How to fix Chrysler
BARRIE MCKENNA AND GREG KEENAN
From Saturday's Globe and Mail
SYRACUSE, N.Y. and TORONTO ‹ With its corrugated metal sides, loading
bays and vast employee parking lot, there isn't much to distinguish New
Process Gear from other large automotive factories.
The flat roof of the sprawling structure is dotted with ventilation
ducts and steam shafts. Out front, facing the busy New York State
Thruway, sits a modern two-storey building with tinted windows that
houses its administrative offices.
Look a little closer and it becomes clear this isn't one plant at all.
It's actually a jumble of additions, reflecting the company's four
decades of producing an array of components for every major North
American auto maker ‹ axle parts, transmissions, gears and transfer
cases that allow sport utility vehicles to shift into four-wheel drive.
Every time the Syracuse plant won a big contract for another model, it
would grow.
Bought by Magna International Inc. from DaimlerChrysler AG in 2004 as
New Venture Gear, it offers a powerful taste of what's in store if Magna
mounts a successful bid for Chrysler.
More:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl....wchrysler0414
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