GM adding third production shifts at three U.S. plants

With all of the factories that General Motors is closing down and the brands being eliminated, there has been plenty of bad news for GM's blue collar staff over the past year. This week, there was finally a bit of good news as three factories got word that they would add third shifts in the coming months. The Fairfax, KS, Lansing-Delta Twp, MI and Ft Wayne, IN factories will all add more workers and production.

Fairfax is losing production of the Saturn Aura, but all production of the Malibu will be consolidated there along with the Buick LaCrosse. The Orion, MI plant that has been building Malibus along with the Pontiac G6 will be retooled next year to build the next-generation Aveo. With fullsize heavy duty pickup production stopping in Pontiac, that production will be shifted to Ft Wayne. The Lansing factory will be adding Chevy Traverse production that is ending at the Spring Hill, TN factory. A total of 2,400 jobs will be added at the three factories.

[Source: General Motors]


PRESS RELEASE

GM Adds a Third Shift at Three Assembly Plants in U.S.

* Additional shifts in Kansas, Indiana and Michigan restore jobs for 2,400 employees
* Company's actions will result in increased manufacturing plant utilization in the U.S.

DETROIT - General Motors Company will add a third shift at its Fairfax, Kans.; Ft. Wayne, Ind.; and Lansing Delta Township, Mich. plants - restoring 2,400 jobs and enabling GM to increase its manufacturing plant utilization in the U.S.

Today's actions, noted below, are the result of consolidating product built at manufacturing facilities that are, as previously announced, retooling for a new product, closing or being placed on standby capacity:

* Fairfax, which builds the recently launched all-new Buick LaCrosse the popular Chevrolet Malibu and Saturn Aura, will become the exclusive builder of the Malibu when the Orion, Mich. assembly plant ends production in November. In 2010, the Orion plant will begin retooling and make history when it becomes the first U.S. plant to produce small cars to be sold in the U.S. market in 2011. The new shift at the Fairfax plant is scheduled to begin in January, 2010.
* Ft. Wayne will add production of heavy duty pickups (Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra) from the Pontiac, Mich. plant that will close the end of this month. The third shift is scheduled to begin in April, 2010.
* Lansing Delta Township, Mich. will add the Chevy Traverse which is currently built at the Spring Hill Assembly plant in Tennessee, which will cease production in November but remain on standby capacity. The new shift at the Lansing plant is scheduled to begin in April 2010.

These changes are in addition to GM's previous announcement that a second shift will be added at the Lordstown Complex (Ohio) in October where the popular Chevy Cobalt is built and all-new Chevy Cruze will be launched in the spring of 2010.

"Today's actions enable GM to add production shifts and maximize the utilization of several of our plants," said Tim Lee, Group Vice President Manufacturing and Labor Relations. "In turn, we are better positioned to deliver the vehicles our customers' desire and put thousands of employees back to work that would have otherwise been laid off."