Re: What SINGLE factor MOST contributed to the demise of Packard?

Posted by Mr.Pushbutton  On 2013/10/21 12:54:04

One thing I kept thinking while reading James A Ward's excellent book "the Fall of the Packard Motor Car Company" is that after Packard bought Studebaker they left two of everything in place in terms of administration, that they didn't get busy and figure out what could be consolidated in white collar positions and realize the savings that might have been.
I wonder how quickly George Mason could have consolidated the front office/engineering/styling/marketing and other departments had the grand merger took effect?
Nance's treatment of Studebaker from a manpower standpoint seems almost crazy by today's (cut throat business) standards.
In reading the book it seems as though he (Nance) was in constant "fireman" mode since before the Stude purchase, running from fire to fire.
Nance stated that he took the Packard job as a stepping stone to running the proposed Mason-envisioned AMC, if he couldn't make these decisions at S-P I wonder how they would have played at a four-brand AMC?