Top purchasing executive at General Motors steps down

DETROIT (AP) — General Motors Corp.’s top purchasing executive abruptly stepped down Friday to pursue what the company said were other career opportunities.

Bo Andersson, 53, group vice president of global purchasing, left GM immediately, and the automaker said a replacement would be named soon.

Andersson was responsible for maintaining the flow of parts to GM plants through the company’s financial difficulties, which have rippled down to a vast array of parts makers that also are in financial trouble.

The Detroit-based automaker filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection June 1, with the U.S. government providing the financing for it to exit as a leaner, stronger company.

The automaker did not say what opportunities Andersson is pursuing.

“Bo has made tremendous contributions to the development of our global purchasing and supply-chain strategy as we’ve globalized our product line portfolios and manufacturing footprint,” CEO Fritz Henderson said in a statement.

Andersson, who is from Sweden, joined GM in 1987 as a manager at its Saab unit. The Swedish automaker went into creditor protection Feb. 20 in an effort by GM to spin off or sell it.

Saab said Friday that a sale is near. The automaker confirmed last month that three bidders remained in the sales process: sports-car maker Koenigsegg; The Renco Group Inc., a private equity firm; and Merbanco Inc., a Wyoming-based group of investors.

Citing unnamed sources, Swedish broadcaster SVT said Koenigsegg and Norwegian investors have signed a declaration of intent to buy Saab.

GM also has a tentative deal to sell a majority stake in its European Opel and Vauxhall units to Canadian auto-parts maker Magna International Inc. But the German government, which is providing financing for the deal, is still talking to other bidders in case the Magna deal falls through.

While at GM, Andersson had extensive dealings with Magna, which is one of GM’s largest parts suppliers.

Andersson held several positions at GM during his tenure. He was executive director of purchasing electrical and chemical commodities. He also was vice president of purchasing for GM Europe. He was named group vice president in 2007.