GM Invests in Five Plants
As yet another example of regional automotive investment, General Motors announced an investment of $890 million in five North American plants. The investment is spread across the ACP region, reaching plants in Bay City, MI, Bedford, IN, Defiance, OH, Tonawanda, NY, and St. Catharines, ONT. These plants will be upgraded to build GM's next generation V8 engines. Advanced powertrains are a big part of the automobile technology of the future, and this is just another instance of that technology development and investment occuring in the Great Lakes Region.
The article below is from The Detroit Free Press, dated April 27, 2010. A link to the article is here.
The article below is from The Detroit Free Press, dated April 27, 2010. A link to the article is here.
GM Plant Upgrades to Preserve 1,600 Jobs
BY JUSTIN HYDE and JEWEL GOPWANI
FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITERS
General Motors is to unveil a plan today to spend $890 million to upgrade five North American factories for the next generation of V8 engines, the latest set of factory upgrades in the automaker's recovery.
The move follows GM's announcement last week that it would invest $257 million for a new version of the Chevrolet Malibu, along with the payoff of $5.8 billion in government loans.
GM North America President Mark Reuss said the automaker was running close to 100% capacity, one of its top goals following bankruptcy.
The largest investment will go to GM's Tonawanda, N.Y., factory, where the automaker plans to spend $400 million to build a next-generation V8 engine. Earlier this year, GM announced a $425-million investment in the plant to build new four-cylinder engines. Last week, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., lobbied GM to expand the V8 and V6 lines at the plant as well.
The automaker also plans to spend $32 million to update its Bay City plant, $115 million for its Defiance, Ohio, factory; $111 million for Bedford, Ind., and $235 million in St. Catharines, Ontario. All build powertrain components.
"It's great news for our workforce and community," said Wayne Gates, president of Canadian Auto Workers Local 199.
One source said the Bay City expansion would add 14 jobs.
On Monday, the Indianapolis Star reported that state Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman plans to hold a news conference today at GM's Bedford plant. The aluminum foundry plant once employed more than 1,200 but now employs 366, the Star reported.
GM spokeswoman Kim Carpenter told the Free Press, "We are going to have media events at several of our manufacturing plants."
Free Press staff writers Greg Gardner and Brent Snavely contributed.
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