General Motors Co. approved the business case for a $1.2 billion investment in upgrades and technology that will make its Fort Wayne Assembly Plant more competitive.
GM’s plant near the intersection of U.S. 24 and Interstate 69 employs about 3,800 on three shifts, represented by United Auto Workers Local 2209, making full-size and heavy-duty regular and double cab Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups.
Construction will start in June to expand the plant’s body shop, upgrade its general assembly operations and build a new pre-treat, electro coat paint operation and sealing facility. The project also will involve expansion and new construction for the plant’s Material Sequencing centers.
The good news on the business case it submitted last year was announced today at the site during an early afternoon news conference and celebration involving GM executives at the plant and corporate level as well as Gov. Mike Pence and other state and local officials.
“This investment is more evidence that the customer is at the center of every decision we make,” Cathy Clegg, GM North America Manufacturing vice president, said in a statement on the project.
“Truck customers demand top quality. The upgrades at Fort Wayne Assembly will enable our team to continue delivering for them for years to come.”
Completing the project will require several years but GM executives said it will not affect full-size truck production schedules there. Last year, GM said the plant built about 1,480 trucks per day at full production.
The announcement listed the following technological and environmental upgrades that would be part of the project:
• 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 (platform) conveyance systems for instrument panel assembly intended to improve worker ergonomics, leading to better product quality.
“These new technologies and equipment will help fulfill the mission of the men and women of Fort Wayne Assembly and UAW Local 2209 to build the best full-size trucks available,” UAW Vice President Cindy Estrada said in the statement. “The investment improves the plant’s competitiveness so we can continue contributing to the community as well.”
In the process of preparing a business case for the project, the plant’s management sought a 10-year, 100-percent tax abatement for it. When the tax abatement application came before the Allen County Council last October, all members at the meeting voted to approve it, and only one member was absent.
The Fort Wayne Assembly plant investment will be more than 20 percent of $5.4 billion GM has said it plans to invest in U.S. facilities during the next three years.