Apr

U . S . res i d e n t w i n s Pontiac GS . . .
O n - l i n e sou rce, "The Worl d of Raci ng" reported that o n e
l ucky U .S. resi dent has w o n a Pontiac G8s - one of the fi rst
G8s del ivered by G M Holden to the U nited States.
L-R: Metals Division night shift employees, Craig Lavis (Fitter) and David
Millar (Electrician) received maximum payout for their joint Employee
Suggestion to modify spot weld harness mounts.
I n itiative saves a n d rewa rds . . .
Down t i m e a nd m a i ntena n ce mate ri a l s costs have been
saved a n d e m ployees rewa rded with maxi m u m payment
from the E m pl oyee S uggestion p l a n - tha n ks to s m a rt
th i n ki n g by Meta ls Divi s i o n n i g ht sh ift m a i nten a n ce
e m p l oyees Craig Lavis a n d David Mi l l a r.
C ra i g {fitter) a n d David {electrician) com bi n ed thei r trade
ski l l s a nd ca me up with a j o i nt suggesti on earlier this yea r
to redes i g n m o u nt i n g l ocations for the robot ha rnesses on
the VE I RS l i n e to red uce fatig ue. And the res u l t has been
j u st that - red uced fatig u e of robotic ha rnesses a n d
therefore less fa i l u re a nd less dow n t i m e .
M a i ntena nce s u pervisor B rya n Leh m a n a n d n i g ht sh ift
s u pervisor G rant Warner sa i d Cra i g a n d David had g i ven a
l ot of tho u g ht to the costly m a i ntena nce issue.
"The res u lti n g desi g n of the ha rness m o u nt has
d ra m atica l ly red u ced wea r a n d replacement i ssues - it has
been a very good s uggestion," Brya n said.
Savings have been estimated at just under $70,000 per
month when considering ongoi ng replacement ha rness
costs, downt i m e, mate ri a l s a n d l a bor costs to m a i nta i n the
five robots on the l i ne. And the i n itial cost of red es i g n i n g
t h e m o u nti n g l ocations w a s m i n i m a l too, accord i n g to
Meta ls Divi sion B u s i n ess M a nager, Lynette Tai nsh.
"Cra i g a nd David used stores i nventory and other ava i la b l e
pa rts a l ready on site t o mod ify t h e m o u nting l ocations for
the robot h a rnesses, so costs were kept to an a bsol ute
m i n i m u m - a rou n d $200. A n d ongoi n g m a i nte n a n ce costs
h ave been esti mated at even less t h a n that per month, so
it's been a fa ntastic suggestion. The g uys rea l ly deserved
thei r maxi m u m rewa rd from the E m pl oyee Suggestion P l a n
($1 500 tota l)," Lyn ette s a i d .
C ra i g a nd David's suggesti o n a n d lea rn i ngs have si nce been
s h a red with HVO's Body S h op, and it has been put forwa rd
as a GM Holden s u b m i ss i o n to the Asi a Pacific reg i o n so
that other pla nts ca n benefit.
W i n ner, Robert M a n n a received the keys to h i s new five
passenger 400 p l us h orsepower Pontiac G8 with V I N
n u m ber 888, from l o n g ti me Sports Ca r star and L e M a n s
d river, Kelly Col l i n s, d u ri ng the fi rst day of practice for t h e
G ra n d -Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by C rown
Roya l Cask No. 16 GAI NSCO G ra n d P rix of M i a m i .
" I entered t h e contest j u st
after the Rolex 24 H o u r on
the Pontiac web site. The
phone ra n g a few weeks ago
and they said I had won the
car. It took a few days to set
i n a n d wasn't rea l u nti l Kel ly
h a nded me the keys today.
I am not s u re if I was more excited to get the ca r or do
several l a ps a ro u n d the s peedway with Kel ly d rivi n g . He
rea l ly knows how to get the most o ut of the G 8 a n d s how
case the ca rs h a nd l i ng a n d power."
" Let's all play our part
in being truly energy and
resource conscious. "
Rod Keane
M essa g e fro m Rod Kea ne
This week G M Holden kicked off a n ew
i nitiative with l oca l su ppl iers - "Gree n i n g
t h e S u pply C h a i n". T h e objective of t h i s
i n itiative is t o assist key loca l suppl i e rs
identify a n d i m plem ent ideas that red uce
resou rce req u i rements {Gas, E lectricity,
Water etc) a n d red uce process waste.
T h i s b u i lds on i nitiatives we have been purs u i ng i nterna l ly .
a n d w h i l e we have made g reat strides i n some a reas water usage red u ction i s a g reat story - there is sti l l so
m uch more we ca n do.
As with a l l i n itiatives a d d ress i n g s u sta i n a b i l ity, there i s no
si lver b u l let or one off solution . Rea l change starts with
attitude a n d i nclusion - th e belief that we a l l ca n m a ke a
d ifference through what we do. Lighting is a g reat exa m ple.
Al l too often we waste e nergy by turn i ng on a nd leav i n g
l i g hts on w h e n they a re not req u i red.
W h i l e we a re worki ng with our s u ppl iers in this a rea, we
conti n ue to look at o u rselves. 'Do what I do' is a m uc h
easier lesson t o teach t h a n ' d o what I say'.
Let's a l l play our part i n bei n g tru ly energy a n d resource
conscious.
Rod Keane - Executive Director Manufacturing
Speci a l e d i t i o n Co m m od o res
ce l e b ra te 60th A n n ive rsa ry . . .
G M Holden a n nou n ced earl ier t h i s
week that V E Com modore 60th
Edition,
Anniversa ry
Special
com pri s i n g $8,000 worth of extra
va l ue, w i l l go on sale from
T h u rsday 1 May 2008. Joi n i ng the
Special Editio� Com m odore wi l l be
the sportier VE 55 V 60th
Edition
An niversary
Special
featuri n g 10-spoke wheels, i nterior
and exterior u pg rades a nd specia l
60th a n n i ve rsa ry floor m ats a n d
rea r badge.
GM Holden 's new National Manager, OH&S and Health Services,
Malcolm Mcinnes brings 28 years of Health, Safety and Environment
experience to the role. He most recently worked for Rio Tinto.
N ew N atio n a l Safety M a n a g e r
. . .
M a lcol m Mci n n es joi ned G M Holden last week ( 2 7 M a rch )
as N atio n a l OH&S a n d Health Servi ces M a nager, replacing
former i nc u m bent, Darri n W r i g ht.
Based at HVO E l iza beth, M a l co l m brings to GM Holden 28
yea rs of Hea lth, Safety a n d E nvi ron ment experience. He
h a s worked with a ra n g e of pro m i nent nati o n a l a n d
i nternati o n a l org a n isatio n s, a nd has most recently worked
for Rio Tinto. Ma lco l m has post-g raduate level HSE
q u a l ifications i n both tec h n i ca l a n d ma nagement
d i sci pl i nes s u pported by fu rther ed u cation in a ppl ied
h u m a n resou rces, tra i n i ng and fi n a n ce.
M a lcol m
will
report to
Executive
D i rector
M a n ufact u ri ng, Rod Kea ne; a n d Executive Di rector,
H u m a n Resou rces - Scott Sandefu r. (Refer Employee Bulletin
dated 27.3.08 for further details.)
... Did you know? ...
In 2008 GM Holden is a p roud
supporter of the Elizabeth Park
P rimary School's
"Reading Supe rstars Program".
The p rogram aims to i mp rove student
literacy through the exp l icit teaching
of reading, writing and spel ling.
GM H o l d e n Co m m u n ity S u p po rt's
contri b ut i o n wi l l be u sed to p u rc h a s e book
a wa rd s for ch i l d re n w h o s h ow g reat p rog ress
i n t h e i r rea d i n g t h i s yea r.
A l l boo ks wi l l co nta i n a p l a q u e d eta i l i n g t h e
c h i l d 's a c h i eve ments a n d a c k n ow l ed g i n g
G M H o l d e n 's s u p port.
���----
GM Holden's Di rector of Ma rketi ng, P h i l i p Brook, said the
S peci a l Edition VE sed a ns were the perfect way to
celebrate the success of GM Holden's most fa m o u s
n a meplate.
VE Com modore 60th Anniversary Special Edition
Wheels Ca r of the Yea r 2006, the Holden Com modore
featu res E lectron i c Stabi l ity Program ( ESP® ) , six a i rbags
and a i r con dition i n g as sta nda rd on a l l models. In a d d ition
to the sta n d a rd O m ega featu res, the VE Com m odore 60th
Anniversa ry S pecia l E d ition i ncludes :
· New 18-inch a l l oy wheels (fou r)
· Onyx leather seat i nserts
· Leather steering wheel
• Decorative m o u l d i n g on i n stru m ent panel i n micro si lve r
· Front g r i l l e i nsert
· Rea r parking sen sors
· Bi u etoot h ® con nectivity for com pati ble mobile phones
· S pecia l '60th a n n iversary' rea r badge
The VE Com m odore 60th A n n i ve rsa ry Specia l E d ition is on
sa le 1 May a n d is priced at $3 3,990 (rrp + delivery fees).
VE Commod ore SS V 60th Anniversary Special Edition
The SS V 60th A n n iversa ry Speci a l E d ition provides Holden
custom ers with a n even longer l i st of accessories a nd
featu res, ta k i n g Holden sports performa nce a n d styl i ng to
a n a l l-new level . I n a d d ition to t h e sta n d a rd SS V featu res,
the VE SS V 60th A n n iversa ry Special E d ition i n c l u des :
• 20-inch 10-s poke a l loy wheels (fou r)
· Colour Sate l l ite Navigati on
· Rea r pa rki ng sen sors
· C h rome su rro u nd exterior door h a n d les
· H i g h m o u nt rea r s po i l er
· Special '60th A n n i versa ry' floor mats
· S peci a l '60th A n n i versary' rea r badge
The m a n u a l VE SS V 60th Ann iversa ry S pecia l Ed ition is on
sale 1 May and is priced at $55,290 (rrp + delivery fees).
E n d to D a y l i g ht Savi n g i n SA
On Sunday morning, 6 April
2008
South
Austra l ia n
S u m m e r Ti me
offici a l ly
concl udes. So ....
Don't forget to turn BACK
your clocks by One Hour this
weekend !
The HVO Communicator is a publication of Corporate Affairs. Please
direct your feedback to Tamra Newman at (08) 8282 8736 (MP 506)
for comments and I or story ideas.
M y fi rst mo n t h o n t h e j o b
• ••
My fi rst m o nth o n
t h e j o b has been
q u ite a ride! The
t i m i n g of my a rriva l
Mark Reuss
GM
at
Holden
ChafrrrNJn ond Managing Dlrectt�r
GM Holden
cou ld n ot h ave
been better, as my
fi rst official d uty was to represent the com p a ny at the
C l i psal 500. It was a n honor to d ri ve t h e first a l l-Austra l i a n
desig ned a n d b u i l t ca r, t h e Holden 48-215, on a cerem o n i a l
l a p acco m pa n i ed by E FIJY. That m e m ora ble fi rst day a t t h e
track rea l ly set t h e pace for w h a t has t u rn ed out t o be a
g reat i ntrod u ction to Holden a nd o u r team.
Plastics employee Lorraine Matthews works happily on the improved
glove box line in HPO, Elizabeth.
I m p roved P l a st i cs p rocesses . . .
A revision to t h e g l ove box l i n e i n Holden Pl ast i cs
Operations {HPO) has created a less cra m ped a n d m ore
efficient worki n g envi ron m ent for the g rou p's 16
e m p l oyees. The change was m ade in a n swer to suggestions
by work g rou p mem bers in late J a n u a ry a i m i n g to i m prove
s pa ce use, d i rect l i n e flow a nd parts seq u e n ci n g from
m ateri a l s.
P l a stics Assi sta nt Area M a n a ger, Sea n Hanley said t h e
cha nge h a s bro u g ht H PO more i n l i n e with other assem bly
p rocesses.
H PO Work G rou p Leader, Pa ul Best, a n d General Assem bly
IP l i n e's Les Victor on s peci a l assi g n m ent worked with the
g ro u p to m a ke the changes.
Accordi n g to Pa u l a n d Les, before the area layout was
c h a nged, items were d e l i ve red to the l i n e in big boxes a nd
t h e old ra ck layout wasted s pace.
"Th e a rea was fa i rly ta rdy a n d created a bottl e n eck. The
group ag reed the a rea needed to become more efficient.
We used lea rn i n gs from oth e r a reas of the p l a nt to ma ke
t h e i m proveme nts," Les s a i d .
I n d u stria l E ng i neer Steve M cDon a l d created n ew layouts
for the a rea, and Stores a nd E DS beca m e i nvolved to look
after new seq ue n ci n g.
Pa u l said e m ployees were a lways i nvolved.
"We s poke to every affected operator on both sh ifts a bout
the proposed cha n ges. Once plans were agreed to, th i ngs
m oved very q u ickly. On t h e Friday n i g ht work g ro u p
m e m bers m oved eq u i pment a n d pa i nted t h e fl oors. O n
Satu rday a l l racks w here changed. Stores worked o n
seq u e n c i n g d eta i l s with E DS a nd we set u p n ew statio n s
w i t h racks on wheels. On M onday we m a d e the transition
from the old to n ew system - which is now much q u i cker,
clea n er a n d m ore effi cient," Pa ul said. •
I rea lly enj oyed the cha n ce to m eet m a ny of you d u ri n g my
recent visits to busi n ess un its a ro u n d the orga n i sation. I've
lea rned a l ot from t h e overview briefi n gs I've received a n d
hope t h at th ose o f y o u who attended m y b u s i n ess u pdate
and Strateg i c Plan sessions fou n d them va l u a b l e. I n
a d d ition, I m et with o u r federal a nd state government
representatives to i ntroduce myself and i m prove my
u ndersta ndi n g of the political l a nd scape h ere in Austra l ia.
It was g reat to s h a re n ews of ou r Ponti ac G8 S port Truck
a n d GXP Sed a n export progra ms with them, as it
sh owed the strength of o u r bu s i ness model a n d G lobal
GM's confi dence in ou r ca pa b i lity.
My first i m pressions of Holden a re extremely positive. The
high level of pride and com m itment on the pa rt of
em p loyees around the business is probably the best I 've
seen i n my yea rs at GM. However, o n e th i n g sta nds out as
a rea l opportu nity for u s - adopti n g an offensive m i ndset.
The key to t h i s a pproach is the u ndersta n d i n g that we
create o u r own l uck. N ow that we have the Strategi c Plan,
the b u rden i s on each of us to d eterm i n e the role we p lay i n
its i m plementation a n d to fol l ow th rough with them. T h i s
i s how w e wi l l e n s u re Holden's l o n g-term susta i n a bi li ty. For
us, mai nta i n i n g second place in the cha l lengi n g Austra l i a n
ma rket i s n 't good e n o u g h . Ou r goal i s t o m a ke Holden a
" s m a rter choice" tha n o u r com petitors. We ca n ach i eve th is
by deliveri n g i n s p i rati o n a l vehicle d esign, perform a n ce, a nd
h i g h q u a lity. Excit i n g ti m es a re a h ead for u s i n the com i n g
months as w e gea r u p t o celebrate a n u m be r o f sig nifica nt
a n n i versa ries i ncl u d i n g Holden's 60th, Holden Veh icle
Operations' 50th, Monaro's 40th, Com modore's 30th, a nd
G M's 100t h ! We ca n also loo k forward to beg i n n i n g
prod u cti on of t h e soon t o b e very popul a r S port Wagon.
T h i s year, we a i m to make stro n g prog ress toward
demonstrati n g tec h n o l ogy and envi ronmenta l leadership.
It will start with the i ntrod uctio n of Epica d i esel to o u r
portfolio a n d conti n ue with more a m bitious i n itiati ves to
get additi o n a l "proof poi nts" of o u r p l a n on the road. So,
stay tuned! I a pp reciate everyon e's h a rd work a n d look
forward to j o i n i n g you on our j o u rney to beco m e t h e
Mark
ma rketplace leader a n d ach i eve ou r vision.
M a rc h sa l e s . . .
Market Lead ers
Month
Yea r to Date
Toyota
Holden
Ford
Mazda
M i ts u b i s h i
N issan
Honda
21,669
11,211
9,206
7,565
6,18 3
5,473
4,390
60,224
3 3,850
26,287
21,690
16,690
15,440
15,159
A total of 91,285 motor veh i cl es were sold in Austra l i a i n
M a rch 2908 (vs 94, 3 9 2 i n Ma rch 2007 - a 3 . 3 per cent drop
com pa red to sa m e m o nth l a st yea r). ·
Elizabeth employees, (L-R) Troy Burridge
(Materials) appreciated the opportunity to view
C o u pe 6 0 's ca nte e n
Although t h e Coupe 6 0 con cept ca r cou s pend on ly a brief
m o m ent i n the E l iza beth p l a nt's m a i n nteen t h i s week, it
see m ed a ppreci ated by em ployees w h o ocked to see it.
Body S h o p e m p l oyee Troy B u rridge
h i s second view i n g i n as m a ny days.
"I saw th e Cou pe at the Adelaide
S h ow over the
weekend. It's a rea l ly g reat ca r," h e said
Materia l s em ployee, Jay Eva ns, (also
"It would be g reat to see it g o i nto prod u cti on," h e said.
The Advertiser n ewspaper even took the time to jou rney to
the p l a nt on Monday to s pea k to e m p l oyees a nd
p h otog ra ph them with the pop u l a r "show stopper".
It's safe to say the Coupe 60 con cept ca r has become qu ite
t h e "socia l butterfly" - it departed the p l a nt ea rly Monday
eve n i ng, bound for a "d i n n er a ppoi ntment" in Mel bou rne!
Rock & Ro l l t h i s wee ke nd
Rock a nd Roll Rend ezvou s i s
b a c k a t the National Motor
M useu m t h i s Su !1day - 1 3
April 2008 - lOam t o Spm.
• • •
�w;;K·...
GM Holden e m p l oyees a re
e l i g i bl e for concessi o n entry
p ri c i n g for t h i s s pecial event
by s howi n g their e m p l oyee I D badge (chi l d ren under 1 5
a re free). At a ny other ti m e (non -s peci a l events) entry for
G M Holden e m p l oyees is free on presentation of their
e m p l oyee ID badge.
Over 5,000 peopl e a re expected at the 17th a n n u a l event
a l o n g with m o re than 300 pre 1977 veh i cl es, com peti n g
for t h e best d ressed a n d best veh i c l e category p ri zes. It's a
day j a m pa cked fu l l of enterta i n m ent, fas h i on, food and
m otor ca rs a l l h a i l i n g back to the Rock a n d Roll e ra.
Toyota m a i ntai n ed m a rket l ea d ersh i p with 2 3 . 7 per cent
sha re. Holden was again second in the market with 12.3
per cent. Ford held its gro u n d fi n i s h i n g th i rd for th e
m onth with 10.1 per cent ma rket s h a re a n d Mazda fou rt h
with m a rket s h a re o f 8.3 per cent.
On a carli n e level, the Holden Commodore outsold the
Toyota Corolla by 20 u n its for the month ta king fi rst place
i n the passenger ca r segment. Toyota l ed the overa l l
m a rket i n Passenger cars ( 1 1,475 u n its) with a l l m odels
perfo r m i n g wel l. Holden ca m e in second place with 7,456
u nits, Mazda fi n i sh ed th i rd place with 5,444 u n its a h ead of
Ford with 4,717 u n its.
The S UV market was up 4.8 per cent on Ma rch last yea r
with 18,242 5 veh icles sold. Holden Ca ptiva was up 29.4 per
cent com pa red to March last yea r.
G ree n i ng t h e s u p p l y cha i n
G M Holden and the World
�(;
E nviro n m ent Centre have
joi ned forces to h e l p GM
Holden and its s u ppl iers
i m prove their enviro n mental
performa n ee.
The
a n nou ncement
was
made at a HQ191 press
conference on Wed n esday 2
April. Ki m Carr, Federal Driving Force: Rod Keane (left),
M i n i ster
for
I n novati on, GM Holden Executive Director
I n d u stry Sci e n ce a n d Resea rch - Manufacturing, and Tom
Technical Director,
a n d T h ea Theop h a n o u s M P, Hellman,
World Environment Centre
State M i n ister for I n d u stry
a n d T rade for Victori a, attend ed, a long with senior G M
Holden executives, i n c l u d i n g o u r Executive Di rector M a n ufa cturi ng, Rod Kea n e.
"G reen i n g the S u pply Chai n " i s ai m ed at promoti n g
s u sta i n a bl e deve l o p m ent i n Austra lia's a utomotive
i nd u stry. 17 GM Holden s u pp l i ers have signed up to the
prog ra m .
. .. HVO Highlight on Health ...
G M Holden has been a p roud s po nsor of the National
M otor Museum for over ten yea rs, th ro u g h the GM
H o l d e n Com m u n ity S u p port p rogra m.
The HVO Communicator is a publication of Corporate Affairs. Please
direct your feedback to Tamra Newman at {08) 8282 8736 (MP 506)
for comments and I or story ideas.
we m ust red uce m uti l a t i o n s
" B u t m uti lations a re costing us m i l lions of d o l l a rs i n scrap
materia ls, a nd the resu lt is cars a re fa i l i n g the RFT (Right
Fi rst T i m e) test at t h e end of t h e process.
"Based on customer feed ba ck, items a re a lso getting to
customers - and that's n ot good . We have GOT to address
a n d resol ve the muti lations i ss ue."
Nick said everyone on t h e site can m a ke a difference i n
red u ci ng m uti rations reg a rd less of w hich area of the p l a nt
or job they work i n .
Pontiac sold 777 G8s in March - 377 units above forecast.
GS sa les off to g ood sta rt i n U S
S a l es of t h e Pontiac G 8 i n the U n ited Sates a re off, to a n
outsta n d i n g sta rt, accord i n g t o first sales fi g u res rel eased.
GM Holden Di rector of Qual ity - Operati ons, Nick Baloglou
s a i d Ponti ac exceeded forecast sa l es of 400 u n its in March
by 377 u n its - record i n g a ctual sales of 777 u n its.
" N ea r ly a l l of the 888 cars have been sold a n d Pontiac
d ea lers a re tryi n g to order m ore ca rs than they have been
a l located," N ick said.
From a Qual ity pers pective, Nick said the rea l ity was there
had n ot yet been ti m e to m a ke a fi rm assessm ent of G 8
customer perceived q u a l ity i n t h e s hort t i m e ca rs h a d been
with c u st o m e rs .
"There has not been a h ug e amou nt of G8 q ua l ity issues
reported by Pontia c d ea lers so fa r - the tel l i n g poi nt w i l l be
with resu lts of the JD Powe r q u a l ity s u rvey. We expect to
get t h i s in two month's ti m e," N i c k said.
Loca l Q u a l ity needs foc u s
S pea ki n g from a loca l prod u ct Quality perspective, N ick
Baloglou said h e h ad been d i sa ppoi nted with recent resu lts.
"Ou r own N ew Veh i c l e Qu a l ity S u rvey (NVQS) res u lts (a
s i m i l a r su rvey to the US J D Power su rvey) from q u a rter fou r
last yea r have been d i sa ppoi nti ng. Once a g a i n customers
have had their say.
"Wh i l st o u r i ntern a l m etrics i n this a rea have shown
i m p rovements, o u r custom e rs obvi ously have n ot seen t h i s
i n t h e prod u ct they received - and t h ey a re reflect i n g this i n
thei r feed back t o us.
"We have made progress i n sq uea ks a nd rattles a n d wind
n o ise, but o u r pa i nt a n d m uti lations have deteriorated . We
k n ow from o u r d i rect run d ata that th is is a big a rea of
o p portunity for us.
" D u r i n g t h e last few weeks we have made i mprovements i n
ca ptu ri ng m uti latio n s before t h ey rea ch t h e custom er, a nd
t h e i m p roved reporti ng on the fi n a l pai nt assessm ent l i n e
i n Genera l Assem bly h a s h e l ped," N i c k said.
... contd next column
"We need t o b e l ooki n g beyon d o u r base j obs to fi nd
opport u n ities to i m prove, a nd we have system s s u ch as the
E m pl oyee S u ggestion Plan to h e l p th is."
N ick said t h e m essage was clear ...
"If you see da maged packa g i n g when boxes or pa rts arrive
at you r work station - please i n vestigate the l i keli h ood that
t h e part too m i ght be d a maged. Tell you r work g ro u p
leader or a rea leader, a n d su b m it a s uggestion," h e said.
"Red uc i n g damage will save m o n ey i n scrap, i m prove di rect
r u n and Qual ity for o u r custome rs. If you see someth i n g,
say somet h i n g - it n eeds to be reported. Everyon e can h e l p
t o m a ke t h i s ha ppen a nd it w i l l m a ke a rea l differen ce."
" Export is our future; success in
export is, in a large part, in our
hands."
Rod Keane
M essa g e fro m Rod Kea ne
We a re i n t h e fi n a l stages of prepari n g for
the p rod u ction l a u nch of the S portwagon &
W200. As with a l l n ew prod u cts, these
l a u n c h es a re i m porta nt - it is no
exaggeration to ca l l them critica l . The
S portwagon has bu.i lt u p g reat antici pation
and expectation i n the market. We wi l l be
l a u nch i n g it at the ti m e when Fa l con wi l l be n ew to t h e
m a rket. T here w i l l be i n evita b l e com pa risons over t h e
com i n g m onth s - of-cou rse these w i l l focu s on key prod u ct
cha racteristics, but there wi l l be also be g reat attention to
con s i stent execution to b u i ld q u a l ity. This i s a n a rea where
we n eed to win conv i n ci n g ly. We have made prog ress but
t here is m uch more we can sti l l do a nd I ask for you r effort
a n d su pport i n th is a rea.
The W200 w i l l be the most l ux ur i o us prod u ct we have ever
made & it w i l l be g o i n g head to h ead with l u x u ry ca rs in a
forei g n ma rket - Korea . O u r previous efforts i n t h i s m a rket
were d i sa ppoi nti n g - W200 provi des the opportu nity for us
to prove that we ca n com pete with anyon e a nywhere on
b u i ld q u a l ity, by rel i g i o u s ly fol lowi n g SOS/J ES. T h e
d i fference between s uccess & fai l u re i n today's world,
fa c i n g today's g loba l com petiti on, i s very s m a l l - s u ccess
de m a nds o u r best efforts a l l the t i m e.
Export is o u r futu re; s uccess i n export is, i n a l a rge pa rt, i n
o u r h a n d s.
Rod Keane - Executive Director Manufacturing
Fa m i l i a r fa ces a t M oto r S how . . .
rt O L
Elizabeth HR Co-Op student, David Malan (left), was happy to promote
GM Holden as a great place to work at the recent Careers Fair.
E m ployees who braved the wild and woo l l ey weather
ea rlier th i s month a nd spent a n even i n g at the Adela ide
Motor S h ow may have recog nised a fa m i l i a r face or two
on the very pop u l a r GM HOLDEN sta n d .
A g r o u p o f e i g h t employees from o u r own Genera l
Assem b ly Man ufacturi n g E n g i n eeri n g depa rtment
vol u nteered to assist Sales & M a r keti n g and Dea l ersh i p
staff d iscuss t h e specifications a nd featu res of o u r new
prod u cts to enthusiastic mem bers of the m otori ng p u b l i c.
Obviously, the concept "Cou pe 60" stol e the l i m el ight but
the two Sport Wagons on d i splay also d rew considera b l e
positi ve com m ents.
Pictured below with broch ures and other "handouts " are:
(L-R) Lauren Ricks, Steve Brecht, Jacinta Shirley, Barry
Higham, Joy Baath, Stewart Underwood, Con Mavrogiannis
and camera shy' StefPetrallasjust visible behind Con!
A l l 's fa i r i n d rive to rec r u i t . . .
G M Holden promoted itself as a preferred place to work by
pa rti cipat i n g i n the Un iversity of Adelaide's "Ca reers Fa i r"
held at the Adelaide Convention Centre i n March.
H u m a n Resou rces Associate Michael Mclllwaine h e l ped HR
Co-Op student David Malan to a rra nge the wel l-attended
d i splay at the fa i r, held over th ree days.
David estim ated he a n swered more than 200 enq u i ries
from students a nd oth er vi sitors to the sta nd.
"The aim for us was to rea l ly encourage students to
consider a ca reer i n the m a n ufactu ri n g i nd u stry," he said.
"We wa nted to promote G M Holden as a g reat place to
work a n d h i g h l i ght the m a ny opportu n ities ava i lable to
them here We had a lot of students a pproach the sta nd, so
we made the most of pitc h i n g m a n ufact u ri n g a nd
e n g i neeri n g to them," h e said.
Other com pa n i es with displays at the fai r i ncl uded
U n iversity of South Aust ra l ia, Gra nt Thornton, M a rs a nd
va rious govern ment depa rtments.
GM C h i na sets new reco rd . . .
Genera l Motors rema i n s the la rgest gl obal automa ker i n
C h i n a i n the fi rst q ua rter o f 2008, as G M a n d its domestic
joint ventu res sold 3 1 1, 5 1 2 veh i cl es. T h i s was a record for
a ny q u a rter for GM i n C h i na.
G M benefited from record q u a rterly s a l es of Chevrolet one
of its m a i n strea m bra n d s in Chi na, which j u m ped 36.3 per
cent on an a n n ua l basis to 56,0 8 3 u n its due to stro n g
d e m a n d for the Lava com pact sed a n a nd Epica
i ntermed i ate sed a n .
" T h e C h i n ese veh i c l e ma rket has mai nta i n ed its
momentum s i n ce t h e begi n n i n g of th i s year, with stron g
d e m a n d com i n g from a va riety o f seg ments - from m i n i ­
vehi cles u p to l ux u ry ca rs," s a i d Kevin Wa l e, president a nd
m a n a g i n g d i rector of the G M C h i n a G ro u p.
"We a re p l eased with o u r sa les of passenger ca rs a nd m i n i ­
com m ercial vehicles, both of wh i ch a re crucial t o GM's
conti n ued s u ccess i n C h i n a."
S h a n g h a i GM, GM's fla g s h i p j o i nt ventu re, posted sa l es
g rowth of 1 3 . 6 per cent o n a n a n n u a l basis to 128,649 u n its
in t h e first q u a rter.
SAIC-GM-W u l i ng, GM's m i n i -veh icle j o i nt ventu re, had fi rst
q u a rter sa l es of 1 8 2, 5 64 u n its, w h i ch represented yea r-on­
yea r g rowth of 3.8 per cent.
II
Congratu lations a l so to recent win ners of t h e Ad elaide
Motor S h ow ti ckets com petitio n :
• Da n ny Sm iech (Piant 4 - Mai nte n a n ce)
•stephen Coad (Genera I Assem bly - Tri m 4)
•Da rryl Fal kenberg (Genera l Asse m b ly - Qual ity Ass u ra n ce)
• Dea n Reich (Pla nt 4 - Components)
•Ta nya Bishop (Genera l Asse m bly - Trim 1)
The correct answer to the com petition q u esti on was
"Coupe 60". Tha n k you to all e m p l oyees who entered.
1
... HVO Employee Fast Fact ...
A l m ost 70 per cent of H o l d e n Ve h i cle
O pe rations, E l i z a beth e m p l oyees l ive wit h i n
1 5 k i l o m etres o f t h e p l a nt.
A l m ost 15 pe r cent of e m p l oyees l ive less
t h a n 5 k i l o m etres fro m the p l a nt !
... correct a t April 2008 ...
The HVO Communicator is a publication of Corpora te Affairs. Please
direct your feedback to Tamra Newman at (08) 8282 8736 (MP 506)
for comments and 1 or story ideas.
50 yea rs o n site a t E l iza beth . . .
O n Th ursday 8 May 2008, i t wi l l be 50 years to t h e day
s i n ce t h e first con crete was pou red for the h a rdware
b u i ld i ng, m a rki n g the com mence m ent of construction of
the G M Holden E l i za beth vehi cl e m a n ufactu ring faci l ity.
A l ittle-k n ow n fact i s that before becom i n g a world-class
m a n ufactu ri n g fa ci lity on Ph i l i p H i g hway at El iza beth, t h e
site w a s h o m e t o a d a i ry farm !
The best People working with the best Technology will help GM Holden
meet the manufacturing challenges ahead.
M a n ufa ct u lii n g i s c h a l l e n g i ng l et's meet it tog ethe r . . .
A message from Kaher Kazem
Area Manager - Vehicle Operations
It's no secret - Austra l i a i s a s m a l l player i n the G loba l
Automotive I nd u st ry. Com pa ratively, G M Holden i s a s m a l l
p layer i n the G M world, cons i d ering G M has 1 8 1
m a n ufactu ri n g pla nts operati n g i n 3 3 cou ntr i es a ro u nd the
g l o be - and a com bi n ed ca pa city of 9.1 m i l l ion veh i cles.
In 2 007, Austra l i a prod uced 3 27,984 veh i cles com pa red to
70.6 m i l li o n vehi c l es sold world-wide. T h i s m ea n s o n ly
a ro u n d 0.5 per cent, o r five o ut of every 1,000 ca rs b u i lt i n
2007, were prod uced i n Austra lia.
It g oes without sayi ng ... t h e m a n ufact u ri ng b u si n ess i s
dyn a m i c a n d com pl ex by world sta n d a rds, a n d very
c h a l l e n g i n g . T h e pressu res o n o u r local prod u ct are ma ny,
not the least of w h i ch i ncl ude: Tariff red u ctions m a ki n g it
cheaper to i m port ca rs to A u stral i a ; Excha nge rates m a k i n g
i m ports chea per a nd exports more expen s i ve; a n d Fuel
pri ces favou r i n g s m a l l ca rs.
To m eet these c h a l lenges, GM Holden has i nvested h eavi ly
i n its faci l ities ($ 500 m i l l ion i nvestm ent in the E l i zabeth
p l a nt a lone i n recent t i m es), a nd i n attracti ng, tra i n i n g a n d
reta i n i n g the very best people t o w o r k toget h e r with t h e
n ew tech nology - those People i ncl u d e YOU!
O u r focus in 2008 i nc l u d es:
- B u i l d i n g high q u a l ity vehi c l es to com pete on the world
stag e;
- Ach i evi n g d a i ly t h ro u g h put and keepi n g the p l a nt at fu l l
ca pacity of 6 2 0 p e r day;
- S u ccessfu l ly
l a u n ch i n g
n ew
prod,ucts
i n cl ud i n g
S portwagon; and
- Co nt i n uously i m provi n g everythi n g we do, by everyon e
enga ged i n d ri v i n g o u t waste (COMMWI P).
By t h e com mitment, focu s a n d tea mwork of all e m p l oyees we w i l l succeed. Let's do i t togeth er ... ... Kaher
To m a r k the 50th a n n iversary of the o ri g i n a l
g ro u n d brea k i n g occasion, at 10. 30am on 8 May a s m a l l
ceremony wi l l b e h e l d o n s ite t o re-enact t h e event of 5 0
yea rs ago. Loca l d i g nitari es, M P s a nd school ch i l d ren w i l l
b e i nvited t o partici pate i n t h e event, w h i ch wi l l i nc l u d e
the b u ri a l o f a ti m e ca psu le.
All GM Holden em ployees are invited to su bmit thei r ideas
on what cou ld possi bly be sea led i nto the time ca psule for
future generations to enjoy.
Please s u bm i t you r ideas via fax (08 8282 8780) or e m a i l
to: g_ n d rea.matth ews_@_g_rn .�om by Friday 2 May.
A moment in time ...
Foundations being poured for the 276,2 50 square feet
hardware building of General Motors-Holdens pty. Ltd, at
Elizabeth - 10.30 a.m. 8 May 1958.
Present were Messrs. Earl C. Daum, Frank Callahan,
Bill Gibbs and John Holden (hands on hips). Note the
position of the water tower which stands on the opposite
side of the road at the rear of the present-day factory.
Message from Rod Keane
Executive Director, Manufacturing
will return next issue ...
7 May 2008
2 0 0 8 HVOC s u rvey to wi n . . .
T o h e l p ma ke o u r i nterna l com m u n i cations as effective as
possi ble, we need employee feed back. Please ta ke o n e
m i n ute t o com plete the su rvey below a n d retu rn i t to
Corporate Affa i rs by Friday9 May vi a :
- I nterna l m a i l (MP 506)
- Fax (08) 8282 8780
In return for e m ployee feed bac k, a l l retu rned su rveys w h i ch
i ncl ude employee d eta i l s w i l l be entered i nto a d raw to win
a n eye-catching Holden Core Jacket!
N a m e:
Tel:
Work area:
S h ift:
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Elizabeth manufacturing plant in action in the 1960s
H VO 's ri c h h isto ry t i m e - l i ne
How often d o you read HVO Com m unicator:
• • •
1959 - 10,000 tons of p l a nt a n d eq u i pment were m oved
fro m t h e Woodvi l l e plant to fa ci l itate the ope n i n g of
H o l den's body h a rdware p l a nt operati ons at E l i za beth
1962 - A $ 3,000,000 vehi c l e body assem bly p l a nt opens at
E l i za beth, t h e sa m e yea r th e m i l l i onth Holden was b u i lt.
1963 - Qu een E l i za beth II a n d Pri n ce P h i l i p vi sit the faci l ity.
T h e n ew body asse m b ly, pa i nt s h o p a n d tri m assem bly
p l a nts beg i n operation a n d t h e E l i za beth offi ce block a n d
cafeteria a r e opened.
1965 - Gen eral Assem bly Plant beg i n s o perations i n
J a n u a ry, prod u c i n g the H D m odel Holden.
1976 - Holden consolidates its M a n ufa ct u ri ng E n g i n eeri ng
operati o n s at E l i za beth.
1981 - New $ 8 m i l lion plastics p l a nt beg i n s operation.
1985 - A fu rther $ 320 m i l l i on fa c i l ities i nvestment bri ngs
n ew p rocesses in plasti cs, m eta l sta m p i n g a n d assem bly
p l a nts.
1987 - A $12 m i l l i on i n vestment in faci l ities u pg rades to
i m prove q u a l ity and i n crea se p l a nt capacity is a n n ou nced
a n d a second s h ift com m e nces.
1989 - Prod u ction ceases H olden's Dandenong (Vic) pla nt
a n d E l iza beth becomes t h e centre of Holden's enti re
veh i cl e m a n ufacturing operati on.
1990 - T h e five m i l l i onth Holden, a VN Ca l a i s was p rod uced
at E li z a beth in August.
1995 - A n n ua l prod u ction exceeds 100,000 veh icles for the
fi rst ti m e.
1998 A second ca r l i n e i s esta b l i s h ed, b u i l d i n g Vedra
sed a n a n d wagons. Vol u m e export s h i pm ents of l eft- h a n d
d rive Com m od ores t o t h e M i d d l e East com m e n ce.
2000 - Prod u ction of Vectra sed a n s a n d wagons ceases.
2001 - The six m i l l i onth H o ld en, a VX Com modore SS, roll
off t h e E li za beth l i ne.
2002 - Holden a n n ou n ces a $ 2 bi l l i on, five-yea r vehicle a n d
en g i n e p l a nt ca pacity expa n s ion p rogra m .
2006 - Prod u ction of t h e a l l-new VE Com m odore sed a n
ra n g e beg i n s a t E l i zabeth i n J u ly 2006. It reflects a $ 5 3 2
m i l l i o n i n vestment i n m ajor u p g rade works, i ncl u d i ng a
reva m ped general assem bly o peration.
2007 - T h e fi n a l VZ model, a wagon, was b u i lt i n September
- th e last of more than 1.2 m i l li o n VT Series d erivatives
b u i lt at E l i za beth si nce 1997. Prod u cti on of the Ponti ac G 8
for t h e US m a rket begi ns.
By June 2008 it's a nti ci pated that h a lf of all ca rs bu ilt
at the El iza beth p l a n t w i l l be exported u nder severa l
r:r,11 G M bra nd n a m es, a m o n g them C hevrolet Hold en,
lii:l Ponti ac, a n d Va u x ha l l.
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T h e w i n n e r of the Holden Core j acket w i l l be n otified via
tel ephone a n d thei r n a me p u b l i sh ed in a future edition of
HVOC. Tha n k you for your honest feed back!
The HVO Communicato r is a publication of Corporate Affairs. Please
direct your feedback to Tamra Newman at (08) 8282 8736 (MP 506}
for comments and 1 or story ideas.