General Motors Executive Vice President Global Manufacturing and Labor Relations Gerald Johnson (middle) sees as engineers and service technicians set-up and test the devices that will be utilized to produce Level 1 face masks at a plant in Warren, Michigan.
Photo by John F. Martin for General Motors
DETROIT– General Motors’ veteran head of production is retiring, and the business has actually employed a previous Tesla and Google executive to fill his shoes.
The Detroit car manufacturer stated on Tuesday that Gerald Johnson, executive vice president of Global Manufacturing and Sustainability, will pass the baton to Jens Peter “JP” Clausen, a previous executive with Tesla, Lego and, most just recently, Google.
Johnson’s departure isn’t unforeseen after a 44- year period with the car manufacturer, nevertheless GM likewise revealed another more unexpected departure on Tuesday: that of Mike Abbott, executive vice president of software application and services.
GM stated Abbott, a previous Apple executive who began with the car manufacturer in May, will be stepping down due to health factors.
In a ConnectedIn post, Abbott stated given that late in 2015 he has actually been “facing some serious health issues involving my heart that have not improved.” He continued, “as a father and husband, i need to prioritize my recovery and be with my family with the hope that my health will improve over time.”
Baris Cetinok, present vice president of item in software application and services, has actually been called Abbott’s interim replacement while a search is carried out. Cetinok, likewise a previous Apple executive, began with GM in September.
The modifications work April 2, however GM stated Johnson will stay with car manufacturer through the remainder of the year.
The hiring of Clausen is especially significant, as GM and other car manufacturers try to match or go beyond Tesla in producing batteries and powertrains for electrical lorries.
Clausen invested almost 14 years at toymaker Lego, then signed up with Tesla throughout a duration of substantial development and tumult at the business, from 2015 to 2019.
Reporting to CEO Elon Musk and previous CTO JB Straubel, Clausen functioned as vice president of Tesla’s very first battery factory, referred to as the Nevada Gigafactory, beyond Reno.
Clausen led a fast growth of that factory and before he left had actually been entrusted with finding methods for Tesla to decrease the quantity of scrap and waste it was producing while the EV maker was growing from a specific niche gamer to a mass-market cars service.
When Clausen signed up with Tesla, the now U.S. EV leader was producing its higher-end sedan, the Model S, and its falcon-wing Model X SUV. By the time he left, the business had actually started mass production and providing its entry-level Model 3 sedan, which stays its most available electrical cars and truck.
After his period at Tesla, Clausen operated at Zymergen, an artificial biology business moneyed by Softbank and later on obtained by a huge rival, GingkoBioworks After the merger, Clausen carried on to a function at Google as a vice president of engineering for the business’s Data Center Advanced Technology Innovation group, where he dealt with ecologically accountable cooling options for information centers, to name a few sustainable development efforts.
Clausen’s last day with Google will be March 29, a representative for the business stated in an email.
Clausen is not the only ex-Tesla executive to sign up with GM. The business’s board members consist of previous Tesla President of Global Sales and Service Jon McNeill and it just recently employed Kurt Kelty, who led Tesla battery advancement for 11 years, as its vice president of batteries.
