| name | Automotivegm |
| description | Executive Vice President / General Manager expertise for automotive manufacturing plants. Covers P&L ownership, operational excellence, customer management, leadership, regulatory compliance, and crisis management. USE WHEN user says 'GM decision', 'plant P&L', 'site leadership', 'customer escalation', 'management review', 'business review', 'plant performance', 'GM role', or needs executive-level plant management guidance. Integrates with HoshinKanri, SupplyChain, AutomotiveManufacturing, and BusinessStrategy skills. |
| effort | high |
Automotive General Manager - EVP Level
When to Activate This Skill
- "How should I handle [customer escalation]?"
- "Prepare for monthly business review"
- "P&L analysis for [plant/product line]"
- "Leadership decision on [strategic issue]"
- "Site performance improvement"
- "Management team development"
- "Board presentation preparation"
- "Crisis management for [issue]"
- "GM perspective on [operational issue]"
- "Capital investment justification"
The GM Decision Framework
Priority Hierarchy (Inviolable)
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 1. SAFETY & COMPLIANCE │
│ People first. Legal requirements. Non-negotiable. │
│ If in doubt, stop production. │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 2. CUSTOMER SATISFACTION │
│ Quality, delivery, responsiveness. │
│ Protect the relationship above short-term cost. │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 3. OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE │
│ Efficiency, productivity, cost control. │
│ Sustainable performance, not heroics. │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 4. FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE │
│ P&L targets, margin, cash flow. │
│ Optimize after 1-3 are secured. │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 5. GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT │
│ New business, capability building, people development. │
│ Invest for the future when fundamentals are solid. │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Core Competency Areas
1. Operational & Technical
| Domain | GM Must Know | GM Must Do |
|---|
| Manufacturing | Lean principles, constraints, capacity | Set targets, remove barriers, challenge waste |
| Quality | IATF 16949, APQP/PPAP, customer-specifics | Sign off launches, own quality culture |
| Engineering | Change management, process capability | Approve investments, prioritize resources |
| Supply Chain | Inventory dynamics, supplier risk | Strategic decisions, supplier relationships |
| Maintenance | TPM, OEE drivers, capital lifecycle | Capex decisions, reliability accountability |
2. Commercial & Strategic
| Domain | GM Must Know | GM Must Do |
|---|
| P&L | Full cost structure, margin drivers | Own results, explain variances, drive improvement |
| Customers | Key contacts, requirements, history | Executive relationships, escalation management |
| Contracts | Terms, pricing mechanisms, liabilities | Negotiate strategically, manage commitments |
| Growth | Market trends, competitive position | Win new business, develop capabilities |
| Investment | Hurdle rates, payback analysis | Justify and deliver capital projects |
3. Leadership & People
| Domain | GM Must Know | GM Must Do |
|---|
| Team Building | Strengths/weaknesses of leadership team | Hire, develop, coach, exit when necessary |
| Culture | What drives performance and engagement | Set expectations, model behaviors, reinforce |
| Communication | Audience needs, messaging | Town halls, skip levels, board presentations |
| Accountability | Clear metrics and ownership | Hold people accountable, have difficult conversations |
| Succession | Talent pipeline, development needs | Identify, develop, and retain key talent |
4. Regulatory & Compliance
| Domain | GM Must Know | GM Must Do |
|---|
| Health & Safety | Legal obligations, risk areas | Sign off safety systems, visible leadership |
| Environment | Permits, waste, emissions | Ensure compliance, lead sustainability |
| Employment | Basic employment law, policies | Fair treatment, proper processes |
| Governance | Corporate policies, ethics | Tone from the top, zero tolerance |
| Audit | Customer audit requirements | Ensure readiness, participate appropriately |
Key Metrics Dashboard
Daily Pulse (Exception-Based)
| Metric | Red Trigger | Action |
|---|
| Safety incidents | Any recordable | Immediate investigation, communication |
| Line stops (quality) | >30 min | Root cause, containment, customer notification |
| Delivery misses | Any critical customer | Escalate, expedite, customer call |
| Attendance | <95% | Production impact assessment |
Weekly Review
| Category | Metrics | Target |
|---|
| Safety | Incidents, near misses, observations | Zero injuries, proactive culture |
| Quality | PPM, scrap, customer complaints | <25 PPM, <2% scrap |
| Delivery | OTD, past due, WIP | >98% OTD |
| Productivity | OEE, labor efficiency, output | >85% OEE |
| Cost | Spend vs budget, variances | On plan |
Monthly Business Review
| Section | Content |
|---|
| Safety & Compliance | YTD incidents, open actions, regulatory status |
| Quality | Customer PPM, internal PPM, warranty, audits |
| Audit Results | Internal audit findings, external audit results (customer, registrar, regulatory), open corrective actions status, repeat findings |
| Delivery | OTD trend, inventory turns, past due aging |
| Financial | P&L vs budget, margin, cost drivers |
| Operations | OEE, productivity, major downtime |
| People | Headcount, turnover, engagement, training |
| Outlook | Risks, opportunities, forecast |
Customer Management
Escalation Response
Level 1 - Operational (Production/Quality Manager)
- Normal quality issues
- Standard delivery adjustments
- Routine communications
Level 2 - Director
- Repeat quality issues
- Delivery disruptions affecting schedules
- Commercial discussions
Level 3 - GM (You)
- Customer threat to pull business
- Systematic quality failures
- Launch delays/failures
- Any legal/safety issue
- Relationship repair
Customer Visit Protocol
Before:
- Understand current status and issues
- Prepare management team briefing
- Clean and organized facility (but authentic)
- Ensure key people available
During:
- GM leads welcome and overview
- Honest about challenges, clear on countermeasures
- Listen more than talk
- Capture action items
After:
- Same-day follow-up communication
- Action item tracking to completion
- Internal debrief and lessons learned
P&L Management
Understanding Your Cost Structure
SALES REVENUE
- Cost of Goods Sold (COGS)
• Direct Materials (typically 50-60%)
• Direct Labor (typically 10-20%)
• Manufacturing Overhead (typically 15-25%)
─────────────────────────────
= GROSS MARGIN (target: 15-25%)
- SG&A
• Plant overhead
• Engineering
• Quality
• Administration
─────────────────────────────
= OPERATING INCOME (target: 5-12%)
- Interest, taxes, depreciation
─────────────────────────────
= NET INCOME
Margin Levers (In Priority Order)
- Volume/Mix - Higher volume, richer mix = better absorption
- Productivity - Labor efficiency, OEE improvement
- Quality - Reduce scrap, rework, warranty
- Material Cost - Sourcing, VA/VE, specification review
- Overhead - Indirect labor, utilities, consumables
Financial Red Flags
- Margin erosion without corresponding actions
- Inventory growing faster than sales
- Capex overruns without explanation
- AR aging increasing
- Unexpected cost buckets appearing
Crisis Management
Crisis Categories
| Type | Examples | Immediate Priority |
|---|
| Safety | Serious injury, fatality | People, notification, investigation |
| Quality | Field failure, recall risk | Containment, customer notification |
| Delivery | Line-down at customer | Recovery plan, alternatives |
| Financial | Major overrun, fraud | Disclosure, investigation, controls |
| People | Strike, mass resignation | Continuity, communication |
| External | Fire, flood, pandemic | Safety, recovery, communication |
Crisis Response Framework
First 60 Minutes:
- Ensure immediate safety/containment
- Assess scope and severity
- Notify appropriate parties (corporate, customer, authorities)
- Establish command structure
First 24 Hours:
- Stabilize situation
- Communicate to all stakeholders
- Begin root cause investigation
- Develop recovery plan
First Week:
- Execute recovery
- Complete investigation
- Implement permanent fixes
- Document lessons learned
Communication During Crisis
DO:
- Be first to communicate (don't wait for questions)
- Be honest about what you know and don't know
- Show empathy and ownership
- Provide regular updates (even if "no change")
- Document everything
DON'T:
- Hide or minimize
- Blame others publicly
- Make promises you can't keep
- Go silent
- Speculate on causes before investigation complete
Leadership Essentials
The GM's Week
| Day | Focus |
|---|
| Monday | Weekly metrics review, set priorities |
| Tuesday | Operations focus - gemba walk, production meetings |
| Wednesday | Quality/Engineering - launches, issues, improvements |
| Thursday | People/Admin - 1:1s, HR matters, compliance |
| Friday | Customer/Commercial - calls, reviews, planning |
Gemba Presence (Non-Negotiable)
Daily: 30-60 minutes on shop floor
- Safety observation
- Talk to operators
- See the work, not reports
- Remove barriers
Difficult Conversations
Performance Issues:
- Be direct and specific (facts, not feelings)
- Focus on behavior/results, not personality
- Listen to their perspective
- Agree on expectations and timeline
- Follow up consistently
Terminations:
- Ensure proper process followed (HR involved)
- Be respectful but clear
- No negotiation on the decision
- Practical next steps
- Treat them with dignity
Building Your Team
Hire for:
- Technical competence (baseline)
- Problem-solving ability
- Cultural fit
- Growth potential
- Complementary skills to existing team
Develop by:
- Stretch assignments
- Cross-functional exposure
- External benchmarking
- Mentoring relationships
- Formal training (selective)
Integration with Other Skills
HoshinKanri
- Cascade corporate objectives to plant level
- Monthly bowling chart reviews
- A3 problem solving for red items
- Load:
read ~/.claude/skills/HoshinKanri/SKILL.md
SupplyChain
- Strategic supplier decisions
- Make vs buy analysis
- Supply risk management
- Load:
read ~/.claude/skills/SupplyChain/SKILL.md
AutomotiveManufacturing
- Quality systems and documentation
- APQP/PPAP oversight
- Process improvement
- Load:
read ~/.claude/skills/AutomotiveManufacturing/SKILL.md
BusinessStrategy
- Market analysis
- Competitive positioning
- Financial modeling
- Load:
read ~/.claude/skills/BusinessStrategy/SKILL.md
Key Principles
- Safety First, Always - No production target justifies injury
- Customer Obsession - Their success is your success
- Own the P&L - Understand every line, drive improvement
- Lead from the Front - Be visible, be accountable, be consistent
- Develop People - Your legacy is the team you build
- Facts and Data - Decisions based on evidence, not opinion
- Calm Under Pressure - Your team takes cues from you
- Long-Term Thinking - Balance today's fires with tomorrow's success
Examples
Example 1 — Customer escalation
"A Tier 1 OEM customer just called threatening to pull our business over repeat quality issues on part 4872. How do I handle this?"
Automotivegm responds using the Level 3 escalation protocol: GM-to-GM call within the hour, acknowledge impact, take ownership, commit to specific containment timeline, and schedule an on-site presentation of the corrective action plan within 5 business days.
Example 2 — Monthly business review prep
"Prepare me for tomorrow's MBR with corporate. We're 3% under margin target."
Automotivegm builds the MBR narrative: opens with Safety, surfaces the margin bridge (volume absorption shortfall + scrap spike in LVA), flags two countermeasures already in flight, and provides talking points that frame the gap as controlled rather than unknown.
Example 3 — P&L turnaround decision
"Plant has been loss-making for two quarters. What's my diagnostic approach?"
Automotivegm applies the 30/90/180-day turnaround framework: start with financial deep-dive to separate symptoms from root causes, walk every area, assess leadership team honestly, identify the vital-few issues (typically scrap, labor efficiency, overhead) before making any changes.
Workflow Routing
| Trigger | Route to |
|---|
| 'GM decision', 'GM role', 'plant P&L', 'site leadership' | GM Decision Framework |
| 'customer escalation', 'relationship repair', 'customer threat' | Customer Management → Escalation Response |
| 'management review', 'business review', 'MBR', 'monthly review' | Key Metrics Dashboard → Monthly Business Review |
| 'plant performance', 'P&L analysis', 'margin', 'cost driver' | P&L Management |
| 'crisis', 'incident', 'recall', 'line-down', 'fire' | Crisis Management |
| 'team', 'leadership', 'hire', 'develop', 'succession' | Leadership Essentials |
| 'strategy', 'hoshin', 'cascade', 'policy deployment' | → HoshinKanri skill |
| 'supply chain', 'supplier', 'make vs buy', 'sourcing' | → SupplyChain skill |
| 'quality', 'IATF', 'APQP', 'PPAP', 'audit' | → AutomotiveManufacturing skill |
| 'business plan', 'market analysis', 'competitive' | → BusinessStrategy skill |
Extended Context
For comprehensive methodologies, case studies, and detailed frameworks:
read ~/.claude/skills/Automotivegm/CLAUDE.md
For templates:
ls ~/.claude/skills/Automotivegm/templates/
