If Pang Da auto (one of Saab's new owners) was in the US, they would be in the top 300 of Fortune companies ... and hardly anyone knows the name. Saab auto has had quite the journey from its home in Sweden to being part of General Motors and now owned by a firm in Netherlands and soon to be sold to Pang Da auto and a partner in China. The Global 5000 companies have seen an increase in revenue of 11.7%. Industrial companies (a group where autos are categorized) grew even more at 15.9%. The auto industry had an even better ...Read More »

One thing about watching the companies that are part of  the Global 5000 - there is always something interesting to watch as these firms continue to look for growth and improving their business. This morning reports included the news that two companies in the packaging/paper / container markets are getting together with TennRock acquiring Smurfit-Stone Container.  As we look at The Global 5000 database, there are 68 companies in this space representing approximately $250 billion in total revenue.  They grew 2.5% in 2008, then retreated by 11% in the difficult 2009 year and will likely come back almost 10% this ...Read More »

Lear Corp. yesterday announced they were filing bankruptcy. They are a top Global500 company with over $13 billion in revenue last year and 85,000 employees. At one point a couple of years ago, their revenue topped $17 billion with 115,000 employees. So, as we look across this landscape of companies in this sector that have filed or merged, we see GM, Chrysler, Collins & Aikman, Lear, Delphi, Dura, Fedral-Mogul, Metaldyne, Monaco Coach, Plastech Engineered Products, Visteon. That's a heavey toll.Read More »

Here's another sign of the shuffling that is happening in the auto industry. Tata Motors ($9 billion USD in 2007) introduced both the Jaguar and Land Rover in India this past week, bolstering the high end luxury market offerings there. They are challenging the German auto makers who have the strongest presence in that market. Tata is aggressive at a time when their financials have been strained. And they are selling into the teeth of these tough economic times. Tata Motors ranks as the 9th largest firm in India in the Global 5000Read More »