General Motors announced today that it will begin idling or closing 14 additional facilities, including four assembly plants, four stamping plants and six powertrain plants scattered across the Midwest and East Coast – bringing the automaker to just 33 U.S. plants by 2012. The closure list also includes three warehouses and parts distribution centers.
The plant closures hardly come as a surprise from the automaker which filed for bankruptcy earlier today, though GM has said that it will reallocate one of its idled plants to begin producing a new small car - most likely the Chevrolet Beat – in the near future.
In addition to closing three warehouses and parts distribution centers – located in Boston, Columbus, Ohio, and Jacksonville, Florida – by December 31, GM will shut down or idle 11 facilities.
Assembly Plants
Wilmington Assembly: GM will close its Wilmington, Delaware, plant (pictured) in July. Wilmington Assembly currently builds the Pontiac Solstice, Saturn Sky, Opel GT and Daewoo G2X. It is assumed that production of these models will cease at that time.
Pontiac Assembly Center: GM will close its Pontiac, Michigan, plant by October. The Pontiac Assembly Center currently builds the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra. Production of these pickups will continue at the automaker’s Fort Wayne, Indiana, Oshawa, Ontario, Flint, Michigan, and Silao, Mexico, assembly plants.
Orion Assembly: GM will idle its Orion, Township, plant by September. Orion Assembly currently builds the Pontiac G6 and Chevrolet Malibu . G6 production could cease indefinitely by September since the brand is set to be phased out before the 2010 model year. The Malibu will continue to be produced in Fairfax, Kansas.
Spring Hill Manufacturing: GM will idle its Spring Hill, Tennessee, plant by November. Spring Hill is currently the only plant that builds the Chevrolet Traverse , but production of that model could move to the automaker’s Delta Township, Michigan, plant, which currently builds its platform twins, the Saturn Outlook, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave . Production of the Outlook is expected to wind down since GM will either sell or phase out Saturn. The plant, which was opened to great fanfare in 1990 as the exclusive Saturn plant, was idled in March 2007 but recently began building the Traverse.
Stamping plants
GM will close three of its stamping plants and idle another. Grand Rapids, Michigan, will be closed this month, while Mansfield, Ohio, will close by June 2010 and Indianapolis will close by December 2011. GM will idle its Pontiac, Michigan, stamping plant by December 2010.
All four plants had been in operation for more than 50 years and Grand Rapids, Indianapolis and Pontiac trace their roots back to well before World War II.
Powertrain plants
Livonia Engine GM will close its Livonia, Michigan, engine plant by June 2010. The plant builds Northstar-based V8 engines for Cadillac and Buick .
Flint North Components GM closed its Flint, Michigan, engine plant last year – it built the automaker’s 3800-series V6 engines – but it won’t close the plant’s auxiliary maintenance and component-producing units until December 2010.
Willow Run GM will close its historic Willow Run, Michigan, operations by December 2010. The automaker builds four and six-speed automatic transmissions at the plant.
Parma Components GM will cease component production at its Parma, Ohio, plants by December 2010.
Fredricksburg Components The automaker will close its Fredricksburg, Virginia, electronics and components plant by December 2010.
Massena Castings GM included its Massena, New York, engine casting plant in its list of closures. The plant closed earlier this month.
