The General Motors Isuzu Commercial Truck LLC (GMICT) logo went up on the lobby wall in the new organization's headquarters in Cerritos, Calif., last month. According to Todd Bloom, vp-marketing, the logo captures the essence of the new company's spirit. "GMICT is a true partnership, 100% devoted to marketing medium-duty trucks."
The joint venture involves Isuzu's and GM's medium-duty commercial vehicle sales, service and marketing functions. Approximately 700 dealerships are affected by this joint venture, according to James C. Underwood, president and COO of the new organization, and the general response from the dealers has been very positive. For GM and Isuzu customers, the organizational changes should be largely invisible, he notes.
"From a customer standpoint, nothing really changes," says Underwood. "GMC, Chevrolet and Isuzu brands will all continue, and customers will still work with the same dealers. With a team dedicated to the medium-duty truck business, we hope that customers will see even greater levels of responsiveness and service."
In addition to the headquarters office, GMICT also has a business center in Pontiac, Mich., as well as five regional sales offices located across the country.
"The new company really has a very `flat' matrix-type organization," Underwood adds, "with an operating philosophy based on 42 best practices we identified together, including the importance of a vital dealer organization and the central role that relationships play in the trucking industry. If we are successful in implementing these practices, we'll have the strongest medium-duty organization in the country."
In the short term, customers can expect to see a new crew cab from Isuzu followed by new products from GM, as well, says Underwood. He is forecasting sales of about 68,000 to 70,000 total units in the new company's first full year of operation.
Shell Rotella T multigrade SAE 15W-40 engine oil with Advanced Soot Control (ASC) has been reformulated to exceed the better wear and higher soot-loading performance requirements of Cummins' CES 20077 specification. According to the company, the reformulated Rotella T also exceeds the proposed North American/European/Asian engine manufacturers' Global Diesel Heavy-Duty specification (Global DHD-1).
Characteristics include low-temperature flow properties to aid cold engine starts, deposit control to keep engines clean and fuel-efficient, shear stability to protect against oil breakdown, and engine protection and durability. The engine oil also provides exceptional control of valve train wear to help engines last longer and outstanding soot-handling ability for improved filterability and oil viscosity control, according to Shell. Visit www.rotella.com.
Latest additions to Grote Industries' lamp lineup are the 3-in. center replaceable-lens SuperNova LED trailer marker lamp and the replaceable-lens low-profile SuperNova LED clearance/marker lamp. Lamps are available in red or yellow.
In an article on oil filters ("Hardware Report," p.50 )in FLEET OWNER's October issue, Racor, a division of Parker Hannifin, was inadvertently omitted. For information on Racor's lubrication filtration system.
