General Motors says that it will add a third production shift to three of its United States plants because it plans to close three facilities. The automaker is restoring jobs for about 2,400 employees in Fairfax, Kansas, Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Lansing, Michigan.
The Kansas plant, which assembles the Buick LaCrosse , Chevrolet Malibu and Saturn Aura, will up Malibu production when the automaker’s Orion, Michigan, assembly plant closes in November. Orion Assembly will wrap up production of the Malibu, as well as the now-discontinued Pontiac G6. Fairfax is scheduled to add more workers in January 2010.
GM’s Fort Wayne plant will add production of the automaker’s heavy duty pickups when the automaker’s Pontiac, Michigan, plant closes later this month. The Fort Wayne plant currently builds light duty Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks.
Finally, the Lansing Delta Township Assembly (pictured) will begin assembling the Chevrolet Traverse a few months after GM’s Spring Hill, Tennessee, assembly plant goes idle in November. The Lansing plant currently assembles GM’s other Lambda-platform SUVs, including the GMC Acadia , Saturn Outlook and Buick Enclave .
Both the Indiana and Michigan plants will add the third assembly shift in April 2010.
