TTELA Interview with the receivers
January 2, 2012 in News
A few days ago TTELA published an interview with the receivers (administrators) of Saabs bankruptcy. Here is a more complete new version of it:
They are very impressed by the new 9-3 model, they have a good impression of Victor Muller and say that there are serious parties interested who wants to take over Saab. But the obstacles are many.
On the eastern shore-street in Gothenburg, right across the street from the famous NK-Store, Delphi, the company who together with the law firm Wistrand (about a km away) who have been appointed with the heavy task of managing Saabs bankruptcy. The two persons mainly appointed are Hans L Bergqvist from Delphi and Anne-Marie Pouteaux from Wistrand. They are both housed in a big conference room at Delphi.
Man focus are now in finding a party interested in Saab as a whole, barely two weeks since the bankruptcy occurred and they have been in contact with several swedish and foreign parties.
- We are working for a complete take-over and restart with the current models in place. Structures and cooperations have been established which affects the issues required to succeed, it is not easy say Hans L Bergqvist.On the question in why Lars Carlström, who is representing an indian company was turned away the answer is:
- That we are evaluating several different option among the parties getting in touch with us and with a great time constraint. We reserve the right to prioritize among those who gets in touch with us, and how serious these are as well as what basis their proposals are based on.- That Saab is a significant value to the world is without a doubt. We have seen the new range of models planned as well as the new 9-3 model together with the new technology. And we have a whole new understanding of why Victor Muller was so engaged and continued to work with finding a solution. This has really touched us say Anne-Marie Pouteaux.
The image of Victor Muller they got from the media has changed, they explain after meeting with him. – I have full respect for him, he has been very helpful and really wants this to work.
Time is of the essence, and a solution must be found where the party takes over a greater part of Saab, the competence of the staff is very important.
- The staff is very fluid asset, say Pouteaux. They are looking for new employers and we have respect for that, their lives are at stake. At the same time we have been struck by the strong loyalty that still exists within the employees and the company. There really is a Saab-Spirit. They are proud of the company and its products.Hans L Bergqvist states that it is very important that the competence remains within western sweden and that a new owner of Saab in any case can re-employ the staff.
- The staff is not part of the sale, we are not conducting slave-labour say Hans L Bergqvist.One important issue is how fast the administrators see reach results of their work.
- We have in principle created a whole new law-firm within our offices to handle the Saab bankruptcy. There are several teams who have a defined task with specific timeframes to keep to. There is nobody who has any experience of bankruptcies of this size, this one is the biggest in many, many years…
- But this issue did not appear like a flash from the sky, we have had time to prepare. The image we have gotten of Saab is that it is a company in good order except for the financial situation.Competent management is one issue that has been brought up by suppliers regarding the knowledge about the auto industry in order to handle the bankruptcy.
- We both have extensive experience with work within the auto-industry. I have worked within the business for 20 years and we understand the production processes say Bergqvist.
- Its easier for us to get into the process, environmental issues and the questions regarding permits etc say Pouteaux and also states that Saab has a very competent management group.Regardless of this experience the work has been intense and complexed. They describe that when the bankruptcy became a reality they barely had time to eat for the first 48 hrs in order to be able to do all the work.
- Getting the wages out within two days is unique, normally such work takes about ten days. There are new issues coming up all the time which requires our attention right away. A lot of the work has been about getting into complex issues
- We have a media department at the agencies, but we are the ones who handle the information feed. A lot of the issues are about what information we can disclose at this stage say Bergqvist.
- We are not as media forward as Victor Muller was. Being a media forward person is not part of the mission.Another part who have expressed frustration over the lack of information is FKG’s Fredrik Sidahl, many members of FKG are creditors within the bankruptcy.
- No, we have not much of a dialogue with the creditors. There are so many creditors in this bankruptcy. We have had contact with a few creditors who have influence over the bankruptcy, such as the National Debt Office for example.Another issue is how information will be passed on to the employees.
- There has been a great need for information and we have not had time to meet with all the employees, the have all been given a leave of absence. But we met with the unions who in turn have informed the employees.
Photo from TTELA and by Roger Lärk
DanSaab said on January 2, 2012
I did read this and that sounds promising
Fingers crossed
SAAB UP
GRIFFIN UP
I hope you all had a nice christmas and a very happy new year
Tobbe said on January 2, 2012
+1
maanders said on January 2, 2012
While the situation is obviously delicate and serious, I like what they say. They seem to be working hard to achieve what we all want…a purchase of Saab as a whole, restart of production, and jobs for the employees.
kochje said on January 2, 2012
+1
turbokalle said on January 2, 2012
As the situation actually is, bankrupcy, I really have to say that this spreads some light over the situation. With everything negative that`s been going on and with all the hurdles Saab has been facing, surely the tide has to turn sometime (very) soon?
I also feel good about what they had to say about Mr Muller. Keep going Victor! We are still behind you and Saab!!!
karl said on January 2, 2012
GRIFFIN UP !!!!!
Angelo V. said on January 2, 2012
“The obstacles are many.” I think any reasonable person would agree with that. But let’s get one thing straight: This isn’t a “man vs. nature” set of obstacles. We’re not trying to climb Mt. Everest in a blizzard. We’re not battling Venus’ thick atmosphere or freezing temperatures at the bottom of the Atlantic ocean. The obstacles in the way of restarting Saab with new owners are man-made obstacles. This is a matter of people vs. people and a battle of wills. And I say people vs. people because my observation over the last couple months is that we’re all not on the same side. It’s not as though everyone wants Saab to succeed, everyone wants to protect jobs—-and it’s just a matter of trying to figure out how to do it legally. If that were the case, we’d be talking about starting up the factory this month. No, there are people entrenched in the process who have a desire to see the Saab car brand relugated to the trash heap. If reasoning with these parties doesn’t work—-and it hasn’t so far—-they need to be put on the defensive. They need to answer for why they are bent on destroying over 3000 jobs in Sweden—-and also sending people in other parts of the world (including many in the U.S.) to the unemployment lines. Ask the hard, uncomfortable questions. When they disappear so they don’t have to answer, make it public who did what—-and from what organization. I’ve been on a tirade against General Motors, on Facebook, here at Saabs United, on other web pages—-and if this ends in the worst way for Saab and the fans of Saab—-I encourage all of you to blast GM—–their people, their products, they way of doing business—-forever. In 2009, they were on their knees, begging for U.S. taxpayer money to stay in business. It’s funny how high and mighty they are acting right now. These pilferers have their foot on Saab’s neck. GM is a nasty bunch. If they are not the only ones standing in the way of a new Saab—-we need to know who the others are and we need to make them accountable too.
mnztr said on January 2, 2012
In their past, GM is known to have purchased the mass transit system in Detroit and destroyed it so people would be forced to buy their cars… their business culture has not changed a bit since then. They are devoid of any ethics and certainly have no automotive enthusiasm. Their products reflect this.
rallyho said on January 2, 2012
Wrong and right! But in a conversation just yesterday we discussed this. The trolley was a bane to auto traffic and noisy as all get out. Many companies were competing to get rid of them and replace them with the modern bus. The old times called it progress by the way.
The bus was less noisy and made more routes possible and mixed with auto traffic.
Thank you for half the story.
Angelo V. said on January 3, 2012
Some cities plan to bring them back. Oh, and how convenient—-GM just happened to make buses too—and I’m sure they gave the city a sweet deal on a fleet (yeah, right).
XC9000 said on January 2, 2012
+1
Ford handled ‘their Swedes’ a lot better.
Never a GM product for me again, not even a rental car….
Olav said on January 2, 2012
+1 and well put, Angelo! You have some good points there.
100%Saab said on January 2, 2012
You could join the occupy Wall Street Movement.
The current top GM Executives are all just Business people. They are not connected to the pre-2009 GM. It would be like discussing your phone or credit card bill. Further, they were given a directive by the US Government. I have not heard the US President express any interest in Swedish jobs.
Just a thought.
saabdealer said on January 2, 2012
What about the US jobs that will be lost? The catastrophic financial loss to any of the 190 Saab dealers throughout the US, Saab affiliated employees, suppliers in US and direct employees of Saab Cars North America? Multiply a dealer’s inventory x the significant loss per unit (~$10k per) and the money owed to dealers by Saab and you’ll see it’s not just the employees in Sweden who will be crushed by GM’s decision.
100%Saab said on January 2, 2012
GM might have an interest in GM multi-brand Saab dealers, but I doubt it. You could write the President. Good Luck.
Angelo V. said on January 2, 2012
I have no interest in joining “Occupy Wall Street.” They are making it 1% vs. 99% and I don’t believe in that and that isn’t my point at all. Among other things (so many random things that OWS is unfocused to the point of losing credibility) it seems to me that “Occupy Wall Street” has the notion that people and organizations who have achieved must “spread the wealth” with everyone else. I’m not on that soapbox at all. No analogy here—-not enough parallels to put me in that camp.
100%Saab said on January 2, 2012
Or as far as GM is concerned, you could talk to a brick wall.
Just a thought.
davidgmills said on January 3, 2012
Actually Occupy Wall Street is very focused. Occupy intends to bring attention to the corruption of the banks. It is the media, who is paid off by the big banks that puts out the propaganda that Occupy Wall Street is unfocused. If you went to an Occupy location in your nearest city, you would quickly find out is nothing like the paid-off media portrays.
BarryMemphis said on January 2, 2012
I agree, 100%. There is an article written on 23 December by Torque News that sums up GM’s role in this fairly well:
http://www.torquenews.com/108/send-gm-coal-putting-saab-bankruptcy
Lonnie said on January 3, 2012
Fantastic article.
Even more fantastic is Matthew Cross’ response in the comments.
Everyone should read it.
BarryMemphis said on January 3, 2012
I, for one, believe that Mr. Cross’ response to the article (and more specifically to other responses contained therein) is worth sharing directly with Saab owners and enthusiasts worldwid. Here it is….
Let’s all cut to the chase:
by Matthew Cross (not verified) – 12/24/2011 – 02:32
Let’s all cut to the chase: Saab will always represent and stand for the best qualities in any industry, especially the automobile industry: Deep and tireless concern for the lives and safety (the absolute first principle), well-being and enjoyment of its customers. This key yet under-appreciated point is abundantly evidenced in Saab’s brilliant safety/handling innovations and pioneering leadership in safety cage design, crumple zones, ergonomic instrumentation design–which maximizes road attention via minimizing distraction/over-looking for controls; reverse-opening hood to minimize collision intrusion into the passenger compartment, key placed between the seats to protect your right knee in a collision, front-wheel drive, disc brakes, egg-shaped total body design—mirroring nature’s incredibly strong/resilient design principles; heated seats–reflecting the vital understanding that a cold driver is a more contracted/less flexible and responsive one, innovations in quality engineering… the list goes on and on and on… What amazing and unique DNA for a car company, yet no surprise considering Saab’s direct aircraft design roots… Just because Saab was never a huge monetary success takes nothing away from its brilliant and vital contributions to fundamental automotive safety, which ought to ALWAYS be Job 1 for EVERY automobile company. The resultant driving experience was a delightful synergy of rock-solid road handling and feedback from car to driver, confidence, ergonomic ease, great driver visibility, and myriad other tangible and intangible qualities which result in pride in ownership, deep customer appreciation and brand loyalty, and simple happiness at feeling cared for by the combined intelligent and heartfelt efforts of a group of people turning out a great product which got you from point A to B in safety, comfort and quirky style.
Judging Saab by mere monetary success also COMPLETELY misses the point. Saab was like a future-leaning R&D skunkworks, pioneering so many crucial and delightful innovations which proved foundational to automotive engineering and design. It’s a known fact that many R&D departments in organizations “lose money,” yet are so often the seeds for breakthrough success when viewed/valued for their contributions to the WHOLE company and/or greater industry. Additionally, many organizations would kill for the BRAND LOYALTY that the original Saab, prior to GM’s involvement, and subsequent dilution/destruction of the brand and finally the company itself. As a footnote, what a tragic joke of a company GM is—how can anybody take a company seriously that accepts billions in taxpayer bailout money due to its utter incompetence—totally boring/low value product line, antiquated management/leadership practices, arrogance, poor quality, etc., etc. To be clear, this is NOT an attack on GM’s vast and well-meaning workforce. As quality authority Dr. W. Edwards Deming has shown, 95% or more of the problems in any company are the fault of the system the people work within, which can only be improved with the support of the organization’s top leadership/management.
If all of the above sounds like something of a love letter to a car and the company that produced it, so be it. I view it more as a tribute to the highest ideals any company (especially an automotive company) and the people who are that company ought to aspire to: to care deeply about the safety FIRST of its customers and thus make a car that’s safer, easier, more fun, more durable, more interesting—even different, if that’s where it leads you—than all the other status quo cars on the road. Saab will always be great for putting safety first, allowing this principle to drive the design, form and function of the car. They truly epitomized “Thinking Different.” My hope is that the spirit if not the company of Saab will one day be resurrected in new form, as reflected in the beautiful PhoeniX concept car from recent Saab designer Jason Castriota, who’s vision and ethic embodied the true heart and soul of what made Saab timelessly great.
Bravo and thank you Keith for your thoughtful original article which inspired this rather long yet heart-feft missive.
Note: Author Matthew Cross is president of Leadership Alliance, a global strategic alignment and training organization and author/co-author of five books (see HoshinMedia.com and LeadershipAlliance.com). He drove his first Saab in 1983 and proudly owns three 1990′s Saabs today.
CSD_ChineseSaabDriver said on January 2, 2012
Very well written
kochje said on January 2, 2012
Indeed; a very good summery written by Keith Griffin. ( huh; nice family name).
Griffin-up
100%Saab said on January 2, 2012
Looks promising to me. Griffin Up.
Hogge said on January 2, 2012
“We have seen the new range of models planned as well as the new 9-3 model together with the new technology”
RANGE of planned models?
This makes me so curious ^^
Is there maybe a Sonett among those? Or a spiritual successor to the old rally- Lancias (you know, the ones Saab had a bit to do with)?
TimR said on January 2, 2012
No but 4 different versions of the 9-3… convertible, coupe, sedan and combi
Hogge said on January 2, 2012
A nicely designed hatchback/liftback coupé with XWD is good enough for me… as long as the price is right.
But I do think that there’s a quite broad range planned, although work probably hasn’t been done on it beyond perhaps quick scetches by Castriota.
We KNOW that Muller wants a small Saab and frankly trying to be a premium brand and NOT have a “sportscar” in the range is plain ridiculous.
SaabKen said on January 2, 2012
Griffin UP !!!
FRANCIS GREENSIDES said on January 2, 2012
My dads classic 900 broke down on the day of the bankruptcy it needed a new ignition module and a coil that I found for him on ebay, now the 28 year old car runs and drives superbly.
What I am saying is do not give up on Saab, and she will keep running, she need more people just as dedicated as Victor, and his Saab Scania platform that he has developed with such great spirit, I say long live SAAB. I want my 92 that will no doubt come from the Phoenix platform.
Keep going Victor, do not give up, she will repay you I am sure.
kochje said on January 2, 2012
+1; keep your 900 up and running for so many more years!!
Thylmuc said on January 3, 2012
Got the funny feeling that Volkswagen is somewhat stuck with their comparable concept “modularer querbaukasten” MQB. At least no new information on Wikipedia. If Saab succeeds with Phoenix, that would be quite impressive.
Thylmuc said on January 3, 2012
What I take from this is that the negotiatiins will take place in secrecy. So, not much news on this front in the coming weeks, I would guess.
In the meantime, I promise not to buy a different Griffin-badged vehicle (Vauxhall, Scania, Gumpert)
zippy said on January 3, 2012
Everything is crossed here I can tell you. I see so many Saab’s here on a daily basis but cannot afford the ridiculous insurance the insurance companies want for them at the moment.
kochje said on January 3, 2012
So far the insurance company in Belgium that I am with did not change anything so far.
Did they really change conditions since bankruptcy was announced?
What a shameless behavior.
TonymacUK said on January 3, 2012
Yet another rumour??
Dongfeng Motor hopes to acquire Saab assets, China report says
Automotive News China | 2012/1/3
Dongfeng Motor Corp., a major state-owned Chinese automaker, plans to buy the remaining assets of Saab Automobile — including its assembly plant — after the Swedish automaker is liquidated in April, according to Chinese media.
Dongfeng wants to develop passenger vehicles under its own brand, and Saab’s assets could help the company to improve technology, the Beijing Times reported, citing an unnamed Dongfeng source.
One of the two Chinese companies that tried to acquire Saab last summer may launch a new bid for its assets.
Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile Co., which has purchased Saab’s Phoenix architecture for 80 million euros (654 million yuan), wants to buy more Saab assets, according to the Beijing Times.
Other companies may be interested, too. An unnamed Turkish company wants to scoop up Saab’s assets, the daily newspaper reported.
Meanwhile, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., India’s biggest SUV maker, might bid to acquire some Saab assets, Bloomberg News reported, citing unnamed company sources.
On Dec. 19, a Swedish court declared Saab bankrupt after General Motors blocked a bid by Youngman and Chinese auto distributor Pang Da Automobile Trade Co. to acquire the Swedish automaker.
GM, a former owner of Saab, still holds preferential shares in Saab and supplies key parts for Saab vehicles.
Carmania said on January 3, 2012
“Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile Co., which has purchased Saab’s Phoenix architecture for 80 million euros (654 million yuan), wants to buy more Saab assets, according to the Beijing Times.”
What’s the truth about the Phoenix platform? What right do Youngman have to it after the bankruptcy? Do they have it as collateral or do they own the right to it or do they just have an unsecured claim on the money they put into SAAB?