General Motors export plans
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GENERAL MOTORS has formed a new organisation called International Export Sales Organisation which will take responsibility for sales of all GM commercial vehicles in countries where the American corporation does not have manufacturing plants.
One of the results of the move is that Bedfords will be sold alongside lsuzu vehicles around the world. Bedford is a whollyowned subsidiary of General Motors and part of its Truck and Bus Group, while the Japanese manufacturer, Isuzu, is 34 per cent owned by GM.
The new organisation will be headed by John Beck who will report to the Truck and Bus Group for commercial vehicle activities and to GM's Overseas Group for car activities.
The Truck and Bus Group's responsibility has been further widened to include three joint ventures, in Nigeria where production of lsuzu vehicles is scheduled to begin in 1986; in Egypt where a similar plant is due to go into operation next year; and in West Germany where Convesco, a sales only company which has been established since July 1982, will sell Bedford and lsuzu vehicles.
Jay Ganatra has been given responsibility for these projects. He will also co-ordinate Truck and Bus Group's activities with the new organisation and with General Motors Overseas Corporation in Japan.
Bedford's management structure will be unaffected by these changes. J. T. Battenberg Bedford's general manager, said: "The existing Bedford zone operations will be augmented by many additional GM sales offices around the world and will form the nucleus for the new International Export Sales Organisation."
Bedford sells in some 55 overseas countries while GM has sales offices in 200.