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Showing posts with label plant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label plant. Show all posts
Friday, 22 July 2011
Friday, 15 July 2011
GM continues plant upgrades with $49M Bedford powertrain investment
Leftlane reported in April that General Motors planned to invest a total of $890 million into its engine and transmission plants to update tooling and equipment, with one expected benefactor to be the Bedford, Indiana, transmission plant.
Today, GM has revealed the specifics of the investment, which totals $49 million and helps to preserve or create 91 jobs at the facility. The money will be going towards the purchase of new equipment and tooling that will be used to produce a new eight-speed automatic transmission and a future small engine program.
“The all-new 8-speed transmission will improve fuel economy in a number of future vehicles,” said GM manufacturing manager Arvin Jones. “And, the new gasoline engine, which will be offered in displacements from 1.0-liter to 1.5-liters, is key to fuel economy leadership in the small four-cylinder engine segment.”
GM is being fairly vague in its announcement regarding the transmission, but it seems likely that the transmission will be destined only for small cars and paired to the new small displacement engines also announced. GM has not specified when production of the transmissions will begin.
The Bedford, Indiana, powertrain plant currently has 405 hourly and salaried employees.
Tuesday, 28 June 2011
Back again: Saab restarts production at main plant [Video]
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BMW invests $822M into UK MINI plant
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Saturday, 18 June 2011
GM to invest $331M, add 110 jobs at large SUV plant in Texas [Update]
Thursday, May 26th, 2011 @ 1:14 p.m.
General Motors’ large SUV plant in Arlington, Texas, is about to get a major overhaul to the tune of $331 million in order to prepare for the next-generation of the Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe, GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade.
The plant will be getting the necessary changes in order to produce the new models which are expected to arrive sometime in 2013 to 2014, as well as adding additional production capability.
As a result of the changes to the facility GM will also be adding 110 new hires as part of its overall plan to add approximately 4,000 new jobs in the U.S. over the next few years.
GM is still announcing further details of the deal right now, but it is expected that GM secured a $1.6 million tax break with Tarrant County this week. The abatement represents a 70 percent cut in tax revenue in exchange for expansion of the plant. While GM will surely welcome to savings, it was far from the $3.4 million in savings the automaker originally sought.
Stay tuned for more details from Arlington in the next hour.
References
1.’Tarrant County approves…’ view
2.’GM to add 110…’ view
Sunday, 12 June 2011
Back again: Saab restarts production at main plant [Video]
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Friday, 10 June 2011
Grand opening: VW’s U.S. plant to begin production next week
Friday, May 20th, 2011 @ 10:18 a.m.
It’s been a long time in the making but Volkswagen will finally open its Chattanooga, Tennessee production plant next Tuesday. The Tennessee factory will play a crucial role in VW’s plan to sell 1 million vehicles annually in the U.S. by 2018.
Because of its importance, VW CEO Martin Winterkorn has taken an active interest in the plant, which will initially make a U.S.-specific version of the Passat sedan. Winterkorn has been involved with pretty much every aspect of the plant, from employee training to the final say on interior trim pieces.
“I have to look at the parts from above, just the way customers will in the car,” Winterkorn said as he examined the chrome trim destined for the Passat’s interior.
The $1 billion plant represents VW’s first U.S. factory since it closed the doors to its Westmoreland, Pennsylvania plant in 1988. The plant will produce up to 150,000 Passats per year, but could be expanded to produce other VW models. An SUV “beefier” than the Touareg has been rumored for the plant, and it’s possible VW could produce some Audi models there. However, no official plans are yet in place.
The Tennessee-built Passats are expected to arrive on VW lots this fall.
References
1.’VW rediscovers…’ view
Monday, 30 May 2011
Sunday, 24 April 2011
Toyota’s Yaris plant to remain closed through April
Wednesday, Mar 30th, 2011 @ 9:30 a.m.
Toyota’s Yaris could soon be in short supply as the compact’s Miyagi assembly plant is expected to be shuttered until late April. The plant closure is a direct result of the deadly earthquake that rocked Japan earlier this month.
The Miyagi plant was damaged during the recent earthquake, but workers have since repaired the plant to working order and restored power. However, the factory remains without natural gas, causing the entire plant to be closed.
The Miyagi plant builds Yaris models for exports, including to the United States.
Toyota has resumed some hybrid production – including the popular Prius – but most of the automaker’s domestic plants are expected to remain shuttered until at least mid-April.
References
1.’Toyota’s quake-hit…’ view
GM could fire striking workers at India plant
Tuesday, Mar 29th, 2011 @ 2:16 p.m.
A nearly two-week long strike at General Motors’ Halol, India, assembly plant has motivated the automaker to hire a new temporary staff and to issue an ultimatum to striking workers.
About 250 of GM’s 900 workers went on strike on March 16. As a result, production dropped from 100 vehicles per shift to 70.
“Workers cannot earn their wages at the cost of their lives – they are popping pain-killers owing to workload,” said the workers union’s general secretary, Nihil Mehta. The union argues that GM increased production from 176 to 208 units daily without a commensurate increase in pay.
GM says that it gave the workers until March 25 to show up for work. Now, the automaker says it is looking into the legality of letting the 250 striking workers go.
To temporarily stave off a product drought, GM has hired enough temporary staff to bring production back up to speed.
“We have started hiring people and production of vehicles is going up,” GM India Vice President P. Balendran told Indian media. The automaker builds a variety of Chevrolet products primarily aimed at the fast-growing Indian market in Halol.
GM says that the strike has cost the company 850 vehicles, but the new temporary hires have helped increase production.
References
1.’General Motors India…’ view
1.’Halol strike: GM’s…’ view
Tuesday, 19 April 2011
GM to invest $30M into Pontiac stamping plant
Thursday, Mar 31st, 2011 @ 6:20 a.m.
A 79-year old plant, the Pontiac Stamping Plant, in Michigan, has just been given a new injection of life by General Motors.
GM has announced that it will be investing over $30 million into its Pontiac plant in order to upgrade its tooling and equipment as it prepares to begin producing components of the upcoming Chevrolet Sonic and Buick Verano small cars.
Thanks to the injection of funding, Pontiac Stamping will be able to able to upgrade three existing conventional press lines, as well as add two new presses that are being added as part of GM’s overall effort to consolidate its pressing operations. GM says the combined changes will help to make Pontiac a regional center for several plants.
The new was welcomed by the 290 existing employees at the plant, members of the UAW Local 653.
Sunday, 17 April 2011
BMW reveals top secret “plant zero” [Video]
Monday, Mar 28th, 2011 @ 1:36 p.m.
BMW has released a new video that highlights things ranging from its plant naming scheme used worldwide, to the processes used to develop the very first prototypes and even the process the automaker uses to camouflage its testing vehicles.
The star of BMW’s video is centered around Munich plant zero, which is also known as the experimental vehicle shop, and is responsible for hand building each and every first prototype of new models.
Plant zero is used to test out several aspects of new models, ranging from developing the best possible manufacturing methods to later be used in full production, to verifying that all parts will fit exactly how they were intended to in the design phase.
BMW also brings in production facility workers from around the world and its other facilities so that they can experience the building process of upcoming models before mass assembly at their respective plants. This helps the workers to better appreciate the building process and troubleshoot problems should they arise.
(More after video)
The German automaker also explained both the “old” prototype camouflage process and its drawbacks, namely that “hard” camo would mask aerodynamic signatures, and also that it required screwing panels directly into the vehicle.
BMW says it developed the newest camouflaging process of using vinyl wraps with unique designs to confuse cameras without disrupting aerodynamic testing.
Subaru to close Indiana plant for three more days
Wednesday, Apr 13th, 2011 @ 3:29 p.m.
Subaru’s North American assembly plant in Lafayette, Indiana, will be closed for three additional days over the next couple of weeks as the automaker tries to scale back production in order to cope with a limited supply of some Japan-sourced parts.
The automaker says that the plant will be idled on April 15, 18 and 25. Two weeks ago, Subaru began idling the plant in order to prevent a drought of certain parts for its vehicles. Subaru builds the Legacy and Outback for North America in Indiana.
The closures will not affect production of the Toyota Camry, which is also built at the Subaru of Indiana Automotive plant.
Subaru says that workers will be able to work their full eight hour shifts with either training or maintenance duties unrelated to vehicle assembly, a move that means the automaker won’t have to cut workers’ pay.
Wednesday, 6 April 2011
Toyota might idle Texas plant; German automakers could be next
Thursday, Mar 24th, 2011 @ 3:14 p.m.
That the massive earthquake that rocked Northern Japan earlier this month could have global ramifications is hardly surprising – especially after news today could Toyota will temporarily idle its San Antonio, Texas, assembly plant and that German automakers and suppliers are considering cutting production.
The production cuts come due to difficulty acquiring Japanese-made goods.
“We are informing our team members that, with the situation over in Japan, it is likely that we will see some nonproduction days coming,” Toyota plant spokesman Craig Mullenbach told members of the media.
Toyota builds its Tundra and Tacoma pickup trucks in San Antonio.
Meanwhile, the situation in Germany, where numerous vehicles and components are assembled, is also worsening.
“We have received inquiries mainly from western Germany, from companies that are signalling that they could face problems because their inventories could slowly start running out,” a spokeswoman for Germany’s Federal Labor Office told Reuters today.
Robert Bosch, one of the world’s largest automotive suppliers, says that it has inventory for at least the next week to ten days, but the firm says it could run low on parts shortly thereafter if production is not able to resume in Japan. Although Bosch is a German firm, the company supplies parts for every major automaker across the globe and it has assembly plants in Japan.
References
1.’Toyota Texas plant…’ view
2.’Japan quake sees…’ view
Wednesday, 30 March 2011
Ford sells off shuttered Norfolk plant
Friday, Mar 18th, 2011 @ 12:52 p.m.
Ford Motor Company closed its Norfolk, Virginia, truck assembly plant nearly four years ago, but the automaker has finally found a buyer for the empty facility. Jacoby Development, an Atlanta-based land developer, acquired the plant facility for an undisclosed amount.
Jacoby says that it will immediately sell a portion of the plant to Belgium-based Katoen Natie, or KTN, a global logistics supplier, which plans to redevelop around 100 acres for a new warehousing and distribution operation. KTN is investing an additional $10.5 million to refurbish Ford’s 662,000 square foot former body shop.
The Norfolk plant was one of Ford’s oldest when the automaker closed it in 2007. Opened in 1925, the plant built a variety of Ford products over the years. The last product Ford built at the plant was the F-150 pickup. Despite a $375 million investment into the facility in 2002, Ford made the decision to close the facility.
More than 2,600 Ford employees worked at the assembly plant at its height. By contrast, KTN says it will hire around 250 employees for its operations in Norfolk.
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