Word: gm
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...recessions. The downside is that the replenishing period that the economy is enjoying may start with a bang but flatten because companies carry less inventory overall. "We can respond within a day or two," says Rodger Mullen, president of Schneider Logistics, which manages an auto-parts supply chain for GM. "Ten years ago the process took eight to 12 weeks." So he needed to carry more parts to be safe. Now he can play it safe with a lot less on the line, which is why we shouldn't expect too much too soon from this recovery...
...even if the next few sessions take some of the steam out - there's always profit-taking and second-guessing, even when herd is celebrating - the cries of "bottom," for the economy and the markets, have never been so credible. The future's so bright, they're buying GM...
...There's just one jury still out - the consumers. The stalwart American shopper led the economy (and particularly GM) back from the Sept. 11 depths by coming out for all the post-terrorism sales and buying zero-interest cars by the truckload, and then kept it going relatively strong throughout the winter. Now it's spring, time for businesses who spent all winter burning off inventories - a record $120 billion in the fourth quarter alone - to make new stuff for consumers...
With the largest presence in China of America's Big Three, GM is well positioned to grab an early lead in selling to the nation's growing middle class. The company is ramping up production of its compact Buick Sail (based on its Opel Corsa design). Other foreign automakers planning to produce compacts in China include Ford, Volkswagen, Toyota and Citroen...
...domestic auto industry that Beijing has allowed to develop along free-market lines, and it's the only one with a handful of supposedly profitable companies. One company even exports its light trucks to Cambodia. "Beijing wants to keep the countryside happy," says Columbia Business School professor Lee Branstetter. GM recently purchased a stake in a factory producing farm vehicles...