Lotus announce 325 potential redundancies in restructure

[Colins brother 0]

There seems to be no man management whatsoever - people are not built up for their strengths but constantly beaten down and told how rubbish they are.

 

A recent edict was brought in penalising everyone who was not on site by 8:15 exactly. Previously people were more flexible and came in a bit late but worked unitl 7 or 8 oclock at night or even later. since the strict 8:15 ruling the staff car park is now empty at 17:16.

 

No longer allowed to have breakfasts in the canteen - this may seem trivial but most of the elise was designed in that canteen! If you take a way the ability to interact between departments other than formal meeting you will kill the creative spirit of a company like lotus.

 

As I said people are so down beaten the is no enthusiasm left at all - hence stalwarts like matt handing in their notice

 

And in terms of press releases - what else are they going to say!

[Bibs 11,103]

Was a reason given for the stopping using the canteen for breakfast?

 

I always enjoy the Curry Thursdays and thought it was a nice touch from Aslam to join staff over lunch in there.

 

There aren't many people left in PR now to write a press release either!

[Colins brother 0]

Loss of productivity basically - if only they could understand the knock on effect - not saying that people should be in there for an hour a time but there was a good buzz about the place.

[Bibs 11,103]

An efficient workforce is one thing, a demotivated one is much worse.

[Simon350S 192]

I don't trust the French bloke one bit. Mat leaving is a surprise, he was lotus blood just like his dad was and it wouldn't have been an easy decision.

All the news that has come out since he took over has made me feel uncomfortable about the company and feel sorry for the ones who are left.

Shame.

[Arregueti 206]

No joke: esp the short movies on Youtube  with Roger Becker explaining the Evora and Matt Becker explaining the Evora S / handling / tires were a substantial plus when I was thinking in 2011 about buying an Evora (I ordered one in the beginning of 2012). Both were full of enthusiasm and presented the Evora as a car that is "worth" to own - seeing "real" People doing their Job in that way helps to create the "right" Feeling for the product in the mind of the customer. I got the Impression that R Becker was sent away by Dany because he was not enough "bling bling", very sad that M Becker also is no more with Lotus. I was very happy Hearing that Russell Carr was back but the actual policy concerning the workforce is not a move in the right direction when you see the success of a Company on a Long term.

just my 2p 

 

Viewing those videos is exactly how I decided to buy mine in the "dark" 2013, when everything looked so greedy. Their involvement made the company look and feel special.

 

I fully agree with the rest of your post, too.

 

I don't trust the French bloke one bit.

Do not intend to be picky, but I am afraid you cannot blame the French guys for this one. He is Luxembourgish.

 

Does M. Becker's departure have anything to do with the appointment of Miguel Fragoso? Were does two roles "in conflict"?

 

25+ years with Lotus. This harms the brand. If there is a plan, they should make it visible and honor it quickly.

[Frimley111R 28]

I'm gutted if he's gone but then look at Morgan. Charles Morgan left but did it do the company any harm? No. A company is more than any one man. 

I don't trust the French bloke one bit. 

 

Why? What has he done to make you doubt him? He has a good track record and is doing what he feels needs doing and from what he's said you have to wonder why others haven't done anything before. 

[The Pits 4,408]

Without knowing the full story Matt Becker resigning is dreadful news.

 

Just when I thought things might be starting to get better, this is a real kick in the guts for anyone who appreciates the work Matt and his team have done over the years. As far as I was concerned they were Lotus. They were responsible for the one area you could say Lotus did better than anyone else - steering, ride and handling.

 

Shocking news.

 

[hedgerley 440]

There is a plan. JMG has articulated it and it has been reported widely. Steve Cropley interviews him in today's Autocar - the timing is unfortunate given the news emerging today but it is a plan, its funded and approved by DRB. And to put it bluntly it also makes a whole lot of sense. As noted earlier there have been some reasonably positive comments on TLF about what he is doing, including the difficult decision on the redundancies so I am surprised at some of the recent comments. Given the recent losses (£118m in 2011, £160m in 2012, £100m in 2013) something had to be done. The low production figures simply could not sustain a workforce of 1200.

 

Now that's out of the way, the full interview is worth a read. JMG is a passionate car bloke with an outstanding CV and a string of successes behind him. Look at all the positive press about the DS brand at Citroen and its success in places like China already. That was JMGs doing. And his time with BMW, VW Group and Mercedes shows he is a committed petrol head. He has been out visiting dealers, expanding the network and sorting quality and supplier issues. To be frank Lotus are lucky to have him.

 

At the risk of being flamed and I say this as a passionate and fanatical supporter of the brand the discussion about working hours, canteen activities and the like is I think symptomatic of Lotus' problem. They have often been accused of being a cottage industry but there is no hope for the future unless they pull their finger out and start to operate as a global (admittedly small) car company with all the professional standards that implies. Its the only way they are going to get people out of their Caymans etc and into a Lotus in decent numbers. JMG might have made some unpopular decisions, but he knows the business, knows what works and has a hell of a lot more experience in running a car company than anyone else in Hethel. That he also "get's" the brand and spends the majority of his spare time, late evenings and weekends tearing round Norfolk's lanes in Lotus product running batches of new improvements from the engineers says a lot about him. As does getting the entire staff involved in addressing cost and weight issues across the range. They are currently looking at over 800 suggested improvements which can only be good thing.

 

What I also find interesting are his comments about Engineering. He intends to keep it stable, complete existing outside contracts but there will be little new business development or further expansion. He wants Engineering to support the Lotus car building operation in the long term and be fit for purpose when, in a few years time, they will be able to start developing new models. But his focus for now is car building and revenue generation based on the current platforms, as we know. That is no bad thing.

 

Losing key staff is worrying and I understand why morale is low. But I believe they are heading in the right direction and JMG is the right guy to get them there. He deserves our support.

 

Right, I'll get me coat.....

[Gabber 4]

Mark , very good post !

[amoss 32]

Mark , very good post !

I agree.

[Al. 294]

Well put Mark.  As somebody who works in a global sphere with a continually changing workforce and in a business with continual peaks and troughs that badly affect morale and salaries I can see all the logic.  

 

I can also see an important part of the DNA has just left the building.  He was listed in EVO's very short list of top important people in the motor industry recently.  I just hope that when the quality is up, cost base down and the production smooth that we will still want to buy the next Lotus and not the last.  

 

There was me getting all excited about seeing and hearing about the new Evora 400 in March at Geneva.  By the time it hits the road I'll be looking to change hopefully with new house built.  Now it does make you wonder......  maybe keep this one as a long term investment and buy something else sensible instead.  Now where is my nearest Jaguar dealer? 

[Bibs 11,103]

Funny you mention that. My neighbour drove up to Ayr to pick up his £64k F Type at the weekend. Made it 100 miles back to Kent before having to call the AA and it's still at our local dealership now being diagnosed! 

[hedgerley 440]

There was me getting all excited about seeing and hearing about the new Evora 400 in March at Geneva.  By the time it hits the road I'll be looking to change hopefully with new house built.  Now it does make you wonder......  maybe keep this one as a long term investment and buy something else sensible instead.  Now where is my nearest Jaguar dealer? 

 

Nooooooooooooooo!!!!! Hang on in there Al. Evora Mk2 - 15% lighter, 400bhp+, new interior, easier access, new front and back ends (GTE style but not so aggressive). Trust me.....

 

And thanks for the comments. I think it has to be said - Lotus is an international business in a very competitive market. It will never survive if it strives to live up to Clarkson's description of the company (turnip farmers in a field in Norfolk and all the rest of the abuse). Time to grow up.

[Al. 294]

C

 

Funny you mention that. My neighbour drove up to Ayr to pick up his £64k F Type at the weekend. Made it 100 miles back to Kent before having to call the AA and it's still at our local dealership now being diagnosed! 

My comment whilst tongue in cheek will not be with many unfortunately and actually borne out of SWMBO seeing my mate from Ayr (small world) last weekend with his 2 week old new F-Type V6 S Coupe and loving it and it's (perceived by sounds of it) build quality.  

 

Must have said about a dozen times this week that should be my next car - and she hates cars and in particular the Evora and the issues we have had over last 5 years and 4 cars.  Having said that she has one of the first Evoque's and that has been in true RR fashion a series of warranty trips to the dealer for the last 3 years - which is thankfully close.  However all that is quickly swept under the carpet when the barbs are out!

[Kalli 253]

Certainly a shame to hear of the job losses, as always. But to echo the others, its a real shame to hear about Matt Becker. I watched those videos over and over when contemplating the Evora. It was the whole feeling of seeing a chap who blatantly loved what he did, and had a bit of his own heritage there. 

 

To see Lotus disappear, OR WORSE to become a faceless brand (and yes, I did those in the right order!) would be a huge sad point in my life.

 

On the plus side, seeing as how we all buy Lotus knowing there will be the odd moment where we need to fiddle with things ourselves, it might not be as dire as we think!

[USAndretti42 308]

I don't know what the total number of job losses ended up as but it's awful for those losing their jobs and, in some ways, those left behind. It just knocks a big home on the company morale. It's not the first time Lotus employees have been laid off in a decent number but that's no comfort to anyone involved.

Being coldly logical about it, if the company is cutting back on its consultancy work and not bring out new cars for some time, it's likely that the need for a bit vehicle handling department was reduced. Not knowing how big the department was, I don't know how many people are left after the department lost 60% of its staff but it could be that it is still plenty to keep the cars at the top of the handling tree.

[Bibs 11,103]

Although an open secret, Matt Becker is official confirmed at Aston Martin.

 

http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyId=31352

[NedaSay 835]

Well that did not really take long for Matt, the question is how many ex lotus staff did he "take" with him. Aston Martin has long used Lotus engineering services to fine tune their cars so it's not a surprise they would snap staff of this caliber.Matt is getting on board just in time to fine tune the V8 Vantage successor, the one that will get the AMG V8 twinturbo + 7 speed DCT gearbox and a raft of electronic this is going to be quite a car.

[TBD 781]

It was the only logical step. I mean,  Rolls Royce? Or Bentley? Matt has never done trucks. 

 

Maybe he'll be driving the DB10 in the new Bond film  "Sceptre"  -  like father like son.