automotivegm

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)

1. Volume/Mix - Higher volume, richer mix = better absorption
2. Productivity - Labor efficiency, OEE improvement
3. Quality - Reduce scrap, rework, warranty
4. Material Cost - Sourcing, VA/VE, specification review
5. 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:

1. Ensure immediate safety/containment
2. Assess scope and severity
3. Notify appropriate parties (corporate, customer, authorities)
4. Establish command structure

First 24 Hours:

1. Stabilize situation
2. Communicate to all stakeholders
3. Begin root cause investigation
4. Develop recovery plan

First Week:

1. Execute recovery
2. Complete investigation
3. Implement permanent fixes
4. 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:

1. Be direct and specific (facts, not feelings)
2. Focus on behavior/results, not personality
3. Listen to their perspective
4. Agree on expectations and timeline
5. Follow up consistently

Terminations:

1. Ensure proper process followed (HR involved)
2. Be respectful but clear
3. No negotiation on the decision
4. Practical next steps
5. 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

1. Safety First, Always - No production target justifies injury
2. Customer Obsession - Their success is your success
3. Own the P&L - Understand every line, drive improvement
4. Lead from the Front - Be visible, be accountable, be consistent
5. Develop People - Your legacy is the team you build
6. Facts and Data - Decisions based on evidence, not opinion
7. Calm Under Pressure - Your team takes cues from you
8. 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.

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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

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Extended Context

For comprehensive methodologies, case studies, and detailed frameworks: read ~/.claude/skills/Automotivegm/CLAUDE.md

For templates: ls ~/.claude/skills/Automotivegm/templates/