General Motors’ Fairfax assembly plant — one of two U.S. facilities that makes the popular Chevrolet Malibu – may be on strike, but the Detroit-based automaker is taking steps to ensure it can keep up on production. GM announced on Monday that it will move the Malibu’s fender production to the company’s Lancing, Michigan stamping plant. The fenders have been produced at the Fairfax plant.
The Lancing plant should be producing Malibu fenders by the end of the week. The Lansing plant is in close proximity to the Malibu’s second production facility — in Orion Township, Michigan — and the Lancing plant already has a local UAW contract in place so there is no threat of a strike.
According to Automotive News, the Orion plant makes 388 Malibus per day compared to Fairfax’s 574 daily Malibu production. However, it remains unclear if Orion will boost Malibu production as it also makes the popular Pontiac G6. Through the first four months of the year, GM has sold 59,133 Malibus and 57,143 G6s — both increases of over 22 percent when compared to the same period last year.
But despite how the situation looks, GM says the move was not due to the strike. Instead, the automaker said the move had been planned for weeks and Malibu stamping equipment was actually sent to Lancing six weeks ago.
While it’s difficult to say whether GM was fully aware the UAW would strike at its Fairfax plant, we think its a safe assumption to think GM’s move was at least influenced by the possibility.
