Word: plante
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1990-1999
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Trotman was named chairman of the Ford Motor Co. in October, there was no flourish or fanfare, not even a prior announcement. He was handed the keys to one of the largest and most powerful corporate kingdoms on earth in a small, no-frills gathering at the company's plant in Dearborn, Michigan, almost as an afterthought to the introduction of Ford's new Mustang. At General Motors 11 months earlier, affable, unassuming Jack Smith landed just as unceremoniously in that company's top job. Following the virulent boardroom coup that ousted his predecessor, chairman Robert Stempel, and most...
...polished these days. But he still likes the rough-and-tumble of an honest working-class spat, almost fondly recalling the good brawls in Britain. "The manufacturing guys were terrifying people," he says with a trace of a burr. "They were barons who would throw you out of the plant if you went in there without permission. Literally. So there was always a culmination of salesmanship, pragmatism, persuasion and logic -- but lots of punch-ups, lots of tempers. Oh, yes, absolutely. Lots...
...Power survey remain Japanese, but seven of the 10 most improved vehicles are U.S. brands. Ford Ranger pickups, to take just one of many examples, are 32% better than the models they replaced. At GM, Smith has instituted railhead inspections of cars after they leave their assembly plant. These quality checks nearly doubled the start-up times for GM's new products this fall, causing delays in dealer deliveries that numbered in the tens of thousands. Says Ronald Haas, who has become Jack Smith's point man on quality and reliability: "No one will remember how many vehicles GM turned...
Some in Washington say Clinton should just order out the B-52s to bomb the North's plutonium reprocessing plant and two reactors, neatly destroying the danger. But that is unrealistic: a strike could spread a big radioactive cloud over the peninsula, miss hidden weapons or start a devastating war between North and South Korea. A more practical tactic would be the imposition of economic sanctions by the United Nations -- but even if China, long friendly to the North, did not veto an embargo, Pyongyang might feel cornered and lash...
...resolved -- if ever. Some major topics: Saturn's no-nonsense pay- what's-on-the-sticker pricing; a leasing campaign specially aimed at the California market, a fast exit from profit-draining rental discounts. Even smaller requests get a speedy response. A third shift at a Canadian truck plant? Four engineers needed for a special project? Done...