General Motors continues writing big checks as part of its three-year, $5.4 billion facility invest plan and this time it signed one for $1.2 billion for upgrades to its full-size truck plant in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
The investment will improve the plant’s painting, sequencing and assembly operations. Construction will begin in June and will “take several years,” according to the automaker. Production will not be impacted.
“This investment is more evidence that the customer is at the center of every decision we make,” said Cathy Clegg, GM North America Manufacturing vice president, in a statement. “Truck customers demand top quality. The upgrades at Fort Wayne Assembly will enable our team to continue delivering for them for years to come.”
The announcement is just the latest in a series that has seen the automaker spend more than half of the cash it plans to spend on three-year plan.
Last week, GM announced it was plowing $439 million into its Bowling Green, Kentucky plant, which makes the Corvette. Prior to that, it said it was investing $1 billion to upgrade its technical center in Warren, Michigan, a Detroit suburb.
(GM plows $439 million into Corvette paint shop. For more, Click Here.)
In all, the company has announced improvements in the last two months totaling more than $3.3 billion.
Putting money into the truck plant, which produces both light-duty and heavy-duty trucks, makes sense. The company relies on the profitable vehicles to add to its bottom line.
(GM investing $1 billion at its Tech Center outside Detroit. For more, Click Here.)
The construction project includes:
- New pre-treatment facility featuring thin-film paint pretreatment
- E-coat paint customized to each vehicle style, resulting in superior coverage and curability
- GM-patented radiant tube ovens for exceptional paint finish and lower energy use
- New equipment that accommodates the many variations of the truck cab and box being placed on the chassis
- New skillet conveyance systems for instrument panel assembly intended to improve worker ergonomics, leading to better product quality.
(To see more about GM’s $5.4 billion investment plans, Click Here.)
Fort Wayne Assembly began building light-duty trucks in 1986. Today, it is a three-shift operation with approximately 3,800 employees who build light- and heavy-duty regular and double cab full-size trucks.
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