c**i
发帖数: 6973 | 1 Nick Bunkley, Hyundai Lifts Alabama; Jobs bring prosperity despite recession
's effects. New York Times, Feb 19, 2011 (title in the print).
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/19/business
/19hyundai.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=hyundai&st=cse
Quote:
"In 2010, Hyundai and Kia each posted their highest sales in the United
States and, taken together, surged ahead of Ford Motor to become fourth-
largest automaker worldwide.
"“If folks looked deeply at how far we’ve gone so quickly, from having no
U.S. production five years ago to where we are today, it’s amazing,” John
Krafcik, chief executive of Hyundai Motor America, said.
"'These jobs have good salaries and good fringe benefits, and are more self-
fulfilling' than the ones that have left the area, said Seth Hammett,
director of the Alabama Development Office. 'The automobile business has
really been good for Alabama.'
"With an average regular wage of about $20 an hour, the additional overtime
hours mean workers here are earning more than many workers at the unionized
plants up north. The United Automobile Workers union has long tried to
organize plants in the United States operated by foreign carmakers, most of
which are in the South, but has yet to succeed anywhere.
My comment:
(a) Kia Motors
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kia_Motors
(起亞自動車)
Quote:
"According to Kia Motors, the name "Kia" derives from the Sino-Korean words
ki ('to come out') and a (which stands for Asia), it is roughly translated
as 'arise or come up out of Asia' or 'rising out of Asia'; founded in 1944
as a manufacturer of steel tubing and bicycle parts by hand)
"Kia's bankruptcy in 1997, part of the Asian financial crisis, resulted in
51% of the company being acquired in 1998 by South Korean rival Hyundai
Motor Company, outbidding Ford Motor Company which had owned an interest in
Kia Motors since 1986. Subsequently, however, Hyundai has divested some of
its ownership of Kia Motors, and currently Hyundai Motor Company owns less
than 40% of the company.
(b) Hyundai Kia Automotive Group
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyundai_Kia_Automotive_Group
(is South Korea's largest automobile manufacturer, the second largest
automaker in Asia after Toyota and the world's fourth largest automaker
after Toyota, GM, and Volkswagen as of the end of 2010)
(c) The report stated Kia "opened a plant last year just across the Georgia
state line."
It alludes to Town of West Point, Georgia.
(d) The report mentions "Montgomery, the first capital of the old
confederacy."
(i) Montgomery, Alabama
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montgomery,_Alabama
(the capital and second most populous city of Alabama; In February 1861,
Montgomery was selected as the first capital of the Confederate States of
America [and Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as President on the steps of
the State Capitol], until the seat of government moved to Richmond, Virginia
in May of that year)
The city has population of 224,000 compared with Atlanta's 543,000.
(ii) Montgomery County, Alabama
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montgomery_County,_Alabama
(County and city of Montgomery were established in 1816; The city of
Montgomery, which is the county seat, is named for Richard Montgomery, an
American Revolutionary War general killed in 1775 while attempting to
capture Quebec City, Canada)
(e) Marriott International owns the brand of Renaissance Hotels.
(f) In 1980s, South Korea pressed Taipei to buy a few hundred Kia cars for
government use, if Taipei wanted to avert Korea's switching tie to Beijing.
Kia then was infamous for poor quality.
(g) In this financial crisis, news reports emerged that Hyundai-Kia outsold
everybody else. An Americna who did not drive speculate that it was because
the cars were cheap. So I thought they must have been helped by 40%
devaluation of Korean won. I did not know they were making car in US. | l******a
发帖数: 3803 | 2
recession
no
John
It's a long story of come of age.
in short it started 10 years ago Jung, ceo of Hyundai
kick-started this quality campaign throughout company
to aim its brand one notch up, for which he definitely
consulted with experts. The qc team of several hundred
covering every assembly line has authority to shut down
the line if quality was below set standard.
That contributed to the first half of its dramatic growth
when Hyundai jammed in top tiers in JD powers report.
But the recent thriving is largely due to design and leading
boldness that they truly make better cars in many of their
categories, beating competition both on quality and fuel economy
and use of new technologies such as direct injected gas engines
in new sonata.
【在 c**i 的大作中提到】
: Nick Bunkley, Hyundai Lifts Alabama; Jobs bring prosperity despite recession
: 's effects. New York Times, Feb 19, 2011 (title in the print).
: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/19/business
: /19hyundai.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=hyundai&st=cse
: Quote:
: "In 2010, Hyundai and Kia each posted their highest sales in the United
: States and, taken together, surged ahead of Ford Motor to become fourth-
: largest automaker worldwide.
: "“If folks looked deeply at how far we’ve gone so quickly, from having no
: U.S. production five years ago to where we are today, it’s amazing,” John
| b*******r
发帖数: 6655 | 3 marketing campaign is the final push |
|
