Ties that bind

INTERVIEW

As a boy in a small farming community of 500 people in the US during the 1960s, David Reeck envisioned the People's Republic of China (PRC) as large and powerful. Often referred to as Red or Communist China during the Cold War, he grew up deeming it a threat to the US.

Reeck described his hometown of Britton, Michigan. "We didn't have a theatre, but there was one supermarket, a barbershop and a five-and-dime grocery store. Everyone knew everyone.

"It [being a tight-knit small community] was part of life and I never thought about getting out. You could see straight ahead for about 10km [laughs] but there was also a college town about 30km away."

Fast forward to 2012. The 62 year-old Reeck works for General Motors China as its electrification strategy manager and can't seem to stop talking about the country.

Everyone now wants a piece of the pie in China. General Motors has been a pioneer there and was one of the first to recognise the potential of its domestic automobile industry, which is growing in leaps and bounds.

"Both the PRC and myself were born in the same year _ 1949. However, I was born five days after Mao Zedong proclaimed the PRC on October 1," said Reeck, who worked for the SAIC-GM joint venture in China before moving to General Motors (China) Investment Co Ltd, which is owned by the US carmaker.

Reeck explains his current job as helping the company and its joint venture understand China's policies surrounding vehicle electrification and charging. He helps the company learn what is required to qualify as a new energy vehicle (NEV) in China, which is complex in terms of what needs to be localised, and standards for charging these vehicles, as well as other issues.

Reeck reached mandatory retirement in 2010 after 43 years of service with GM America, but he was not ready to fade away because "working is fun and I could use the income".

His began as a part-time worker in 1967 operating then state-of-the-art CNC cutting machines for vinyl and cloth interiors at GM's Tecumseh plant while pursuing a degree in Electrical Engineering at the General Motors Institute of Technology.

Later in 1973, armed with a master's in the same field from the University of Colorado, he had stints in Vehicle Advanced Design and Purchasing and Supplier Quality in Powertrain for Engine and Transmission Control.

In 2004, he moved to a Shanghai-GM joint venture as senior manager for powertrain purchasing, and in 2007 to GM Powertrain Product Engineering where he remained until 2009, and where his responsibilities transitioned to electrification strategy and infrastructure for GM operations in China. The man has GM written all over him.

Speaking of his bond with China, he said, "My father bought a 64-hectare farm in the 1940s. It was just my parents and my two brothers working the heavy machinery and tractors to harvest corn, soybeans and wheat.

"My first connection to China was cultivated when China bought soybeans, which meant the price _ $5 [154 baht] per bushel, or about 25kgs of soybeans _ would double.

"We depended on China, but at the exact same time, most of us thought it was a threat," added Reeck, who has a seven year-old daughter with his Chinese wife, in addition to a son and daughter, aged 33 and 32 years respectively from a previous marriage.

However, the purpose of his visit to Thailand last month centred around the Chevrolet Volt E-Rev (extended range electric vehicle) _ which gave Thailand a glimpse of this gem of an electric car that has a combined range of 570km, periodically using its 1.4-litre petrol engine to keep the lithium-ion battery charged to power the electric motors, which drive the wheels.

"The Volt is all about good, clean technology, energy efficiency and it is already fully developed, which means it is production-ready for high volumes. The Volt electric vehicle gives customers an alternative. Electric when you want it and petrol when you need it," explained Reeck, a former US Marine Corps sergeant.

The Tecumseh plant is long gone, the once hi-tech CNC machines are now a relic of the past when compared to GM Thailand's state-of-the-art facility in Rayong, while Reeck's perspective on China has changed for the better.

"I am thinking I will live in China for the rest of my life. My wife keeps me very young and I certainly don't feel like I should be retiring."

10 QUESTIONS

 Favourite Chevrolet car?

The 1969 Camaro.

 Favourite human being?

Former US president John F Kennedy.

 Favourite destination in Thailand?

Phuket.

 Favourite hotel?

Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket Resort.

 Favourite vice?

Drinking wine.

 Favourite band?

The Beatles.

 Most treasured possession?

Your health, especially as one gets older.

 Favourite sports team?

The University of Michigan Wolverines American football team.

 Favourite hobby?

I still dosomedistance running, but golf ismymainhobby.

 Greatest American export to the world?

Microprocessors.

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About the author

Writer: Alfred Tha Hla
Position: Motoring Reporter






Source: http://www.news.thethailandlinks.com/2012/09/25/ties-that-bind/