DECEMBER 2008
HO HO HO! Festive Season Begins
HAPPY 60th ANNIVERSARY! WE TAKE A LOOK AT HOW WE CELEBRATED!
NEWS
THE
FROM THE
CHAIRMAN’S VIEW I’m really proud of what our GM Holden team has been able to accomplish over the past few months. Topping the list is our ability to stand tall after what has been the most difficult 90 days for the world economy since the Great Depression. It was great to celebrate our 60th Anniversary and to see how well this significant milestone resonated in the marketplace. Sportwagon continues to make a splash which has helped Commodore retain its “best selling passenger car” title. I was especially pleased with the introduction of the Holden EcoLine range because it represents our commitment to providing Australian consumers a variety of fuel-saving and alternative fuel technologies. To be successful, we have to change consumer perceptions about Holden through proof points on the road. Today, we offer one of the broadest diesel vehicle portfolios in the market, and we have more on the way. We’re launching a V8 with Active Fuel Management and improving the efficiency of our Global V6 engines. In addition, we’re working hard to offer more alternative fuel options, including Mono LPG, E85, and CNG. Energy diversity is the key to our long-term sustainability, and we’re making great progress. Of course, the global economic situation’s effect on GM’s state of the business and our local operations continues to raise concern among employees, their families, and the entire marketplace. I firmly believe that our industry can overcome the challenges we face and that Holden can emerge stronger than we’ve ever been before. The Australian government’s commitment to support our industry through the $6.2 billion New Car Plan is a key reason for my optimism. We should all feel very good about this, as it’s a strong signal that our industry and Holden will have a thriving future. We’re already working on a number of initiatives that leverage the support package. These efforts will continue through what will become our industry’s “decade of innovation.” Tough times present opportunities for those who are positive, energetic, and willing to think in new ways. We need to stay focused on what we can control – things like saving cost, managing inventory effectively, meeting our sales targets and other revenue generation activities. It all boils down to doing all that we can to provide our customers with the high quality vehicles they deserve. We all have a stake in Holden’s long term success. I encourage you to get involved and contribute your ideas. I wish you and your families a Merry Christmas and hope that you have a safe and restful holiday. Please take the opportunity to actively talk up our vehicles and company with your friends and acquaintances. The role we play as Holden Ambassadors is extremely important. Thanks for your hard work this year. We have a lot to look forward to in 2009, including several new vehicle introductions. So, let’s come back charged up for another exciting year. Happy holidays!
Mark Reuss Chairman and Managing Director
BOARDROOM Fiona Harden General Counsel
My role as General Counsel, and that of the six other lawyers in our Legal team, is to provide legal advice to all of Holden’s business functions. Holden is unique in the region because it represents, in a microcosm, all that GM does globally. We design, engineer and make vehicles, we manufacture engines, we sell our products domestically and in many overseas markets, we manage a large dealer network and a significant aftersales business. On top of that, we have to engage with local, state and federal governments, local and global supply bases, media and other parties. The regulatory environment in Australia is also very complex – and continues to become more so. The proposed carbon trading scheme will be one of the next layers to be added to the business environment. Given all of this, it’s perhaps not surprising that legal issues can crop up when you least expect them. The Legal team’s goal is to support the business through each issue – to provide advice that aims to meet the business’ commercial objectives while also managing any legal issues. We seek to help the business functions build their relationships with our customers, suppliers, regulators, dealers and other stakeholders. But we also help the business with its strategic initiatives. There’s been a lot of recent activity in the government relations sphere around the Bracks’ Review of the automotive industry in Australia. The Managing Director’s office and Corporate Affairs have been working on these issues, supported by the Legal team and other parts of the business including Planning, Project Management, Engineering and Manufacturing. With the Federal Government’s New Car Plan, we are starting to see really positive results. Now, it’s up to us to take advantage of this assistance and drive Holden into the future.
HOLDEN UTE WINS AWARD The Holden VE SS Ute has claimed the 2008 Drive Car of the Year’s Best Ute Award for the second year running. The ute won the award for its car-like driving dynamics, high-performing engine and competitive pricing. Drive Car of the Year judges tested the ute during a six day drive program and rated the 42-car field based on criteria including performance, price, quality, comfort and safety. National Drive Editor and Drive Car of the Year judge Toby Hagon said the Holden Ute demonstrated outstanding performance. “The overall design of the Ute shows genuine understanding of the target market, especially inside where there are some handy storage options,” Toby said. “The Ute makes a great dual-purpose vehicle, fulfilling work duties during the week and recreational needs for the weekend.”
COVER PHOTO: Mark Harvey from Design and his daughter Nikita were among the employees and their families who turned out in the thousands to mark the 60th Anniversary of Australia’s first locally designed and built car, the Holden 48-215. See revelers at the 60th Anniversary and Christmas celebrations at Elizabeth and Fishermans Bend on Pages 8+9.
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NEWS
Dave at Home Down Under Dave Gibbons did not anticipate a global financial crisis when he signed on to lead the vehicle manufacturing team at GM’s most remote outpost. But after just a few months in the job in some of the toughest times the Australian automotive industry and Holden have faced, he’s not in a hurry to change hats. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the world in these challenging times. Holden has a great team, great products, and a winning spirit that has impressed me very much,” Dave said. Holden people and products have clearly made an early and positive impression on Dave. The recent 60th Anniversary plant Open Day was a particular highlight. “Open Day gave me a real sense of the pride employees have in their place of work and the passion they have around Holden as a brand and its vehicles. It left a lasting impression on me that here is an organisation that really cares deeply about the company, the plant and its products. Where else in the world would you find 10,000 people turning out for a plant Open Day?” Dave asked. Tough times call for some tough measures, particularly when it comes to reducing waste. Dave believes the Manufacturing side of the business leads the way in this regard.
Dave Gibbons meets one of many Holden enthusiasts at Open Day
“It’s in our manufacturing DNA to focus on the business fundamentals of safety, quality, and cost. And we do this in the spirit of continuous improvement where we try every day to improve from the previous day – and can see the results on the production line. In this context we’ve learned how to improve quality, accomplish more with less and become leaner. We eliminate waste from processes and reduce spending. These are all things that I think we can share and from which we as an organisation can benefit,” he said.
“This is a cyclical business. We’ve been through down times before and we always put the right things in place to bounce back. And the automotive industry will bounce back because I fundamentally believe that people are passionate about vehicles. “We need to hang tough. I am very confident that we will ride this out. In American sporting terms, its about blocking and tackling, consistently running the play every day, and moving the ball closer to the goal line,” Dave said.
More Safety Stars for Commodore and Barina The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) has awarded a maximum five star safety rating for the upgraded VE Commodore Omega sedan, Holden’s highest selling locally produced model. The result reflects the introduction of a steering column shroud energy absorber across the VE sedan range that helps to reduce driver knee injuries, and a front passenger seat belt reminder on the Omega sedan. These improvements are in addition to the front passenger side impact airbags and curtain airbags that were made standard across the range earlier this year. Chairman and Managing Director, Mark Reuss said, “We have always been very confident of this vehicle’s real world safety capabilities, and we are committed to continually improving the passive and active safety features we offer.” Structural improvements to the
NNNNN
Barina bodyshell and the addition of side impact airbags for the driver and front passenger as standard across the Barina hatchback range have netted Holden’s 2009 model year small car an PEOPLE
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ANCAP four star safety rating. There has been a very positive response to the new Barina’s styling, and the four star rating confirms the effectiveness of our various safety improvements.
NEWS
Quest to be Best
Dave Woodroffe at work with colleagues to build World’s Best Engines
People from diverse corners of the business are signing up to learn the finer points of the GM Global Manufacturing System following the introduction of a Simulated Work Environment (SWE) at Engine Operations. Lead Powertrain Executive, Martyn Cray said more than 100 people had completed training inside the dedicated SWE learning area created in Family II, Plant 10. “The main purpose of the SWE is to ensure everyone knows the five GMGMS principles: Standardisation, Built-in Quality, People Involvement, Short Lead
Time and Continuous Improvement and how these can be effectively implemented in our work,” Martyn said. “We have already had requests from employees outside of HEO wanting to learn more about GM-GMS,” he added. Leading by example, Martyn and his leadership team have completed the voluntary training that is integral to his campaign to produce World’s Best Engines. “I can assure all employees that it is an experience not to be missed. Here you will learn how we plan to operate the HFV6 Engine Plant so that we can
Lions Savage Opposition
Back Row (From left): Jon Dennis, Patricia Dennis, Greg Tyus, Scott Sandefur, Cameron Jury, Geoff Barnes, Grant Mitchell, Steve Lockhart. Front Row: Fiona Mills, Kelly Sandefur, Fiona Jury, Katherine Freiberg, Courtney Barnes, Fiona Harden
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make World’s Best Engines. Production Manager HFV6, David Woodroffe concurs. “I have completed SWE twice now, once in Canada a couple of years ago and just recently at HEO. The key thing I learned from the first session was the critical importance of the Team Leader in Manufacturing and a true understanding of what that role is. The SWE at HEO reminded me of this, and I was also pleased to see the emphasis on standardised work, that is; doing the same thing every time. This is a key to building a quality engine first time,” Dave said. Runners, karters, cricketers, golfers and even poker players signed on to represent Holden at the 2008 corporate Games in Melbourne. The distinctive Holden red was also visible at netball, basketball, baseball, badminton, volleyball and table tennis venues across Melbourne during the three-day event. The Holden Lions softball team notched up another medal winning performance savaging their opposition by a four-game combined score of 76 – 7 including a 10 – 3 victory against Accenture Thunderbunnies in a rematch of last year’s Grand Final.
NEWS
Deals
Drive Sales Mathew Cooper knows a good deal when he sees one. As the man responsible for issuing prices for the Holden product portfolio, manager of the company lease fleet and architect of the Employee Purchase Plan, he is well qualified to plaster the “Bargain” stamp on the company’s latest offerings to employees. Since the launch of the Employee New Vehicle Purchase Program on August 1, internal monthly sales have rocketed from 170 vehicles per month to more than 500 in November. And with discounts of up to 35 per cent on locally produced vehicles, sales continue to grow. “The response from employees to the New Vehicle Purchase Program has by far exceeded my expectations in terms of the numbers of people who have
Mathew Cooper
actually purchased,” Mathew said. “It is a reflection of one of the things that I have always found about Holdenthe enormous pride that people have in our brand and products. When you add such a compelling offer and the best employee program in the industry, you can understand
why employees want to promote their own product by buying and driving it on our roads. “About half of the cars we are selling each month are made locally. That equates to about half a day’s production and is helping to keep volume going through the plant,” Mathew said.
Cadillac Targets Luxury Market Cadillac is staging a return to Australia entering the GM Premium Brand stable. Already sporting Saab and HUMMER, the GM Premium Brand offer will soon include the epitome of GM performance and refinement. From February next year, the Cadillac CTS Sedan will be sold at dedicated dealerships in major capital centres around Australia. Director of GM Premium Brands, Parveen Batish said the Cadillac CTS Sedan offer was an extension of the premium brand strategy and a deliberate assault on luxury European imports. And with prices starting at $75,000, Cadillac will take the local GM offer into a totally new corner of the market. “This is a car that is really going to be competing with the luxury European marques, the Mercedes and BMWs of this world. The CTS was designed and engineered for global markets and is a performance vehicle of dramatic proportions with ride and handling dynamics that make it a real driver’s car,” Parveen explained. “The interior refinement is part of a total package of specification and performance that offers a genuine alternative to leading European brands,” he said. Cadillac is an iconic brand and has
a history of more than a 100 years of innovation. The new CTS has received some of the most prestigious awards in the industry such as the Motor Trend Car of the Year award in the United States. “Holden employees possess a tremendous amount of passion for the products we design, engineer and market and the CTS is the latest product offering employees should take pride in
Cadillac CTS Sedan
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being ambassadors for,” he said. “Premium has always been synonymous with Europe. Our objective is to try to get customers from those brands to come in and buy our cars. Bringing Cadillac to Australia allows us to offer another superior brand and product to people with this luxury car mindset and capture additional sales,” he said.
OCTOBER SALES
GM HOLDEN OVERVIEW
INDUSTRY OVERVIEW
• Holden Commodore outsold Toyota Corolla by 313 units for the month (3,810 v 3,497) claiming the number one position in the passenger segment.
• The market was down 10,184 units compared to this time last year and 7,614 units down on a YTD basis.
• Sportwagon had 919 sales, helping Commodore to hold the number one position in the passenger segment for the fourth month in a row. • Colorado/Rodeo had a good month with 1,639 units sold in October.
MARKET LEADERS
• Toyota maintained market leadership in October with 23.6 per cent of market share ahead of Holden (12.9 per cent) and Ford (10.8 per cent). • A record month of sales for the Light Commercial Segment with 15,686 units sold, up 7.9 per cent on October 2007 and up 7.7 percent on YTD 2007.
MARKET LEADERS
(OCTOBER)
TOYOTA TOYOTA18,705 18,705
TOYOTA TOYOTA202,511 202,511
HOLDEN HOLDEN10,171 10,171
HOLDEN HOLDEN109,771 109,771
FORD FORD8,567 8,567
FORD FORD89,983 89,983
MAZDA MAZDA5,529 5,529
MAZDA MAZDA67,731 67,731
NISSAN NISSAN5,219 5,219
MITSUBISHI MITSUBISHI52,334 52,334
HONDA HONDA5,154 5,154
NISSAN NISSAN50,854 50,854
MITSUBISHI MITSUBISHI4,450 4,450
HONDA HONDA46,397 46,397
HYUNDAI HYUNDAI3,039 3,039
HYUNDAI HYUNDAI37,962 37,962
SUBARU SUBARU2,708 2,708
SUBARU SUBARU32,613 32,613
SUZUKI SUZUKI2,042 2,042
(2008)
VOLKSWAGEN VOLKSWAGEN26,040 26,040
00
5,000 5,000
10,000 10,000
15,000 15,000
20,000 20,000
00
50,000 50,000
100,000 100,000
150,000 150,000
200,000 200,000
HOLDEN CAR LINES
BARINA Oct 2008 sales: 855 Oct 2007 sales: 1,056 2008 YTD sales: 9,259 2007 YTD sales: 10,643
VIVA Oct 2008 sales: Oct 2007 sales: 2008 YTD sales: 2007 YTD sales:
ASTRA Oct 2008 sales: 1,067 Oct 2007 sales: 1,118 2008 YTD sales: 13,358 2007 YTD sales: 15,349
ASTRA twin Oct 2008 sales: Oct 2007 sales: 2008 YTD sales: 2007 YTD sales:
COMMODORE Oct 2008 sales: 3,810 Oct 2007 sales: 4,440 2008 YTD sales: 41,315 2007 YTD sales: 49,081
STATESMAN Oct 2008 sales: 80 Oct 2007 sales: 182 2008 YTD sales: 1,646 2007 YTD sales: 1,896
CAPRICE Oct 2008 sales: Oct 2007 sales: 2008 YTD sales: 2007 YTD sales:
UTE (inc. one tonner & crewman) Oct 2008 sales: 970 Oct 2007 sales: 877 2008 YTD sales: 10,916 2007 YTD sales: 8,438
COLORADO/RODEO Oct 2008 sales: 1,639 Oct 2007 sales: 867 2008 YTD sales: 13,787 2007 YTD sales: 15,598
COMBO Oct 2008 sales: Oct 2007 sales: 2008 YTD sales: 2007 YTD sales:
HUMMER H3 Oct 2008 sales: Oct 2007 sales: 2008 YTD sales: 2007 YTD sales:
409 451 5,356 6,534
77 87 845 674
PEOPLE
119 218 1,402 2,144
32 127 955 173
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top
58 95 794 1,153
EPICA Oct 2008 sales: Oct 2007 sales: 2008 YTD sales: 2007 YTD sales:
302 320 2,465 2,587
CAPTIVA Oct 2008 sales: Oct 2007 sales: 2008 YTD sales: 2007 YTD sales:
785 1,093 8,619 8,644
SAAB Oct 2008 sales: Oct 2007 sales: 2008 YTD sales: 2007 YTD sales:
26 77 993 1,627
NEWS
MOVEMBER MATTERS Holden employees and dealers have again endured itching and heckling in a bid to raise money for men’s health during Movember. Already $22,812 has been banked from employee efforts and thousands more is expected to come from the
dealer network for the fight against prostate cancer and depression. This year’s Holden efforts were bolstered by the Pose with Mo’s competition and e-Bay auction of the special 60th Anniversary bonnet signed by the big guns of the Holden Racing Team.
The Movember Men and Mo Sisters of HSPO
Andrew Stretch
HUMMER out in
FORCE Five HUMMER H3s have hit the streets to help Victoria Police address public order issues. Chief Commissioner, Christine Nixon said Victoria Police was pleased to be working in partnership with HUMMER in efforts to reduce alcohol-related crime. “The HUMMERs act as a strong deterrent and due to their distinctive appearance and road presence, create maximum impact on the streets,” Ms. Nixon said. Provided as part of a no-cost community service initiative, the five HUMMERs are being used as part of an overall public order strategy and have been put into service in the Melbourne CBD and right across Victoria. Director of GM Premium Brands. Parveen Batish said HUMMER has a long history of supporting community service initiatives globally.
Victoria Police Officers with the distinctive HUMMER H3
“The H3’s combination of unparalleled capabilities, dramatic design and mid-size truck economies make it an ideal vehicle to support the Victoria Police,” Parveen said. PEOPLE
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HUMMER community service initiatives in the United States include emergency response vehicles for the Red Cross and recreation projects in the Sierra National Forest, California.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
YEARS ON AND STILL A GM Holden opened its doors at Elizabeth and Fishermans Bend to employees and their families who turned out in their thousands to mark the 60th Anniversary of Australia’s first locally designed and built car, the Holden 48-215. South Australian anniversary celebrations
proved a huge hit with an estimated 10,000 people pouring into the Plant during their Open Day in October. Enthusiastic employees guided family and friends through the manufacturing facility where vehicle displays and a range of activities added to the celebrations.
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Santa managed to navigate his way through wintry Melbourne weather to add a special touch of Christmas cheer to that event. Earlier in the day the media came out in strength to see 97-year-old Jack Rawnsley, a former Holden engineer who worked on the
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
A BEAUTY development of the 48-215, reunited with the first Holden. The first 48-215 rolled off the line at Holden’s Fishermans Bend headquarters on November 29, 1948 with then Prime Minister Ben Chifley declaring “She’s a beauty.”
The 48-215
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GLOBAL
GLOBAL GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS GM Chairman and CEO, Rick Wagoner and President and Chief Operating Officer, Fritz Henderson have urged employees to stay focused on key priorities in the wake of the global financial crisis. The two shared their views during a recent video interview following two days addressing the US Government representatives in Washington. “We’ve been pretty active in Washington over the last couple of months with key members of the administration explaining what our plans are, and providing a lot of detailed information. I would hope the decision makers will have the same optimism that we do about the future of the company, once we get through this obviously challenging time caused by the severe credit crisis,” Rick said. Fritz stressed that tight credit markets were a phenomenon challenging everyone involved in the global business. “What do we need to do in this kind of crisis? First, you have to stay focused on key priorities – what you need to get done today to make sure we’re moving up the field, doing what we need to address the challenges that face us. Second, we need to communicate clearly with our partners, with our people. Sometimes people say why do we have to keep changing? In part it’s because the environment keeps changing and I think it’s incumbent upon everybody to communicate very clearly what we’re trying to get done and why,” Fritz said. “Finally, it’s about being positive – looking at what we do well, focusing on what we’re going to launch, rather than what we’re not going to launch and rallying around our strengths,” he said. INSIGNIA WINS ACCLAIM The Opel/Vauxhall Insignia has been named Car of the Year 2009 by a panel of car journalists from 23 countries. Managing Director of Opel and Vice President of Engineering for General Motors Europe, Hans Demant, said the award was confirmation of the hard work by designers, engineers and workers; and their commitment to quality to make the Insignia a true flagship for the brand.
Opel/Vauxhall Insignia
Selected from a field of 37 contenders, Insignia is the first mid-sized sedan to win the award since 1998. The Insignia will hit dealerships in Europe this year and early 2009 with a line-up of seven engines. NEW GM MEXICO MD Grace Lieblein has been named President and Managing Director of General Motors de Mexico. Grace will also become a member of the GM North America Strategy Board and will report to GM Group Vice President and President, GM North America, Troy Clarke. Grace succeeds Kevin Williams, who was recently named to lead GM’s Service & Parts Operations. Grace is the 18th GMM President in GM’s 73-year history in Mexico, and the first woman to serve in this role. In her most recent assignment, Grace led the development of GM’s awardwinning Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia, Saturn Outlook and Chevy Traverse crossover vehicles. Prior to that, she held a variety of leadership positions in GMNA Engineering, GMNA Car Group, and Vehicle Development and Technical Operations, among other positions. Grace joined GM in 1978 as a co-op student at the former GM Assembly Division in her hometown of Los Angeles, CA. Grace is the highest-ranking Latina executive at GM and was the company’s first Latina vehicle chief engineer. Over her 30-year GM career, she has won
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several awards, including the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SPHE) Corporate Achievement Award; the Hispanic Engineering National Achievement Awards Conference (HENNAC) Professional Achievement Award; and Automotive News’ Top 100 Women in the Auto Industry award. CHEVROLET WINS PRESTIGIOUS PRODUCT AWARDS Chevrolet has won several awards at two major shows in Latin America. At the Sao Paulo International Auto Show in Brazil, the newly launched Chevrolet Captiva Sport was named the best vehicle in the Brazilian market by Abiauto, an association of Brazilian automotive journalists. Abiauto also named the Captiva Sport as best SUV sold in Brazil and the Chevrolet S-10 as best medium-size pickup. At the Santiago Auto Show in Chile, the new Chevrolet Vectra was named Best Passenger Car at the Show by Chilean automotive journalists. The new Chevrolet GPiX crossover coupe concept also made its debut at the Sao Paulo Auto Show. The Chevrolet GPiX concept was developed at GM Brazil’s new Design Centre and represents a potential new segment for GM in Brazil and other South American countries.
PEOPLE
Jonathon Jones, Tony Duggan and Steve Pratt
Engineering Masters
Outstanding
Six GM Holden employees have won high praise after a five-year long-distance academic journey to graduate as Masters of Engineering in Global Automotive and Manufacturing Engineering from the University of Michigan. Senior Engineers, Body Structures and Closures, Glenn Kelley and Rob Thomson and Specialist Engineer, General Structures/Durability/ Aero,Thermal Vehicle Dynamics, Tony Nicola made up the Fishermans Bend group. The graduates from Elizabeth are, Program Manager, MFE MPM and Strategy, Tony Duggan; Assistant Area Manager, Vehicle General Assembly, Jonathon Jones; and Manager MFE Manufacturing and Facilities Engineering, Steve Pratt. Known as the Pilot Students, the engineers began distance learning for some subjects in 2003, two years ahead of the official launch of the Masters program. Without venturing into an oncampus classroom, the group earned the same degree credentials as students in leading universities worldwide. This important milestone in the GM Technical Education Program was made more significant when GM Chairman and CEO, Rick Wagoner, conferred a GM Value Added Award. The award recognised the graduates’ application of their new knowledge in two separate projects offering unique, innovative solutions to current challenges facing the automotive industry.
Woman
Business
Tony Nicola and Glenn Kelley
The Elizabeth team researched the process of mapping water consumption to the Paint Shop, particularly the painting process, and the pre-treatment process was reviewed for potential water saving opportunities. The Fishermans Bend team considered rising oil prices and environmental factors as they researched a way to optimise the mass of the Lower A-Pillar system in the vehicle body structure. Senior Manager, GM Technical Education Program, in Warren Michigan, Diane Landsiedel said the Technical Education Program office in Detroit and Holden Engineering and Holden Manufacturing Operations congratulated the employees on their achievements. “As is evident from these two projects, the students have taken a wealth of knowledge from this program and have become leaders in this organisation,” Diane said. PEOPLE
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GM Holden’s Juanita Alcantara was honored as a Finalist in the Corporate Sector of the 2008 Telstra SA Business Women’s Award. Juanita who is Paint Shop Assistant Area Manager at the Elizabeth Plant was one of 23 women selected to represent South Australia for the awards that recognise outstanding contributions that women make to the business sector. Juanita migrated to Australia from the Philippines in 1992 and completed her Engineering Degree at the University of South Australia. She joined Holden as a Senior Engineer in 1998 and has held numerous senior roles including being part of the integration team for the $98 million General Assembly upgrade in 2004 whilst studying her MBA.
PEOPLE
Anthea Blenkiron
whodoesthat?
Ergonomics Support, Industrial Engineering
Can you briefly explain what your work involves? The ergonomics role involves the evaluation of product design, equipment design and the environment that our operators work in. The whole purpose is to minimise their exposure to operations or environments that could cause sprain and strain injuries. I work with Production, Engineering and the Safety departments across the Elizabeth site. What is your background? I came to Holden for seven months work placement while I was studying Engineering at the University of South Australia and then returned on the Graduate Program. I worked in General Assembly Mechanical Engineering for eight years. A few months ago I joined Industrial Engineering as Ergonomics Engineer. Is the company legally obliged to have a ‘you’? Holden does have legal occupational health and safety obligations, but the ergonomics role is also an important part of delivering on the company’s OHS policy that was only just recently updated. Increased ergonomic awareness is not only critical to
Anthea Blenkiron discusses battery lifting operations with Vikash Sing
reducing the financial cost of workplace injury, but also to creating a healthy, safe and injury free environment for everyone who works here. Does your work give you a special and greater sense of responsibility for employee wellbeing? It sure does. I feel responsible for the operators’ health, and sometimes it is difficult to eliminate risky ergonomic jobs so we need to look to ways to minimise people’s exposure to those risks. A lot of my work involves talking to operators to fully understand their issues.
Is it mainly a proactive or reactive role? It’s a bit of both – proactive in terms of seeking out design changes in future models and equipment, plus training of people to help identify their own ergonomic issues up front. And it is a reactive role when people come to us on current product issues or we act on advice received from the Medical Centre. Is it satisfying work? Yes. It’s great to be part of a team that is working towards creating an injury free work environment.
Click for Counselling Free professional counselling services are now available online for Holden employees and their families. In addition to on and off site support services, the GM Holden Employee Assistance Program now provides counselling at a click. Diversity and Work Life Manager, Rosemary Kelly said the EAP program provided valuable support for normal people trying to manage life’s challenges. “Change impacts people in lots of different ways – some people experience it as a crisis, others see it as an opportunity. The Employee Assistance Program provides counselling support to help our employees, and their families, to manage the changes that are taking place in their lives,” Rosemary said.
Assistance can be accessed by telephone or Internet for addictive behaviours, parenting, elder care, relationship breakdowns, financial stress, work life balance, workplace relationships, performance, productivity and more. Telephone emergency counselling can be accessed around the clock and appointments can be made for face-toface counselling sessions by dialing
1300 361 008. Using the website, www.osagroup.com.au (username holden and password 48-215) employees and their families can book an appointment and communicate online with a counsellor, exchange emails with a qualified psychologist and access an extensive library of articles and self-help tools about many topics relating to emotional health and general wellbeing.
1300 361 008 www.osagroup.com.au (username holden and password 48-215)
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PEOPLE
me
AND MY CAR
Senior Group Leader Planning, Administration and Maintenance, HFV6 Engine Plant, Jack Cassar
Jack Cassar took great pride in adding his much loved 1964 EH Premier Wagon to the vehicle display that formed part of Holden’s 60th Anniversary celebrations in Melbourne. “I took my car to the 60th because of the importance of the event and it was a good opportunity to have it on display with other models representative of our Holden history. I have always had an interest in Holdens and to work here for the past 22 years is a bonus,” Jack said. Jack’s love for the popular EH model was nurtured by his father and
the fact that it is the same vintage as him adds special appeal to the car he bought in 2005. “I always liked this model and to find a Premier Wagon was even better. This is a rare model especially in the colors,” he said. “The body paint is called Roebuck Pearl which changes from silver to a salmon silver color depending on the light. Not bad for a 1964 car. The roof is Fowlers Ivory,” Jack said. The Waldorf Red leather interior has been restored to its original condition but
the engine and transmission are as they were when he bought the car. Jack’s commitment to keeping the car faithful to its original condition has caused him to travel the state to find original nobs, trims and other parts for his baby. The 185 x 13 x 80 series white wall tyres are as close to original as he has been able to find. “I found all its original accessories such as push button AM radio, wheel trims, mud flaps and bonnet spears. I replaced all the window rubbers and seals and the wind screen just to make sure it doesn’t leak,” he said.
A Car to Die For Darran Maloney is, by his own admission, a better District Aftersales Manager than photographer but he does have an eye for the unusual. During a recent visit to a dealership in Orange, NSW, Darran happened upon this WM Caprice sedan with fabricated extension to create a hearse. “It was the best conversion I’ve ever seen. Unbelievable and good to see that Orange Funeral Services has retained the normal seating capacity,” Darran said.
Modified WM Caprice hearse
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SERVICE HONORS 40 YEARS
Jacob Hoffman
November 25
35 YEARS
Luca Picci Fred Martin
October 8 October 9
Allan Bevan Pierre Antoine
November 12 November 24
Malcolm Kelly
December 11
Trevor Glaetzer Francis Cavanagh Anthony McKee Nadi Selimi Maryanne Ford Ray Lamb Peter Matthews
November 1 November 6 November 7 November 13 November 14 November 14 November 22
Richard Benny Darryl Falkenberg Enzo Topatig Jeffrey Davitt Phillip Dandrea
November 27 November 28 December 1 December 11 December 14
Ho Long Vong
November 30
Katrina Reihana
December 20
30 YEARS
Giuseppe Izzo George Cammidge Gavin Judd Salvatore Parrella Richard Horsfall Edwin Hillier Antony Power
October 3 October 9 October 12 October 16 October 18 October 30 October 30
25 YEARS
Mike Simcoe
November 7
20 YEARS
Lou Baschiera Stephen Wade Stephanie Ellis Ton Quach James Williams Michael Fittler William Wyatt Renante Simmons Esteban Garrido Paula Elworthy Thoeun Lin Glen Harris Clinton Male Peter Hepburn
October 3 October 4 October 4 October 4 October 11 October 11 October 11 October 11 October 18 October 18 October 18 October 18 October 18 October 18
Darryl Vinen David Depares Mark Connor Lynette Tainsh Graham Hector Andrew Guest Garry Hutton Craig Andrews Neil De Silva Ronald Coleman Frans De Vries Van Hung Vo Pushpa Imbulagoda Scott Hewyood
October 19 October 25 October 25 October 25 October 26 November 1 November 1 November 1 November 2 November 8 November 8 November 9 November 9 November 9
Brian Lee Peter Martin Darryl Wright Quang Tran Dimitrios Mavridis Thomas Cole Darren Ellis Mark Hamilton David Richardson Matthew Cheeseman Bernard Farrell William Nguyen Jackie Laming Jeffrey Jurgens
November 14 November 15 November 15 November 16 November 16 November 16 November 16 November 17 November 22 November 22 November 22 November 23 November 24 December 7
October 4 October 4 October 5 October 5 October 11 October 12 October 12 October 19 October 19 October 26
Anthony Rasic Philip Werner Dean Parson Anthony McCormack Adrian Vassallo Adam Zalupka Simon Modra Phillip Spackman Timothy Roling Paul Binns
October 26 November 2 November 2 November 8 November 16 November 16 November 23 November 23 November 23 November 23
Jason Gray Paul Dossett Robert Latrobe Warren Frith Wayne Bax Ian McAloon Michael Saint David Highnam Christian Christensen
November 30 November 30 November 30 November 30 November 30 November 30 December 7 December 7 December 14
15 YEARS
Jovica Djurdjevski John Craig Jason Dobbs Gregory Van Heteren Elias De Geest Ronald Hainsworth Richard Green Paul Stanway David Pearce Jay Evans
PEOPLE
PAGE 14
SERVICE HONORS 10 YEARS
Diane Stellini Matthew Beach Paul Gibson Peter Seow Vito Giaimo Peter Siablis Richard Pethybridge Andrew Kypreos
October 5 October 13 October 17 October 17 October 17 October 17 October 19 October 20
Peter Anderson Jane Donaldson Stephen Hancock Paul Whitmarsh Olivia Johnson Luigi Carbone Rodney Firman Trevor Barnes
October 27 October 31 November 3 November 3 November 3 November 10 November 16 November 17
Ian Thompson Steven Jamieson Michael Coffey Luke Connell Julian Broadbent Joel Sym Matthew Asher
November 17 November 18 November 23 November 24 November 30 December 8 December 15
onthemove
people People is published by Corporate Affairs for employees and retirees of GM Holden Ltd. People is printed on chlorine-free 50% recycled paper.
Mark Polglaze
Global IS&S organisation standards and accelerated overall business process integration. Stephen has also worked for GM in Canada, Sweden and Korea. Stephen succeeds Pierre Matthee, current CIO of GM Holden. Pierre will succeed Stephen as CIO of GMDAT. Pierre joined GM as the IS&S Strategic Program Manager in 2003 and has been Executive Director of IS&S since 2006. Prior to joining GM, Pierre held Program Management and IT management roles at NEC, HP and Deloitte. Blair Blashki has been appointed to the role of Zone Manager – NSW/ ACT, succeeding Geoff Bennett. Blair will report to John Elsworth, Director of Sales. Blair joined GM Holden in 1999 as a Rural District Manager in the NSW Zone. Since then, he has held positions of Metro District Manager – NSW,
CONTACTS
Mark Polglaze will take up his new appointment as Executive Director of Human Resources in January. Mark returned to Holden earlier this year after a two year assignment in North America where he contributed to the North American Labor Relations team’s industrial negotiations process. Mark has been instrumental in the negotiation of the 2008 Holden Enterprise Bargaining Agreement in his role as HR Director, PDO (Product Development Organisation). Current Executive Director, Scott Sandefur will repatriate to Detroit in the role of General Director, Labor Relations after five years of valued contribution to the Senior Leadership Team at Holden. In other high level appointments, Stephen Coletta, currently Chief Information Officer of GM-Daewoo Auto & Technology Co. will become CIO of GM Holden effective February 1, 2009. Stephen will report to CIO, GM Asia Pacific IS&S, Diane Jurgens and GM Holden Chairman and Managing Director, Mark Reuss. Stephen began his GM career as System Analyst at Cadillac in 1976, and has worked in the Purchasing, Supply Chain, Engineering and Manufacturing functions. He joined IS&S in 1997 and as a member of GMDAT’s Executive Committee, he has led GMDAT in transitioning to
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
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PEOPLE
PAGE 15
Holden Certified Used Car Program Manager and Fleet Sales Manager – Government & Rental, and Marketing Manager – Retail. Michael Southwell has been appointed to the role of Manager – Employee and Organisational Development (GM Holden). Michael will report to Christine Oster, Director Global Change Management and Organisational Development, and Mark Polglaze, Executive Director of Human Resources. Michael joined GM in 1998 and has held a number of roles in Labor Relations, Human Resources and Organisational Development since this time. Most recently, Mike was based in Incheon, Korea in the role of HRM Manager, AP Manufacturing and Quality. GM Holden Retirees Club President Ian Samuel 03 5956 8431 Secretary Leo Mahoney 03 9802 4121 Social Club contacts Dominic Detragiache Holden’s Sports and Social Club (Victoria) extensions 71644 / 72292 Don McLeod Holden Employees Social Club (Elizabeth) 08 8282 8384
MOTORSPORT
Champion Eyes the Home Stretch Champion Holden V8 Supercar driver Mark Skaife’s full-time driving career has come to an end after an illustrious 21 years.
the hardest decision I’ve ever made. “We’ve been talking about this for well over a year and the time has now come to look to the future for both myself and the Toll Holden Racing Team,” he said. Mark’s list of achievements is unsurpassed in Australian motor sport, with a record-equalling five Australian Touring Car/V8 Supercar Championships (tied with Ian Geoghegan and Dick Johnson), five Bathurst 1000 titles and a record 40 Australian Touring Car/V8 Supercar Championship round victories. He also has three consecutive Australian Drivers’ Championships (1991-93). Launching his career with Nissan before moving to Holden with Gibson Motorsport at the beginning of the V8 Supercar era, in 1994 Mark won Holden’s first Australian Touring Car Championship since the legendary Peter Brock’s last title 14 years earlier.
As this edition of People was heading to press, Mark who announced his decision to retire at an emotional press conference in Melbourne in October, made his final start with the Toll Holden Racing Team at Oran Park Raceway in Sydney. Mark said the decision to retire was the hardest he had made in his professional career. “Motor racing has been my life for the past 21 years and, as any professional sportsperson will attest, if you have a love and passion for what you are doing, for the competition and being on top of your game, then retirement is not something you ever easily consider,” Mark said. “The reality is that you come to a point in your career when you have a decision to make, and it doesn’t come easy – it’s
Skaife & Todd Kelly on the po dium after th eir
Upon the retirement of Peter Brock in 1997, Mark moved to the Factory Holden Racing Team, winning a hattrick of championships in 2000, 2001 and 2002 in addition to back-to-back Bathurst crowns in 2001 and 2002. He assumed ownership of HRT in 2003 and in 2005 collected his fifth Bathurst 1000 victory, with Todd Kelly. Last year Mark chalked up 20 years as a professional racing driver at Winton, and in the following round again rewrote the record books, his victory at Eastern Creek notching the 38th victory of his career, to eclipse the all-time record of racing legend Peter Brock. Mark’s tally increased to 39 wins earlier this year when he was retrospectively awarded the 2000 Clipsal 500 title after series organisers corrected an anomaly, adding win number 40 with his and Garth Tander’s victory in the L&H 500 at Phillip Island.
Peter Brock & Mark Skaife in 1997 for HRT 2005 Bathu rst
d d win recor g the roun in k a e r b After
victory
Skaife during the 1994 Champion ship
King of the ki ds
smooth sailing It wasnt always