Renaissance man
Page 21
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AWD managing director Dr Michael Sanderson is restructuring the business to take a bigger slice of the overseas market.
• When AWD founder David Brown telephoned Dr Michael Sanderson to offer him the managing director's job, Sanderson did not hesitate about taking it. Ile is passionate about reviving the British manufacturing industry and is confident that Britain — and AWD is on the way up.
Momentum
Sanderson arrived at AWD last June as UK vehicle manufacturers were seeing the sales slump gather momentum. He is justifiably proud that AWD pushed up its market share in the two-axle rigid sector to more than 5% in October and November this year — it was the only manufacturer to see UK registrations increase in October.
He is happy for it to stay round the 5% mark because "the UK is one of the least profitable markets in Europe. There are much better pickings elsewhere". AWD "will not be throwing tens of thousands of pounds at the UK market". says Sanderson, but the company will remain "totally committed" to the UK, because a UK market presence is an important selling point for AWD abroad.
Sanderson intends to shift AWD's business firmly towards the overseas market. The "huge world population of Bedford trucks" is AWD's greatest legacy from General Motors, says Sanderson, and he wants to see 80% of the company's sales (by volume) generated abroad next year, compared with 50% last year.
Indonesia
AM) has nine assembly plants overseas, with a new site opening in Indonesia next year. These overseas plants have not been exploited sufficiently, Sanderson feels, and they will be getting a bigger chunk of company resources.
Next month sees AWD's first foray into Portugal and Belgium with the IL range, with plans to go into Italy, Austria, Scandinavia and Spain later in the year. Renault and Mercedes-Benz can expect some competiton from AWD on their home ground in a couple of years' time, promises Sanderson.
He denies filth the AWD marque is old-fashioned and claims it scores on broad recognition, particularly abroad. "It's robust, requires low maintenance and is good value," he says. However, the TL range's new cab is on the drawing board (CM 22-28 November).
Sanderson describes himself as a workaholic who "feels guilty if I'm not thinking about work".
He has been putting in 18hour days since he started.
Sanderson walked into a company which was still practising the bureaucratic ways inherited from General Motors. He admits that change is on the cards and he has been sur
prised to find the younger managers more resistant to change than their seniors who remember the GM days.
But Sanderson plans to make changes gently. He is aware that the company has taken some hard knocks this year, despite its successes. "Losing the Ministry of Defence contract in the same year the truck market declined was a body blow," he admits.
Workforce
The workforce has been cut by 220 to 750 this year, and plans to sell more than half of AWD's huge factory at Dunstable have been delayed by the slump in the commercial property market.
Sanderson likes the management freedom available to privately owned business.
He became disenchanted with his previous post at engineering firm Lansing when it went public after being bought by German company Linde. "Most of the public companies in the UK have to have an eye to short-termism because of the demands of the City. Private companies can take a medium to long-term view," he says.
LI by Gill Harvey