Local plant manager to head up GM manufacturing in Africa

Clayton Whitaker

He will expand his scope to oversee all African manufacturing operations including East Africa and North Africa.

In his new role, Whitaker will report to Phil Kienle, VP Manufacturing, GM International and China while remaining part of the leadership team of Mario Spangenberg, president and managing director, GM Africa and Middle East.

Initial priority

Whitaker said his initial priority will be to ensure that all the units on the African continent work together, support each other and drive improvements across all the key focus areas in the business. In addition there will be strong emphasis on securing African plants as viable long-term manufacturing facilities for the continent.

"We want to ensure that we have an efficient operation that is focused on supporting sales targets and building quality products in a safe and environmentally conscious environment," he said.

Various positions

Whitaker, a B.Comm graduate from the University of Natal, joined the company in December 1996 as GM Industrial Mouldings, a subsidiary company of the former Delta Motor Corporation.

He moved into the mainstream side of the business after three years in the subsidiaries. Whitaker has occupied various positions in logistics and material management as well as a number of manufacturing positions within GMSA.

During the last few years he was instrumental in the migration of manufacturing to a single plant footprint and achieving productivity and quality improvements.