This week, one of the fittest men I have ever met will turn 50. A man that can run a marathon in record times, does an Iron Man for fun and one who will on June the 1st run the ultra Marathon of Marathons the ‘Comrades Marathon’ in South Africa, running 90KM’s to Durban in South Africa in 120 degree heat. However I am not here to boast of Martin’s fitness and his achievements, but the incredible changes he has made in life. Less than 10 years ago, Martin was an overweight, smoking drinking 40 year old man and he changed. The changes were not over night, but he changed.
Martin’s incredible fitness, got me to thinking of companies who have made changes, reinvented themselves and now are world leaders in what they do… Companies who without making industrial revolutions themselves, would have been swept away into the history books.
10 years ago, owned by Ford, Land Rover had a fleet of cars that the world was not greatly interested in. They had just upgraded the Discovery and the Range Rover and they had facelifed the unreliable Freelander – but like their sister company Jaguar, their products lurched from one crisis to another. Unreliability, leaking, not quite as good as the competition – they had it all. Jaguar themselves facing derision over their X-Type 3 series competitor that was seen as nothing more than a Mondeo in drag, the S-Type that was a floppy jalopy on a Lincoln chassis borrowed from uncle Sam and the XJ, a rather dated looking car on a chassis that could be traced back to the original XJ saloons of the late 60’s.
No matter what they did, special editions, re-trims, Jaguar Land Rover faced the fact that the products they were famous for had made them famous for all the wrong reasons!
In 2008, Ford thought they had done well when they offloaded both companies to Indian company Tata and they took the cash and ran.
Tata realized that the only way to grow was the wholesale change of every model in every range and that is what they started doing! Both arms of the company were tasked with not just topping and tailing the old models (after all Ford had already done that). They were tasked with making ‘better’ cars. Lighter, faster, more fuel efficient ways of travelling.
In 2014, Land Rover have the Uber luxurious, go anywhere, across anything Range Rover – rivaling anything Bentley and Rolls Royce can offer, The Range Rover Sport which is lighter, faster and more economic than it’s rather tonka toy predecessor. What of the Discovery, bastion of the UK farmer since 1990? Well the Disco 3 became the 4, it has been lightened, brightened and better screwed together. The launched the very successful Evoque and we are due a Freelander replacement in the next year or so… These products were not only universally applauded, but they are universally sold and the world cannot get enough of them!
What of Jaguar? Well the XJ of old is dead, no more pastiche of a 70’s eurobarge, but an avant garde unique looking sporting Limo, then the S Type of old? Remember that rather pudgy looking wallowey overweight Labrador? The new one is taught, sporting and more than a match for anything from the western world. There is a new small Jaguar coming to rival the A4, the C and the 3 and the XK and F type – you would, you just would.
So the benefits of the changes?
It is all about money – let us be real.
It was a huge risk to an Indian Steel company to buy 2 ailing car brands half way around the world and an even bigger risk to two globally established car manufacturers who were being bought by the company who created the abysmal “city Rover”.
How did it work, how did these two companies manage to turn over £15,784 Billion pounds last year?
Communication. Setting goals and achieving them. The secret of their success is honest, open communication about every part of the business and every stage of every day. Many companies fail because they fail to communicate, worse still many more are failing because they think communication is beneath them.
So to Jaguar Land Rover I applaud your success and the changes you made in your own industrial revolution – the UK has a bountiful car industry, providing thousands of jobs a year and you are a huge part of that!
To Mr Martin Erasmus, a man who is driven to always run a little faster, always compete a little better and always to deliver the very best solution at every stage of MeetingZone’s evolvement, congratulations boet on hitting 50, for making changes in your own life to make you the best you can be and helping to make MeetingZone one of the best communications companies in the world.
