GM to Invest $900M in U.S. Manufacturing Facilities

General Motors (GM) announced plans Wednesday to invest $900 million to bolster and align production output at three of its manufacturing sites in the United States to pave the way for new product programs.

The automaker said it is dedicating funding toward improving operations at the Toledo Transmission Operations plant in Ohio, the Lansing Grand River site in Michigan, and the Bedford Casting Operations site in Indiana.

GM also said it is aligning production output at its Lordstown, OH plant and at an assembly parts facility in Lansing, MI.  The shifts at those sites take into account changing consumer preferences, as customers shift from purchasing cars to crossover vehicles and trucks, the company said. GM will suspend the third production shift at both sites starting in the first quarter of 2017.

The Toledo, OH transmission operations plant is slated to receive $667.6 million. A press release Wednesday notes that 739 jobs will be retained at the site, which currently employs 2028 workers. GM did not explicitly make clear whether or not job cuts were expected as part of the investment and alignment of the Ohio facility. The investment is dedicated to developing future product programs at the facility.

$211 million is dedicated toward a new product program at GM’s Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant in Michigan. The Bedford Casting Operations site in Indiana will receive $37 million in support of future product programs. The company’s press release notes that 45 jobs will be retained after the alignment and notes the current payrolls at the site list 719 workers. It is unclear if workers, or how many, will be cut at the site.

The third production shift at the Lansing Grand River facility, producing Chevrolet Cruze sedans, is set to end Jan. 16, 2018, impacting 810 hourly and 29 salaried workers. The site currently employs 4500 workers.

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