General Motors can represent the world's largest automobile companies-American General Motors and General Motors; It can also represent the world's largest diversified service company-General Electric (GE).
Brief introduction of general motors
General Motors (GM) is the largest automobile company in the world, with its core automobile business and subsidiaries all over the world, and * * * has 325,000 employees. General Motors Company was developed from William Crapo Durant (186 1- 1947) on the basis of Buick Motor Company in September of 1908, and was established in Detroit, USA. The current headquarters is still located in Detroit. Its logo GM is taken from the first letter of the first two words of its English name (General Motors). Since 193 1, it has become a leader in the global automobile industry. So far, General Motors has established automobile manufacturing business in 33 countries around the world, and its automobile products are sold to more than 200 countries. In 2005, GM sold 965,438+700,000 cars and trucks worldwide. GM's global headquarters is located at the GM Renaissance Center in Detroit.
General Motors is the holding company of Korean General Motors daewoo motor Technology Co., Ltd., and has carried out strategic cooperation with Japanese Suzuki Motor Co., Ltd. and Isuzu Motor Co., Ltd., involving products, powertrain, joint procurement, etc. At the same time, GM has also cooperated with DaimlerChrysler Group, BMW Group and Toyota Motor Corporation in the field of new energy technology. In addition, GM also cooperates with Toyota Motor Corporation, Suzuki Motor Corporation, China Automobile Industry (Group) Corporation, Russian AVTOVAZ Automobile Corporation and French Renault Automobile Corporation to develop and produce automobiles.
The brands of cars and trucks owned by GM include Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, General Daewoo, Horton, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saab and Saab.
Gm's after-sales service and parts business department sells auto parts through three brands: GM, GM Goodwrench and AC Deco. General Motors Power System Department is responsible for the marketing of automobile engines and transmissions.
GMAC, a subsidiary of General Motors, is the world's leading financial services company, providing services such as auto and commercial loans, mortgage financing and insurance to customers all over the world. General Motors OnStar is an industry leader in automotive safety and information services. Other major businesses of GM include Hughes Electronics, which provides digital TV entertainment services and satellite services, and General Motors Locomotive Company, which manufactures diesel-electric locomotives and commercial diesel engines.
General Motors ranked fifth among Fortune Global 500 companies in 2007.
GM history
The predecessor of General Motors Company is Buick Motor Company founded by david dunbar buick in 1907. 1904, william durant, the largest carriage manufacturer in the United States, acquired Buick Motor Company, became the general manager of the company, and introduced Model C at the same time. In order to promote this kind of car, Durant quickly established a distribution network and attracted a large number of orders-far beyond the company's production capacity. By 1908, Buick Motor Company had become a major automobile manufacturer in the United States. Durant wanted to end the coexistence of hundreds of automobile companies at that time, so he strongly supported Benjamin Chrisco's proposal to merge Buick, Ford, Maxwell-Brisco, Oz and other major automobile companies, but the negotiation ended in failure because Ford's asking price was as high as $8 million. In the same year, Durant established the automobile holding company-General Motors (GM) on the basis of Buick Motor Company and Oz Motor Company, and merged two other automobile companies-Auckland Motor Company (now Pontiac Branch) and Cadillac Motor Company at 1909.
Durant pointed out the company's three-dimensional strategy from the beginning, that is, to produce different brands of cars suitable for different tastes and purchasing power, to diversify as much as possible in the field of automobile engineering, and to implement backward integration in the field of automobile parts production. By 19 10, the company has purchased 17 compact car company. However, the rapid development has caused the company to fall into financial difficulties. A group of bankers gained control of the company with their five-member management committee, of which Durant was only one member. 19 18, DuPont acquired a 23% stake in General Motors for $50 million, thus becoming the largest shareholder of the company. 19 19 years, the shareholding ratio rose to 28.7%. In this case, Durant gradually separated from the business activities of General Motors and established Chevrolet Motor Company on 19 1 1. 19 15, the company introduced a new type of cheap car, model 490, which competed with Ford Motor Company's Model T car.
At the same time, he formed an alliance with DuPont and secretly bought shares in General Motors. 19 15 publicly announced that it would exchange 5 shares of Chevrolet Motor Company for 1 shares of General Motors, thus regaining the control of General Motors in 19 16 and re-assuming the post of president of the company. During this period, the company merged Kuai Auto Company and Chengxin Truck Company on 19 1 1 to form General Truck Company. Sampson Hill Tractor Company was acquired in the same year, and bathroom refrigerator company (later Frigidaire branch) and champion spark plug company (later renamed AC spark plug company) were acquired in 19 13. After Durant regained control, he merged 60% shares of Shelton Motor Company, Fisher Motor Company and Canadian automobile manufacturer maclaurin Motor Company (later General Canada Company). During World War I, the company produced a large number of trucks, ambulances and aircraft engines for the army. After the war, the company strengthened product wholesale by setting up the general motors acceptance company, which was a great success.
19 19, GM became the fifth largest industrial enterprise in the United States, and its market share in the United States reached 17% in 1920. Although it is far below 43% of Ford Motor Company, it is also considerable. However, the Great Depression of 1920 put the company in trouble again. Durant was forced to retire early and sold all his GM shares to dupont family, which made DuPont's shareholding in GM rise to 37%. JP Morgan also took the opportunity to acquire part of the shares of General Motors, thus forming a situation in which dupont family and Morgan family jointly controlled General Motors, and DuPont replaced Durant as the company's chairman and largest shareholder. The first thing DuPont did as the president was to approve the reform plan of Alfred D. Si Long Jr., the president of United Automobile Company, to completely reorganize the company's management system and establish an anti-centralized business division management system, which is the famous Sloan model.
After Si Long became the president of the company on 1923, he rationalized the various departments of the company and even the repeated production lines. As a result, the company has entered a period of rapid development. It has successively merged the Yellow Automobile Manufacturing Company and several aircraft companies, and launched the Chevrolet sedan 1925 to compete with Ford, which modernized the automobile design, and implemented the strategy of "one car fits a financial and demand goal", and launched a new model every year. By 1927, GM has become the overlord of the American automobile industry, with a domestic market share of 43%, and has maintained a leading position so far. Even during the Great Depression, the company remained profitable and insisted on paying dividends to shareholders. During the Second World War, the company accepted a large number of military orders with a total price as high as 1308 1 billion dollars. During the war, about14 tanks, armored vehicles and planes, about12 bullets and rifles in the United States, and two-thirds of heavy trucks came from General Motors.
After World War II, GM's decision-makers realized that there would be a hot-selling period for automobiles, and launched a larger and more profitable automobile, which consolidated its dominant position in the automobile market and made it the largest military contractor in the United States. After Eisenhower was elected president in 1952, Charlie Wilson, president of the company, became the secretary of defense. 1955, GM became the first company in the world with an annual profit of more than $65,438 billion. 1986, Si Long, the chairman of the company, retired, and in 1963, he published the book My Years in General Motors, which became a classic management work. However, GM's huge scale makes it the target of economic groups. The Ministry of Justice tried to get dupont family to sell its 23% stake in General Motors, but until the mid-1960s, dupont family remained its major shareholder. At the same time, the company's "big is good" automobile design concept has also been challenged. 1957- 1958 the economic crisis has made people's demand for small economical cars soar. In order to adapt to the changes of various demand patterns, General Motors developed a compact car Corvair, but this poorly designed economical car made the company lose face. Since the 1960s, a large number of foreign small cars have entered the United States to meet people's demand for small and economical cars. The oil embargo in the early 1970s reinforced this trend. The company was forced to put a lot of energy into developing small cars, and invested $2 billion to develop X series front-wheel drive small cars, but it was not very successful and the company began to show a deficit. Nevertheless, in the 1970s, their sales increased significantly, from $35.725 billion 1975 to $663.11000 billion/979, and their sales profit also increased from $ 1253 million.
After entering the 1980s, General Motors began a difficult process of innovation. As early as 1979, the company began to produce front-wheel drive vehicles, and started the equipment renewal plan with an investment of 70 billion US dollars in 10 to carry out structural adjustment and cost reduction activities. 1980, GM sold its Frigidaire division and Terex division. 198 1 year, after roger smith became the chief business officer, he carried out large-scale adjustment and reorganization activities, laid off thousands of people, and launched a J-type car designed to replace Japanese imported cars; 1983 Investment1500,000 USD to set up a new joint venture company with Toyota of Japan to produce small cars in California by using the manufacturing technology of Japanese companies; 1984, GM invested $2.5 billion to acquire an electronic data system. 1985, Saturn announced that it would produce cars in a Japanese factory in Tennessee, and Hughes Aircraft Manufacturing Company was acquired by $4.7 billion. At the same time, GM has established more than 50 joint ventures with other companies, from robot manufacturing to artificial intelligence enterprises. In Smith's words, this is the key to finding 2 1 century.
However, due to the fierce competition between foreign imported cars and Ford Motor Company, GM had to reduce its production capacity, lay off tens of thousands of people and drastically cut its salary expenses. At the same time, the captive import strategy was implemented-that is, companies from other countries made cars for GM and sold them in the United States, and the quality problems of Saturn cars made the company recycle 1/3 cars for maintenance five months after they were put on the market. In the end, we had to spend $265,438+billion to make up for the cost of closing the factory, which directly led to the huge losses of 1990, and GM's market share dropped sharply from 47% in 1979 to 35% in 1989. 1990, the company launched the Sutton brand car, which was the first new brand car launched by the company since 1926, costing more than 2 billion dollars. 199 1 year, GM lost nearly $5 billion again, making it the largest corporate deficit in American history. Under this circumstance, Chairman Robert stempel was forced to announce that more than 20 factories in the United States and Canada would be closed within three years, and more than 74,000 people would be laid off. 199 1 autumn, stempel announced the implementation of structural reorganization, merging four departments, such as casting, engine assembly and transmission system, into one department, reducing the traditional engine production from nine to five, launching three different types of four-cylinder engines and launching a new engine at the same time. Nevertheless, in the spring of 1992, many board members headed by John Smale, the former president of Procter & Gamble, still succeeded Lloyd Ruth, stempel's successor, as the president of the company, and arranged John Smale as the chairman of the executive committee. In April of the same year, GM launched the largest stock issue in American history, raising $2.2 billion to alleviate financial difficulties. It seems that GM has reached a critical juncture of management innovation.
In recent years, fierce competition from overseas manufacturers has threatened GM's industrial advantage. Facing the challenges of its main competitors, Daimler-Chrysler, Ford and Honda, GM focused on expanding into the global market, including hiring former Toyota car consultants to help them enter the Japanese market. (The company also holds a large number of shares in Suzuki and Isuzu; 1999, GM increased its stake in Isuzu to 49%, and bought a stake in Suzuki 10%. 1In the second half of 1998, a joint venture with SAIC produced the first batch of Buick cars for the China market. By entering the cheap car market in Brazil and Russia, GM is expanding the overseas consumer market, establishing a customer base and establishing a brand effect, all of which are a big step ahead of its competitors.
198 1 year, GM made a decision to transfer production equipment to developing countries and began to lay off employees. In the past ten years, GM has laid off thousands of employees, including the third-generation GM employees, who left the company's base in Flint, Michigan and fell into financial difficulties. GM has gained a bad reputation for this. michael moore's documentary Roger &; When Me came out, GM's public image was seriously damaged. 1996, a general strike of auto workers paralyzed 24 factories in North America for nearly three weeks. Although the strike has ended, the problem has not been solved. 1998' s seven-week strike had a surprising impact on its quarterly gross national product report: GM lost nearly $2.8 billion during this period, which made North American production stagnate. Strangely, GM is very popular in its subsidiary Saturn, and its cars are very attractive in the market. It all depends on Saturn's good corporate image: employees are well paid and then an ideal working environment is formed.
General Motors, which recovered from the 1998 strike, has started a new round of cost reduction plan. Making small cars profitable is the focus of the company, because now the company will lose about 500~600 dollars every time it sells a small car. In the "Yellowstone" project, GM's goal is to reduce costs and improve productivity. The specific method is to let the supplier assist in the design and assemble some parts before delivery, which saves time and money. 1998, the auto giant merged its North American and international businesses. In order to rationalize the operation,1May, 1999, GM took Delphi as its branch, which is the main force producing auto parts.
In 2004, for the fourth consecutive year, General Motors set an industry sales record for the total sales volume of trucks and sport utility vehicles in its largest market, the United States. In China, the second largest market, GM's sales increased by 27%, setting a new company record.
Main products of GM
(1) Automobile products: including manufacturing, assembling and selling automobiles, trucks, buses and related spare parts. 1993, the company sold 43 million vehicles of various types, accounting for 35% of the American market and 7% of the world market, including 745 cars and light trucks (1000). The company's main automobile brands are Chevrolet, Buick, Diak, Oldsmobile, Cadillac and Saturn, which are produced by 30 automobile assembly plants, 29 distribution centers and storage facilities all over the United States and distributed by more than 0/0000 dealers nationwide. 199 1 year, 79% of the company's income comes from the automobile sector.
(2) Financial insurance: The main business unit is the General Motors Acceptance Company, which subsidizes the purchase of general motors products. In addition, the company also provides insurance for dealers and consumers, and is engaged in mortgage banking, maritime finance and investment services. 199 1 year, 9% of the company's income comes from this department.
(3) Other products: mainly data processing and telecommunication services provided by Electronic Data Systems, and arms business provided by General Hughes Electronics, especially missile systems. 199 1 year, General Hughes Electronics Company became the fourth largest arms contractor in the United States and the main commercial satellite supplier in the United States. Its products include military vehicles, radars, weapon control systems, missile systems and military satellites. In addition, the two companies are also engaged in the design, installation and operation of commercial information and telecommunications systems, the research, development and manufacture of locomotives, and the production of compressors, generators and marine turbine engines.
Gm partner
GM's global strategic partners include Italy Fiat Automobile Co., Ltd., Japan Fuji Heavy Industries Co., Ltd., Isuzu Automobile Co., Ltd. and Suzuki Automobile Co., Ltd., and the cooperation scope covers products, powertrains and joint procurement. At the same time, GM is the largest shareholder of Korean GM daewoo motor Technology Company. In addition, GM has also carried out technical cooperation with German BMW and Japanese Honda, and developed and produced automobiles with Toyota Motor Corporation, Isuzu Automobile Co., Ltd., China Shanghai Automobile Industry (Group) Corporation, Russian AVTOVAZ Automobile Company and French Renault Company.
General brand
GM's car and truck brands include Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Horton, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn and Volvo. In some countries, GM's sales network also sells automobile products made by GM Daewoo, Isuzu, Fuji (Speedy) and Suzuki. Gm's after-sales service and parts business department sells auto parts through three brands: GM, GM Goodwrench and AC Deco. General Motors Power System Department is responsible for the marketing of automobile engines and transmissions. GMAC, a subsidiary of General Motors, is the world's leading financial services company, providing services such as auto and commercial loans, mortgage financing and insurance to customers all over the world. General Motors OnStar is an industry leader in automotive safety and information services.
General Motors is in China.
General Motors has been in China for more than 80 years. At present, GM has more than 20,000 employees in China. In 2005, the total sales volume of GM China and its joint ventures in China was 665,390 vehicles, an increase of 35.2% compared with the same period in 2004. GM imports, produces and sells a series of products in China, such as Cadillac, Saab Saab, Opel, Buick, Chevrolet and Wuling, and its product range ranks first among all multinational auto companies in China, covering mid-to high-end cars, multi-purpose station wagons, compact cars and mini-cars.
GM's vision in China is to join hands with strategic partners and become the best participant and supporter of China's automobile industry.
In order to achieve this goal, GM will continue to go hand in hand with China automobile industry. GM's business in China has always followed the following five principles: to devote itself to the long-term development in China, and to establish and maintain cooperative relations beneficial to GM, the people of China and China; Extensive participation in the production, sales, design and testing of complete vehicles and parts; Actively participate in technical exchange activities and maintain a leading position in technology; Committed to cultivating the management level and professional skills of China employees; Integrate China business into its global network to ensure the highest quality products and services for the China market.
General Motors China's enterprises in China mainly include:
Shanghai General Motors Co., Ltd. is the most advanced automobile production joint venture in China, which is jointly established by General Motors and Shanghai Automotive Industry (Group) Corporation. The largest Sino-US joint venture in China was established in June 1997.
At present, Shanghai GM owns four brands: Cadillac, Buick, Chevrolet and Saab, forming Cadillac CTS, Cadillac SRX and Cadillac XLR；. . Royaum car, Buick Regal car, Buick GL8 commercial station wagon series, Buick Excelle series; Chevrolet Cheng Jing, Chevrolet LOVA, Chevrolet Lecheng, Chevrolet Sail compact car; Saab 9-3 sports car, Saab 9-3 high-end convertible and Saab 9-5 sports high-end car have a product matrix of more than 50 varieties in the 16th National Congress series, and have a complete sales, after-sales service and parts supply network in China.
At present, Shanghai GM has three production bases in Jinqiao, Yantai and Shenyang, four complete vehicle factories in Jinqiao South Factory, Jinqiao North Factory, Yantai Dongyue Automobile and Shenyang Beisheng Automobile, and two powertrain factories in Jinqiao Powertrain and Yantai Dongyue Powertrain. Among them, Jinqiao Base has an annual production capacity of 320,000 cars, 65,438+10,000 automatic gearboxes and 200,000 engines. Yantai base has an annual designed production capacity of 6.5438+0.2 million vehicles and 375,000 engines. The annual design capacity of Shenyang base is 40,000 vehicles. The total annual production capacity of Shanghai General Motors can reach 480,000 vehicles, and its scale and strength are among the best among domestic automobile enterprises.
Shanghai GM Beisheng Automobile Co., Ltd. is located in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, formerly known as Jinbei General Motors Co., Ltd. In March 2004, SAIC, GM China and Shanghai GM reorganized Jinbei General Motors, with SAIC and GM China each holding 25% shares and Shanghai GM holding 50% shares. Its product planning, manufacturing, parts procurement, information system, quality system and human resource management are all included in the management system of Shanghai GM. At present, Shanghai GM Beisheng Automobile (Shenyang) has an annual production capacity of 50,000 vehicles in three shifts, and has been producing GL8 official station wagon since September 2004.
Shanghai GM Dongyue Automobile Co., Ltd. is a new company established after Shanghai Automotive Industry Group Corporation, General Motors China Company and Shanghai General Motors Company jointly invested 900 million yuan to acquire all the shares of the former Shandong Yantai Automobile Body Co., Ltd., with the three parties holding 25%, 25% and 50% respectively. Located in Yantai City, Shandong Province, the company is currently the second production base of Shanghai General Motors, and began to produce Buick Sail in April 2003. The annual design capacity of Shanghai GM Dongyue Automobile is 65,438+000,000 vehicles in two shifts.
Shanghai GM Dongyue Powertrain Co., Ltd. is a new joint venture, located in Yantai City, Shandong Province. Its predecessor was Shandong daewoo motor Engine Co., Ltd., which was put into production in August 1996. In March 2004, after the reorganization of the company, SAIC and General Motors China each held 25% shares in the new company, and their joint venture company, Shanghai General Motors, held 50% shares. After the reorganization, Shanghai GM Dongyue Powertrain Co., Ltd. is responsible for the daily operation and management of Shanghai GM. The design capacity of Shanghai GM Dongyue powertrain is three shifts and two runs, with an annual output of 375,000 engines.
SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile Co., Ltd. is a joint venture company established by SAIC, GM and Wuling with a joint investment of 99.6 million US dollars in June 2002. The shareholding ratios of the three parties are 50. 1%, 34% and 15.9% respectively. Located in Liuzhou City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the company produces four series ***2 10 vehicles, including commercial vehicles, minivans, minivans and minivans, and is the second largest mini-car manufacturer in China. SAIC-GM-Wuling currently has an annual production capacity of 300,000 vehicles.
Pan Asia Automotive Technology Center Co., Ltd. is a joint venture between General Motors and SAIC, with a total investment of 50 million US dollars, with each party holding 50% of the shares. As the first joint venture of automobile engineering technology in China, it provides a series of automobile engineering services for automobile enterprises in China and the Asia-Pacific region, including design, development, testing, parts and vehicle certification. The restructuring projects of Shanghai GM Buick Regal, Buick Excelle and other products were all completed by Pan-Asia Automotive Technology Center.
SAIC General Motors Finance Co., Ltd. is the first auto finance company in China. It is jointly funded by General Motors Financial Services Company, one of the largest auto finance companies in the world, and SAIC Finance Co., Ltd. At present, its main business is to provide wholesale and retail credit and other financial services for auto sales of joint ventures and related cooperative enterprises between General Motors and SAIC in China, which is divided into two major areas.
General Motors Warehouse Trading (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., located in Shanghai Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, was officially launched in August. 1999. It is a wholly-owned parts distribution center established by General Motors Company of the United States with an investment of US$ 3.2 million. Its establishment ensures that GM can provide real GM parts to customers in Chinese mainland in time. At the same time, the center has adopted a fully computerized warehouse management and inventory control system, and currently stores about 25,000 kinds of parts.
General Motors (China) Investment Co., Ltd. is a wholly-owned enterprise established by American General Motors Company in Shanghai. It owns all local employees of GM in China and is also an investor in GM's joint venture in China. The sales, marketing and after-sales service of imported cars is one of the business operations of General Motors China Company. GM China imported Opel cars from GM factories around the world and pushed them to the China market. GM's after-sales service system provides support for authorized maintenance service centers and parts dealers nationwide.
GM-Shanghai Jiaotong University Technology Research Institute is a research institution jointly established by GM and Shanghai Jiaotong University, which is dedicated to technical training and cooperation in scientific research projects. There are three institutions under it: Powertrain Research Institute, PACE Center and Body Manufacturing Technology Satellite Laboratory.
GM-Tsinghua University Institute of Technology is jointly established by GM and Tsinghua University, and is committed to cooperation with R&D and other scientific and technological aspects.
ACDelco is a leading auto parts brand in the world, with nearly 40 wholesalers and more than 100 AC Deco service centers in China. It provides ACDelco original parts and maintenance services for all automobile manufacturers in China. AC Deco also offers 15 product series in China.
Allison gearbox division is the world's largest manufacturer of automatic gearboxes for medium and heavy trucks, buses and professional vehicles. At present, Allison Transmission Department is cooperating with China Vehicle Equipment Factory and end users to improve the quality of medium and heavy commercial vehicles.
Brief introduction of general electric
General Electric Company (GE) is the largest diversified service company in the world, and also a supplier of high-quality and high-tech industrial consumer goods. From aircraft engines and power generation equipment to financial services, from medical imaging and TV programs to plastics, GE is committed to creating a better life through various technologies and services. GE operates in more than 0/00 countries around the world, with nearly 300,000 employees worldwide. Mr. Jeff Immelt succeeded Jack Welch as Chairman and CEO of General Electric Company on September 7th, 2006.
General electric history
The history of General Electric Company can be traced back to Thomas Edison, who founded Edison Electric Light Company in 1878. 1892, Edison General Electric Company and Thomson Houston Electric Company merged to form General Electric Company (GE). GE is the only company that remains on the list of Dow Jones Industrial Average since 1896 was founded.
Ge is in China.
As early as 1906, GE began to develop its trade with China, and it was one of the most active and influential foreign companies in China at that time. 1908, Ge established the first light bulb factory in Shenyang. 1934, GE acquired Shenchang Foreign Company and began to provide installation and maintenance services for imported electrical equipment in China. From 65438 to 0979, Ge re-established trade relations with People's Republic of China (PRC). 199 1 year, the first joint venture, Gehangwei Medical System Co., Ltd., was established in Beijing. Up to now, all industrial product groups of GE have established business in China, with more than 65,438+02,000 employees and more than 50 operating entities. With the gradual opening of the market after China's entry into WTO, GE's financial business is also actively seeking development opportunities in China. In 2006, GE's sales revenue in China reached $5.4 billion.
In addition to business activities, GE encourages itself to be a responsible corporate citizen. In 2006 alone, nearly 3,000 GE employees organized more than 70 community volunteer projects in Greater China, contributing more than 20,000 hours to public welfare undertakings such as education, children's health and development, caring for the elderly and environmental protection. * * * 18 Communities in different regions benefited from this (including Beijing, Chongqing, Gansu, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Hong Kong, Qinhuangdao, Shanghai, Taiwan Province, Wuxi, Zengcheng, Zhongshan, Shenzhen, Pengzhou, Shenyang, Harbin and Xuzhou).