the quest for quality according to Managing Engineer for Imported Program Quality, Chris Waring. “One of the most important things we do is to collect information from our customers about their experiences with our products. The New Vehicle Quality Survey is the primary source of external feedback. The Company Vehicle Evaluation Program allows us to tap into our employees who drive our vehicles, to get their feedback as well,” Chris said. Employees are also encouraged to share their perspective on how they believe the source of irritation to them could be corrected or changed. “We can see that this is going to speed up our problem solving. There’s plenty of passion to give feedback, and this allows us to conduct problem
investigations quickly. We review this feedback every week, follow up with individuals if necessary, and then translate the information into technical language that appropriate people can use to root cause and in turn, solve problems,” Chris said.
Further information and access to the program can be obtained from the Socrates-Australia Quality website or at: www.gm-CVEP.com
Rob Davies and Ben Lasry share feedback on Ben’s lease car
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FEATURE
FEATURE
When it comes to quality, you are never there. Whatever your expectation was yesterday it is well and truly unacceptable today and deadly for tomorrow. We have to continue to aim in many cases well above our current ability to execute so that we are keeping in front of those rising customer expectations.
Quest for Quality Quality. It is one of the pillars on which GM
Holden plans to take its business forward. It is a topic on everyone’s lips. But who owns it? How do individual jobs in disparate corners of the company impact on customer perceptions of Holden quality, and where do employees think the greatest improvements can be made. People asked a range of employees to share their views on these and other important matters in the continuing quest for quality.
Richard Miziewicz
Quality is about all of the people all of the time. If we apply the 80/20 rule we won’t necessarily succeed. That will just give us parity with the other players in the industry. For us to be best in segment, we have to get it 100 per cent right and tackle all of the issues we need to do that. Everyone needs to understand that they can contribute to that outcome. From a validation point of view, if a problem goes into production, it is my job to fix it. However,
I want to move from remediation to prevention. Remediation means that the customer is telling us that we have a problem and we have to fix it. Prevention means that we identified a potential problem and fixed it before we went into production. That’s where we have to put more of our time and energy. Richard Miziewicz Executive Director, Customer Service and Quality and Director Validation and Warranty missing and there are no gross fits or finishes.
Nick Baloglou
It’s our job as the senior leadership group in manufacturing to ensure that the manufacturing teams have the processes, tools and systems capability to build the car right first time in station to achieve total customer satisfaction. That means that everything works, nothing is
The production and quality teams have been trained to go through their own in-station checking processes according to very specific, structured benchmarks around customer priority items. If they identify a problem and have reached the end of the road trying to solve something themselves by following the problem solving process, then it is our job to ensure that there is an escalation process to engage the technical groups from manufacturing engineering, quality, or vehicle assembly engineering to help fix the problem. Nick Baloglou Director of Quality, Vehicle Operations
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Clint Robertson
Our role is to find and raise issues with the product as early as possible by testing prototype vehicles. The more issues that are resolved at prototype stage means there are less issues that the customer is likely to come across in the field. I think that Engineering, CS&Q and Manufacturing have the biggest influence on the vehicle’s quality, and there are great opportunities in each of those areas to make a difference.
Alaynna Maroney
Part of my work in HR is to provide guidance and tools to ensure we effectively attract, manage and develop the building blocks of our organisation, its people. Customer perception of Holden quality, I believe, is driven by not only a first class product, but also the capability and passion of all the people involved in getting that product to the customer. Great people make a great car, which I believe ultimately I have some impact on! I believe that the people in all areas of the business need to be responsible for what they do, and how they build the highest standard of quality into their work every day. As our reputation extends into the local and global markets, its incumbent upon us all to represent Holden as a brand of superior quality. Alaynna Maroney HR Associate –Global RWD, P&PM, Corporate Affairs and Talent Management
Clint Robertson Senior Interior, Electrical & HVAC systems Durability Engineer PG
If you were to buy yourself the World’s Best Television, how many defects would you expect it to have? I am pretty sure you would all answer zero. Our Mission at HEO is “World’s Best Engines” which of course means zero defects. Whilst we have made significant improvements in our quality levels over the last few years, we are still a long way from zero defects. There are two Powertrain plants currently that have had zero defects for the past six months so it can be done, but to get there requires all of us to be focussed, all the time on quality. I look forward to the day when all of us at HEO can proclaim that we truly make the World’s Best Engines. Dave Woodroffe Manager Quality Systems Holden Engine Operations
In manufacturing, we have to make sure that the systems and processes that we put in place and the training that we give our people will always achieve a quality outcome first time. If the customer has to come back with a problem, then the person we rely on for our future hasn’t been satisfied. Rod Keane Executive Director Manufacturing
Holden’s National Distribution Centre has a major influence on Holden’s reputation as a brand of Quality. Service and accessory parts must be supplied to customers, correct to order, first time, to ensure customer satisfaction. Dr Kathleen Muscat Quality Assurance and Industrial Engineering Manager HSPO
I don’t believe in one area taking all the responsibility for quality. Across all departments we need to take ownership of delivering quality, from Engineering to Production and of course Marketing. The total company owns the brand and we need to reflect a high level of quality in all we do. Teresa Basile Marketing Manager, Light Commercial Vehicles
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Howard Schulz
A matter of perception Have you ever loved the styling of a car but been disappointed by its finish and feel when you got into the showroom. Maybe the driver controls felt cheap or looked poorly manufactured? Welcome to the world of perceptual quality, the experience according to your senses; what you see, feel, hear, smell.- the world of Howard Schulz, Manager Design Appearance Quality. Howard’s global design experience includes GME Frankfurt, VW Advanced design Berlin and Ford Design Melbourne. He heads up a GM Holden team that works with the designers to ensure the finished product has good perceptual quality. They focus on every visible and functional detail of the vehicle ensuring it is finished to a level equal to or better than its competitors. “If the customer is delighted with their showroom experience, they will have confidence that the product is well designed, well engineered, and well built and make a positive emotional decision to purchase the vehicle,” Howard said.
PEOPLE
PEOPLE Natalie Cymbalista
whodoesthat?
Natalie Cymbalista
How serious do you think Holden is about customer service? Extremely serious. We have very strict service levels and commitment time frames to get back to customers which have to be adhered to. Where do you take a customer complaint? The most important factor is to be able to ascertain the customer’s concern and know who to contact within Holden. This can either be done through liaising with the dealerships, technical assistance, the Holden Area Representatives and if the need arises requesting the field engineer attend the dealership. It is imperative to ensure the customers concerns are dealt with in a prompt and professional manner. It is also very important to keep the
Customer Assistance
customer updated on any progress that is made on the case. Is customer passion perhaps a sign of the importance of their cars to them? Yes that’s very true. Holden customers are very passionate about their cars. We are dealing with businesses that have a fleet of vehicles, working families, single mums who need their car for their children, disabled drivers – to try and understand where the customer is coming from, and try and meet their individual needs. Do you feel any responsibility for Holden brand quality? Yes, especially if you have multiple cars with the same problem. You know that there is a quality issue and feel a sense of responsibility to investigate and rectify. How big and accessible is the CAS team? David McMurray heads up the group with three other managers and a staff of about 40. There are 19 at the front desk taking inbound enquiries. There are another 16 who take the escalated cases, and then Enver Nedjip and Ben Cross who work as customer liaison points for the Managing
Director and Board of Directors. We also have two full time quality assurance staff, two team leaders and one training and recruitment officer. We’re here from 8 am – 7 pm weekdays and half a day on Saturday. Individually, we run with our own cases and are always available throughout the day to assist other team members when required. How hard is it being in the frontline? We do cop a fair amount of abuse but it’s a matter of being able to empathise with customer frustrations, try and assist as best as possible and also not to take customers frustration personally. Can you recall a best and worst day in your two years here? I have several best days, the first being my first day, the opportunity to work for such a large organisation as Holden. The opportunity to gain the wealth of knowledge that I have gained to date, the day I was promoted from Front Desk to Back Desk. Worst day? I don’t recall any bad days, I take each day as it comes. How do you unwind? I walk every night after work in Port Melbourne, that helps me to unwind.
Down Under Dave Radio Ham, Dave Rose
Dave Rose travels regularly to parts of the world that many haven’t even heard of. Dave is a Work Group Leader on night shift in the Body Shop whose passion for radio communications has led to friendships with like-minded radio hams all over the world. His most recent group of airwave friends have more than High Frequency and Voice Over Internet technology in common. Ironically, amid the 170,000 registered users of the Echolink system in more than 158 countries, Dave has stumbled on a GM connection. “I was using Echolink early last year when I came across the General Motors Amateur Radio Club (GMARC) in Detroit, Michigan. I connected up to the GMARC by chance just before their
weekly information net. I was hooked. I love Holden and GM and this was great,” Dave, now an honorary member of GMARC, said. “I have stayed connected and really enjoy talking to fellow hams in Detroit discussing radio stuff and also things related to General Motors. They call me Down Under Dave and if I miss a week they tell me that the club members using the repeater ask ‘what happened to Dave this week,” he said. Dave’s passion for amateur radio is matched by his love for the company he has worked with for the past 10 years. He proudly forwarded Billion Dollar Baby DVDs to Detroit and delighted in feedback that Australia is producing a world-class car. “I enjoy my work very much and I aim to make the Holden name more familiar with not only my friends in Detroit, but with everyone I speak to wherever they may be all around the world,” Dave said. “When I first connected into the GMARC last year I was surprised to learn that most of the guys had not heard of GM Holden and had no idea that there was even a plant in Australia.
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I’ve told them all about the company, our products and where we export. They were very keen to learn that Australia produced the Pontiac GTO and excited about the G8,” he said. GMARC was established in the 1990s when the company agreed to host the club’s repeater equipment on top of GM world headquarters, free of charge. Since then, membership has been thrown open to all radio enthusiasts with any licensed ham free to participate in the latest GMARC information net and radio news. The club also provides emergency communications for a range of charities including OnStar which is located on the 27th floor of GM’s global headquarters in Detroit. Dave invites licensed amateur radio enthusiasts within Holden to contact him for further information about the club. “Maybe we could form a GM Holden net or co-ordinate one into the weekly GMARC net in Detroit. The boundaries are endless and we could bridge the gap between GM in Detroit and GM Holden in Australia,” he said. Dave’s call sign is VK5MRD.
me
Michael Beauchesne
AND MY CAR
Michael Beauchesne has only been part of the Holden Paint Shop team for five years, but he appreciates more than many plant veterans the benefits of working for Australia’s own car company. Recently, Michael took up the company’s offer of complimentary use of two luxury WM Statesmans to chauffeur bridesmaids and groomsmen to his son, Cory’s, wedding at Cummins House near Glenelg.
GM Holden invites full-time employees with more than three months service and a current driver’s licence to use its wedding cars free of charge. The cars are exclusively reserved for weddings of employees or their children. Further information: Jacinta Shirley (SA) Aldo Schiano (VIC)
“It is a wonderful idea that employees are allowed access to these luxury cars, but so many people don’t know about it,” Michael said. “When I first booked them, they were using WL Statesmans and there were no plans to upgrade but I was more than happy. When I phoned a month before the wedding to check everything was in order, Jacinta (Shirley) said they had just updated the wedding cars to the latest WM
Jacinta Shirley and the WM Statesman wedding cars
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model. That was even better! They are just so effortless, smooth and quiet to drive. I drove one car and one of the groomsman, who is 6’5” , drove the other. He was so impressed and said this was the car for him,” Michael said. And with another son Joel, an electrician who works in the Holden Press Shop, and a daughter 19, you can be sure Michael Beauchesne will know where to go for cars if and when they choose to tie the knot.
GLOBAL
ON THE MOVE
onthemove
GLOBAL Backstage and Plugged in
GMnext is going backstage at some of the world’s biggest rock festivals this year, providing music fans with exclusive access through a series of videos, photos and blog updates. ‘GMnext Plug In’ is a celebration of a 100+ year relationship between cars and music, hosted by Kyle Gass, who plays alongside Jack Black in the band Tenacious D. Kyle will travel to six continents, share the stage with more than 300 bands and experience 500,000 music fans on his global tour. Such acts include Metallica, Incubus, Foo Fighters, Rage Against the Machine, Radiohead and Panic at the Disco. Kyle’s Plug In reports will be posted at PlugIn.GMnext.com, which also offers information on the festivals and other related stories. Site visitors can also post their own festival and band photos and videos on the site. GM Hybrids in Dubai General Motors has delivered its first hybrid vehicles in the Middle East to the Government of Dubai and the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). The vehicles include the Chevrolet Tahoe hybrid and the Chevrolet Malibu hybrid, part of a 12-month trial using the vehicles as public taxis that could eventually lead to one of the largest hybrid fleets in the world. The Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid offers full-size SUV functionality with lower emissions and 50 per cent better fuel economy in city driving than its petrol-only sibling. The Malibu Hybrid - Chevrolet’s first production hybrid car, delivers lower exhaust emissions as well as the highest fuel economy of any Malibu model.
Transforming GM GM Chairman and CEO, Rick Wagoner has announced a range of strategic initiatives that GM will take to aggressively respond to market challenges and growing demand for fuel-efficient vehicles. “Our goal is not just to return GM to profitability, but to structure GM globally for sustained profitability and growth,” Rick said. Citing the Chevrolet Volt as just one of the major initiatives to achieve this goal, Rick said it was the biggest step yet in the industry’s departure from the historic, virtually complete reliance on petroleum to power vehicles. GM at Shanghai World Expo GM and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp will build a joint corporate pavilion under the theme of Sustainable Mobility at World Expo 2010. Exhibits will showcase their vision for the coexistence of people, motor vehicles and roads in the cities of the future through reinvention of the automotive industry. President and Managing Director of GM China, Kevin Wale, said the pavilion will be a great attraction and demonstrate GM’s cutting-edge technology to help build a cleaner, safer and less congested society. World Expo 2010 Shanghai will begin on May 1, 2010 with organisers hoping to attract 70 million visitors from 200 nations. The Expo’s focus will be on how to create an eco-friendly society and maintain the sustainable development of human beings, whilst also promising to have the largest participation in the history of World Expositions. Record May for GM Daewoo GM Daewoo sold 14,239 vehicles in Korea in May. This was a record for the month and the second highest monthly domestic sales in the company’s history. GM Daewoo Vice President of Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing, Rick LaBelle, said the reintroduction of the Damas and Labo mini commercial vehicles had been pivotal in the upswing of sales. Demand also rose for GM Daewoo’s other fuel-efficient models, including the Matiz, Gentra and Gentra X.
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Blistering Cadillac CTS-V Cadillac’s upcoming new 2009 CTS-V has completed a lap of the legendary Nordschleife at Germany’s Nurburgring circuit, in 7:59.32. This is the fastest ever time publicly documented for a production sedan. Cadillac is nearing the completion of testing for the limited-edition highperformance CTS-V model based on the award-winning CTS sport sedan. Director of vehicle integration and an acclaimed racing driver, John Heinricy, piloted the CTS-V through its sub-eight minute lap. The car had no performance modifications outside of those planned for consumer production. You can find video of the car’s breakthrough Nordschleife performance online at: http://cadillac.gmblogs.com New Brand Shine for Opel
When the Opel Insignia debuts in July at the London Motor Show it will sport a refinement that heralds a new era for Opel in innovation, technology and design. The Opel ‘Blitz’ is one of the most recognisable brand logos in Europe and has adorned the company’s vehicles since 1963. The updated ‘Blitz’ logo integrates the Opel name into a wider border that circles the trademark lightning bolt. It has a more sculpted design with spherical surfaces that give the emblem threedimensional depth.
Peter Keley
Peter Keley returns to GM Holden to join the Senior Leadership Team as Executive Director, Planning. Peter moves from New Zealand where he was Managing Director – Holden New Zealand, for two and a half years. As Executive Director, Planning, Peter will report to Vice President of Asia Pacific Product Planning / Program Management, Lowell Paddock and GM Holden Chairman and Managing Director, Mark Reuss. Peter started at GM Holden in 1983 as a co-op student in Finance. He has held many roles in sales and marketing teams including: Business Manager, District Sales Manager, Product Planner, Filed Executive – Western Australia and Marketing Manager – Forward Planning and Director of Export. In another homecoming, Mark Polglaze returns to the GM Holden Human Resources department as Director – Human Resources, after serving as HR Director – Product Development Organisation in North America. The upcoming Enterprise Bargaining Agreement negotiations will be one of Mark’s main responsibilities in his new position. Mark joined GM Holden in 2000 and has held several senior positions, including an international assignment in which he played a key role within the North American Labor Relations team’s industrial negotiations.
Jason Laird has returned to GM Holden to take up the position of Executive Director of Corporate Affairs. Jason returns from an 18 month assignment in Shanghai where he was GM Asia Pacific’s Associate Director of Product and Technology Communications. As Executive Director of Corporate Affairs, Jason is a member of the GM Holden Senior Leadership Team. He remains a member of the GM Asia Pacific Communications Strategy Board, reporting to Mark Reuss and Vice President of Asia Pacific Communications, Rob Leggat. Jason joined GM Holden in 2001 as National Manager of Corporate Communications in the Corporate Affairs department and became National Manager of Media Relations in 2002 Bob Pantano will continue to lead GM Holden program management activities for Holden and Global Zeta Programs as Executive Director, Program Management. Bob had previously performed a dual role as Executive Director, Planning and Program Management. Bob will report to Executive Director, Global Program Management, Rick Spina, Global Vehicle Line Executive, Global RWD, Gene Stefanyshyn and Mark Reuss. Emily Perry is off to Turin, Italy to take up her new position of Director of Communications – GM Powertrain Europe. Emily will be responsible for developing and delivering internal and external communication strategies for GM Powertrain Europe and ensure strong alignment with the global Powertrain organisation. She takes over from Karl Mauer, and will now report to Dave Roman, Director GME Technology & Design Communications. Emily joined GM Holden in 2004 as the Communications Manager – Victoria and has held subsequent roles as the PR and Events Manager for Saab and most recently was promoted to Communications Manager – GM Premium Brands, responsible for Saab, HUMMER and Cadillac in Australia and New Zealand. Simon Carr succeeds Peter Keley as Managing Director – Holden New Zealand, effective August 1 2008. Simon moves from his role as Director, National Fleet which he has held for two years. In this new role, Simon will report to Executive Director
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Jason Laird
Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing, Alan Batey. Simon joined GM Holden in 2001 as Marketing Manager – Recreational Vehicles and Larger Combination Vehicles, following years of experience in the UK automotive industry. The Fleet group will report to John Elsworth, VSSM Director of Sales, until a replacement for Simon is announced. Meanwhile, National Manager of Government Relations and Public Policy Samantha Read has taken on the expanded role of Associate Director - Government Relations and Public Policy. Reporting to Jason Laird, Samantha will continue to foster a government and public policy environment which supports GM Holden’s current and future business plans. Former Manager – Business and Visualisation, Martin Wood has been appointed to a newly created role of Manager Global Design Strategy. With his main focus on achieving the 2008 Global Design Objectives, Martin will also be coordinating with other global design leaders to scope Design’s strategic objectives for 2009 and beyond. Martin reports to Mark Leavy (Leader 1), Global Director – Design Operations and Tony Stolfo (Leader 2), Holden Design Director. Martin joined Holden Design in 1996 and has most recently managed the Business Operations and Visualisation team.
SERVICE HONORS
SERVICE HONORS 15 YEARS
40 YEARS
10 YEARS continued
Chris Saville
April 8
Steve Duri
April 19
Timothy Osborne
April 28
Jason Seed
June 9
Budimir Pavic
May 10
Rino Poppa
April 19
Darren Randall
April 28
Nicole Hamilton
June 10
Alexander McGregor
May 22
Gary Moore
April 19
Michael Roos
April 28
Paul Klebanowski
June 11
Luigi Trubiani
May 27
George Vamvoukos
April 19
Dru Hudson
April 28
Brendan Scott
June 15
Alan Davies
May 4
Chris Swanson
April 28
Carrie Hughes
June 16
Alexander Schuurmans
May 4
Martha Oplopiadis
April 28
Alan Topsfield
June 16
Mariano Martinez
May 4
Andrew Leahey
May 5
Natalie Tuting
June 16
Mark Normington
May 4
Domenico Panuccio
May 5
Leanne Orbanic
June 16
Janice Curnow
May 4
Shannan Unsworth
May 5
Marcus Newlands
June 16
Paul Deen
May 11
Shirley Paterson
May 5
Michael McCluskey
June 16
David Tilbrook
May 11
Adam Roberts
May 5
Shane Matthews
June 16
Cuong Duong
May 12
Vanessa Britt
May 11
Teresa Boyd
June 22
Huu NghiaTran
May 12
Domenic Cornetta
May 11
Gregory Zimmermann
June 22
Carl Gillespie
May 12
Gordon Brook
May 12
Kristie Reek
June 22
Raymond Derrett
May 18
Travis Mortimer
May 12
Neil Whitehead
June 22
Michael Nesbitt
May 25
Steven Herbert
May 12
Matthew Mason
June 23
Hakan Dogan
May 28
Lindsay Mitchell
May 18
Scott Van Den Berg
June 23
Adam Lee
June 16
Kym Woodroofe
May 19
Lucinda Gregory
June 23
Jeffrey Toogood
June 22
Peter Peacock
May 19
Symon Kittell
June 24
Paul Bourke
June 22
Anthony Crennan
May 22
Andrei Bezmylov
June 24
George Andrews
June 22
Alan Hedley
May 22
Jeremy Horsfall
June 30
John Wise
June 22
Justin Callaway
May 25
Andrew Hudson
June 30
Neil Masters
June 29
Max Wolff
May 25
Simon Lazarevski
June 30
William Tidswell
May 26
Dean Ongarato
June 30
Warren Deeker
June 1
Jason Allpike
June 30
Ronald Meddings
June 1
Kym Fechner
June 30
Danny Brown
June 2
Brenton Elies
June 30
Jamie Ey
June 2
David Joy
June 30
Ilias Tsiakalakis
April 5
Salvatore Malivindi
April 9
Graham Stopp
April 26
Giuseppe Papalia
June 12
Bruce Grassick
June 25
30 YEARS Aldo Schiano
April 10
Van Nguyen
April 18
Robert Addison
April 20
Frank Sartor
April 26
Russell Gage
May 3
Jose Rojas
May 10
Nick Stathopoulos
May 30
Graham Anderson
June 1
Stephen Nicholls
June 2
Joseph Hamakers
June 6
Philip Adams
June 7
20 YEARS
10 YEARS
Paul Childs
April 12
Paul Rietveld
April 4
Christopher Boyle
April 12
Juanita Alcantara
April 6
Cam Ky Luong
April 13
Chris Demetrious
April 6
Savitri Deo
April 19
Min Foong Yong
April 6
John Field
May 2
Andrew Osborne
April 14
Peter Aubrey
May 3
Rebekah Fitzgerald
April 18
Matthew Fay
May 3
Simon Morgan
April 20
Mark Prime
May 10
Albert Jones
April 21
Ennio Nucera
May 17
Anthony Stemm
April 21
Hao Vuong
May 29
Marcin Rutkiewicz
April 21
Mark Freeman
May 30
Bradley Horn
April 21
Robert Slape
May 31
Jason Holmes
April 26
Matthew Barry
June 7
Peter Maisey
April 28
Stephen Reynolds
June 22
Brian Lapidge
April 28
Andrew McNiven
June 27
Geofrey Holtze
April 28
The quarterly publication of People Magazine can present some space pressures when dealing with the volume of valued employees celebrating service milestones. In some instances, it has not been possible to acknowledge every 10-45 year service anniversary. Where the number of entries must be reduced to fit available page space, our policy is to limit the years of service categories in favour of the longest.
people People is published by Corporate Affairs for employees and retirees of GM Holden Ltd. People is printed on chlorine-free 50% recycled paper.
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Editorial office 191 Salmon Street, Port Melbourne Editor Kate Arnold Graphic Words Pty Ltd Corporate Affairs Bill Grotz 03 9647 1395 Layout and Design Wellcom Group Limited Photography Fineprint Productions Simon Stanbury
A General Motors Company
PEOPLE
CONTACTS
35 YEARS
Print Management Stream Solutions
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GM Holden Retirees Club President Ian Samuel 03 5956 8431 Secretary Leo Mahoney 03 9802 4121 Social Club contacts David Huckel Holden’s Sports and Social Club (Victoria) 0421 047 374 Don McLeod Holden Employees Social Club (Elizabeth) 08 8282 8384
MOTORSPORT
All Eyes on the Title THE V8 Supercar Championship Series sits evenly poised with five rounds down in what will prove to be a grueling 14round schedule for 2008. Defending Champion Garth Tander has led the way for Holden in his Toll HRT Commodore, fighting for the championship lead with a range of Ford rivals, but also his former HSV Dealer Team team-mate Rick Kelly. Garth dominated the inaugural round on the streets of Hamilton in New Zealand as well as the nonchampionship Manufacturers Challenge at the Australian Grand Prix. But, as always, the championship remains up for grabs and no clear dominant force has been able to leap away from the pack and establish a comfortable points margin. Garth moved teams in the off-season and his old partner Rick is showing no signs of slowing yet either. He may not have won a race or round yet, but Rick is the ‘King of Consistency’ and regular top three results see him as Holden’s other main challenger as the title heads north to Hidden Valley for round six in early July. Garry Rogers Motorsport’s young gun, Lee Holdsworth, has continued to develop this season adding even more prongs to Holden’s V8 Supercar attack. Lee’s Valvoline Commodore may have to wait a few more rounds for full specification Walkinshaw Performance engines, but that hasn’t slowed him
Garth Tander in winning form in Hamilton, New Zealand
down. His gritty podium finish in the season-opening Clipsal 500 in Adelaide was a real highlight and he is regularly a top 10 runner with the potential to stand on the podium again. Russell Ingall is back behind the wheel of a Holden and the Supercheap Auto driver has helped take Paul Morris’ squad to new levels. Some top 10 results have helped show that Russell can still mix it with the emerging young guns in the series. Todd Kelly’s Jack Daniel’s team has endured a frustrating season, however the debut of a new VE Commodore in round four in Perth has helped push Larry Perkins’ team back towards the
front, while Brad Jones Racing’s switch to Holden has seen some solid results for the Albury-based line-up. Cameron McConville finished third in the Clipsal 500 and has qualified in the top 10 solidly, leaving the squad in a far better position than where it has been in previous seasons. Two brand new cars for Sprint Gas Racing have left Jason Richards and Greg Murphy far more positive about the second half of the season and the Kiwi duo should feature heavily when the Season of Endurance kicks off with the L&H 500 at Phillip Island in September before the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 in October.
Garth Tander
inthepits
Toll Holden Racing Team
Five rounds into the V8 Supercar Championship and the count is 4-1 in favour of our rival Ford, but I can promise the title fight is far from over. After crossing over from the HSV Dealer Team to the Toll Holden Racing Team at the start of the year, the season did not start as we all would have liked with our Team Red Commodores suffering rare suspension failure at the Clipsal 500 on the streets of Adelaide. But with podiums at Eastern Creek and Barbagallo and a dominating win in Hamilton, New Zealand, we recovered strongly, and went into the last round at Sandown on the Queen’s Birthday Weekend, the Midas 400, leading the points.
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Sandown’s been too tough a track for Holden to tame the last few years and it remained unkind to us, finishing seventh overall for the round, but we left still second in points and not far from the lead. There are no two ways about it, the V8 competition is stronger than ever before and everyone on the grid is a genuine threat. There are no easy results any more. As I have said all along, the championship trophy is handed out in December, not March or June, and in the grand scheme of things I truly believe we are travelling pretty well – ahead of expectations. There’s a great challenge ahead to retain our V8 title but I feel the Toll Holden Racing Team is up for it.