American Suzuki Motor Reviews

Pros

The company paid within the market value and the benefits were fair. Excellent product.

Cons

The company has not recovered fully from the industry crash of 2008.

Advice to Senior Management

Tell the public about the product. It is extremely good and well worth the look.

Pros

The only nice thing I can say about ASMC is that their employee insurance coverage was very generous. After all, they gotta keep you healthy if they plan on working you to death.

Cons

Insane work load. Very poor employee recognition program. They reward you $100 if you come up with an idea that saves them a million. Although in the U.S., was ran by Japanese corporate mentality of work your employees 6-7 days a week, no over time pay because they salary everyone (smart on their part) and you must be loyal to corporate. They don't have to be loyal to you. I left because the president of the company gave a speech that Suzuki did not meet their sales goals because the employees did not work hard enough. No raises or bonuses would be given for the year. I resigned that day. Apparently, it had nothin to do with the fact that the company introduced it's new flagship vehicles that got 14 miles a gallon when gas was over $4. Obviously, they didn't sell. Human Resources found that almost 75% of employees were activiely searching for employment elsewhere during work hours.

Advice to Senior Management

As long as a Japanese corporation treats American employees like they are in Japan, your best talent will always leave. USA! USA! USA!

Pros

Decent benefits, great car lease program, not on a time clock, not a ton of micro managing.
Located in a nice serene location in North Orange County.

Cons

Upper management does not seem to get the "big picture" when factoring in American culture, rely on the Japanese bosses to dictate what is to be done. Cramped working conditions since all divisions were consolidated into the main building.

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to your American employees more often since they know the culture of this country, not just the Japanese way of doing things.

Pros

Benefits was good, company and lease car benefit was very good. Freedom to do as you need for a district just meet you goals or numbers.

Cons

Upper and senior management is generally Japanese which do not understand the American culture. Becuase of the lack understanding each Japanese manager has failed but it will never be their fault. The goals are expectations are very unrealistic for the American market which goes back to the lack of understanding of the USA market.

Advice to Senior Management

Please listen to your American people you may actually understand why you do not grow in the US market. All senior Japanese need to be locked into a room and allow the US manager run the company, it would succeed.

Pros

Great benefits keep numerous employees within this company. Also a large amount of great talent exists within the employees.

Cons

Employees are made to feel like second rate people by upper management by the sheer lack respect. The company has a large base employees with a wealth of knowledge that is discounted or severely underutilized.

Advice to Senior Management

The best advice I can give upper management is stop ignoring your very talented employees and listen to their suggestions. If this listen could occur this company could grow by leaps and bounds. Provide employees a safe environment to give you some sound advice without any backlash. Listen to you employees that will actually tell what is wrong within the company.

Pros

Excellent product line up is all vehicles available to the U. S. market

Cons

Japanese management has to much control over the day-to-day operation in the U. S. Profit became the only driver to built a presence in the U. S. market. Senior Japanese management believed in expensing the company to a profit. With that approach, the company has seen its sales decline from a high of 100,000 units in 2007 to just over 32,000 units in 2009 and their sales are off 52% 2010 vs 2009 and delayed future product to the U. S. market.

Advice to Senior Management

If you want to succeed in the U. S. market you must allow the U.S. management to run the U.S. operations if you plan to be successful.

Pros

Motorcycles are always profitable, easy to sell and will always allow the company to suffer along. Because Suzuki has a big corporate name and truly a mom and pop atmosphere, they do not expect much. Just show up. They like to hire people with no skills or experience. Most of the tasks that they assign you will only take a few minutes to complete. You can spend the remainder of your time developing other skills or taking classes so you can take on responsibility at a "real" corporation.

Cons

Don’t trust the Americans. They were tossed out of other reputable companies and had no other place to go. Or, they started in the mail room and received battlefield promotions over the years. Just ask if you can sit in on an executive management meeting. When the directors speak, you will know that they do not have practical experience. If you have a good idea and the Japanese like it, your manager must receive the credit. If you are happy to oblige, the Japanese will eventually find out it was you and want to cut out the middleman. They will not want to promote you or fire your manager; just shame some poor director who was promoted beyond their level of expectation. You will probably make the mistake of sharing your blight with the up in coming mailroomers who will embrace your story only to share it with everyone else in the company. It is an amazing race to no where. The culture is as such because Suzuki is such a small player in the US and plan to keep it that way. The world is Suzuki’s oyster. The US is just something to balance out the web-site.

Advice to Senior Management

You have 300 employees in the US - there should be no American Suzuki Motor Corp. Quite fooling people mom and pop.

Pros

If you are an enthusiast (MC) you'll find good comrades. While not great poduct/parts/accessories prices are OK. Auto lease program. Good benefits, but employees must contribute as of 2008.

Cons

ASMC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corp. Japan. Ther are 20% Japanese nationals in US operations assigned for 5 years. They are running the company on a day to day basis rather than as overseers of the operations that the Americans know better i.e. market. Auto division is 45th of 45 competitors in market, CEO in Japan is dedicated to Auto sucess, this is brining the corporation down. Worst of both worlds; Japanese corporation with no 10 year plan, concerned with next quarters profits, American Corp where personal input is shunned. Upper (Japanese) management adopts US corporate management style and executes ruthlessly (rather than Japanese style). Management runs on fear of Japan. Parent company is so large and poorly run it is mired down in it's own policy, none of which seem to be written down.

Advice to Senior Management

Lock the Japanese in a room. Hire good directors and middle managers, let them take care of the US market. Invest in infrastructure. Innovate and be aggressive in market ...not 6 years behind it.