The global automotive industry, by Dr P Wells and Dr P Nieuwenhuis

The global automotive industry: a guide for the perplexed - (16/10/01)

For those participating in or affected by the global automotive industry it is often difficult to distinguish the significant from the trivial, the incipient trend from the statistical blip, or the reality from the hype. Equally, in the day-to-day struggle for commercial survival it is a challenge to see the bigger picture, the inter-related parts that constitute the global automotive industry.

Nor is this surprising. The automotive industry is huge by almost any measure, complex, and always rapidly changing. Yet, now more than ever before, it is important for those in the industry to understand how they 'fit' in the maelstrom of change.

So, in seeking to meet this challenge, Dr Peter Wells and Dr Paul Nieuwenhuis of the Centre for Automotive Industry Research have created a unique Guidebook, sponsored by BT International. The Guide* provides an accessible and largely jargon-free account of how the automotive industry works.

Zuendverzug

Assembly line at Hyundai Motor Company’s car fac...

Pallet in-/out-feed and satellite conveyor layout ...

The Guide is useful to:

* Those new to the industry whomever they may be working for, from vehicle manufacturers and component suppliers to dealerships and material suppliers;

* Corporate strategists interested in the 'mega-trends' that matter for their company or business;

* Politicians and legislators that require a concise but comprehensive overview of the industry;

* Journalists looking to place discrete news events within a wider context;

* Financial analysts or those working in related institutions;

* Educationalists who specialise in a particular aspect of the automotive industry, but want to place their own work in the wider world of the industry.

The Guide: scope and coverage

Clearly, given such a wide subject area the Guide is necessarily selective. Indeed, it is precisely the combination of broad, comprehensive coverage in a small, easy to read booklet that makes the Guide...