Puzzling of words

[Deepurple]

I hit upon some sentences which are difficult for me to understand in the Economist's article "Mao and the art of management"
(Staying at the top | Mao and the art of management | Economist.com):

"But focusing on how the best produce the best has its limits. Most managers, after all, do not stitch an industrial triumph from a vast bankrupt junkyard, as Sloan did. They do not delight their customer, crush competitors and create vast wealth. They struggle. They stumble."

I would like to know what the underlined expressions mean. Thank you.

[amigos4]

I hit upon some sentences which are difficult for me to understand in the Economist's article "Mao and the art of management"
(Staying at the top | Mao and the art of management | Economist.com):

"But focusing on how the best produce the best has its limits. Most managers, after all, do not stitch an industrial triumph from a vast bankrupt junkyard, as Sloan did. They do not delight their customer, crush competitors and create vast wealth. They struggle. They stumble."

I would like to know what the underlined expressions mean. Thank you.

Hi, Deepurple!

Let me try to paraphrase the sentence for you.

'Most managers are not capable of creating successful corporations when they have as few resources as Alfred Sloan had at GM when he took control.'

At the time Sloan became chairman, GM had less than one-fifth of the U.S. auto market share while Ford had more than half. By 1931, GM achieved the almost unimaginable by surpassing Ford once and for all. Through Sloan's three decades of innovation, leadership and guidance, GM became the world's largest industrial corporation.

In essence, Sloan utilized three decades of innovation, leadership and guidance to 'stitch an industrial triumph' within a company that was a 'vast bankrupt junkyard'... a company that had less than a one-fifth share of the US auto market.

Does this help?

Cheers,
Amigos4

[Deepurple]

Hi, Deepurple!

Let me try to paraphrase the sentence for you.

'Most managers are not capable of creating successful corporations when they have as few resources as Alfred Sloan had at GM when he took control.'

At the time Sloan became chairman, GM had less than one-fifth of the U.S. auto market share while Ford had more than half. By 1931, GM achieved the almost unimaginable by surpassing Ford once and for all. Through Sloan's three decades of innovation, leadership and guidance, GM became the world's largest industrial corporation.

In essence, Sloan utilized three decades of innovation, leadership and guidance to 'stitch an industrial triumph' within a company that was a 'vast bankrupt junkyard'... a company that had less than a one-fifth share of the US auto market.

Does this help?

Cheers,
Amigos4

Thank you for your background knowledge. I've got it now.