Since 2011, the company has announced investment of $1.8 billion for the plant, including $600 million for upgrades and a new paint shop, which is being built, and is expected to be operational next year.
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“Stamping operations are very complex, a lot of robotics, a lot of automation”.
Officials at GM believe this project will be complete in two years – that’s when the new job growth from today’s announcement will be seen.
“This investment not only strengthens the ties between GM and the city, it demonstrates that Flint continues to play an important role in the resurgence of manufacturing in Michigan and the rest of the United States”, Flint Mayor Dayne Walling said.
The body shop will be situated in the vicinity of Flint Metal Center, which makes sheet metal and other auto parts for flagship brands Chevrolet and GMC.
The factory opened in 1947 and is GM’s oldest in North America. An imminent change embraces the truck plants because the tools and machinery used at the moment are not designed to produce these new vehicles.
The company also said in June it plans to invest $119 million at its Grand Rapids-area facility, creating 300 jobs. She deferred from hinting when the next generation of large pickups and SUVs would reach the market, though sources said the company would build the upcoming vehicles using a variety of materials such as aluminum and lightweight steel.
General Motors is busy in setting up some of their truck plants so that they are future proof and ready to manufacture the revamped editions of their trucks in 2018.
The announcement comes amid the automaker’s contract talks with the UAW.
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The Flint Truck Assembly Plant is one of three plants making full-size and heavy duty pickup trucks. “And we are going to work real hard at that”, said Barry Campbell, UAW 598. “This proves once again that when we work together in a collaborative approach, UAW members continue to come up with innovative ways to grow the business, which provides jobs and improves the quality of the products we produce”. Still the $877 million remains the largest investment GM has made in Flint in 30 years.
