Production
Bo Andersson, Saab Automobile’s Purchasing Chief Resigns
June 12th, 2009, 9:17pm by Ryan - 0 Comments
Bo Andersson, Saab Automobile’s Purchasing Chief, employed by GM, but with Saab since 1987 has apparently resigned to “pursue other career opportunities according to Bloomberg.
Andersson was instrumental in Saab Automobile’s purchasing capabilities with suppliers earlier this past year when production stopped due to custom issues.
I am wondering why this resignation took place at this time, especially with the news as of late about a possible new buyer for Saab Automobile.
June 12 (Bloomberg) — General Motors Corp. said Bo Andersson, the automaker’s global purchasing chief, left immediately to pursue “other career opportunities.â€
A successor will be named soon, Detroit-based GM said today in a statement that didn’t elaborate on his plans. Andersson, 53, joined a predecessor company to GM’s Saab unit in 1987, and was GM’s group vice president for purchasing and supply chain.
Andersson is the first senior executive to leave since the biggest U.S. automaker filed for bankruptcy on June 1. He was a member of GM’s Automotive Strategy Board, which makes all crucial management decisions, and had overseen the global supply chain since 2001.
“They’re going to have some very big shoes to fill,†said John Henke Jr., president of supplier-research firm Planning Perspectives Inc. in Birmingham, Michigan. “He was a tough guy, but he knew his business and he knew what he had to do.â€
Henke said Andersson was likely to return to the industry soon, because “he is too good and he loves the business.†Chief Executive Officer Fritz Henderson said Andersson made “tremendous contributions†to GM’s purchasing operations.
Andersson wasn’t available for an interview, a GM spokesman, Dan Flores, said today.
Andersson graduated from Sweden’s military academy and served as an officer in the Swedish army before joining GM. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Stockholm University and completed Harvard University’s senior management program in 1999.Standing With Suppliers
GM works with about 1,500 auto-parts makers in North America and spent about $30 billion in the U.S. on direct purchases in 2008. It has struggled to improve ties with those companies this decade, ranking worst among six automakers in Henke’s annual survey of supplier relationships from 2002 to 2006. GM was second to last in the study released May 25.
The automaker has been trying to pare its supply base to match reduced production, and has been working with $3.5 billion in U.S. Treasury funding to help assure payments to suppliers while it restructures.
GM’s pending bankruptcy filing contributed to auditors’ going-concern warnings earlier this year to suppliers including American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. and Lear Corp. as sales fell and their access to cash dwindled.
To contact the reporters on this story: Katie Merx in Southfield, Michigan, at kmerx@bloomberg.net; Alex Ortolani in Southfield, Michigan, at aortolani1@bloomberg.net
Write a comment