As the former General Motors Janesville, Wisconsin, manufacturing plant is demolished, the site’s owners have listed the factory’s tooling and equipment for auction.
The Journal Sentinel reported on Monday that industrial robots, electrical controls and other machinery are up for auction, which began on Monday as well. Bidding will close April 23 for robots and April 24 for electrical controls, drives and transformers. The following day, bids will close on pumps and motors, and on April 26 for overhead cranes, shop equipment and plant-support gear.
The Janesville plant went idle in 2008, though GM kept the facility on standby until 2015. That year, GM announced it would close the facility for good. The Wisconsin manufacturing plant last built full-size SUVs and trucks, though it was home to a number of different vehicles over decades of operation.
Commerical Development Company, the plant’s new owner, initially planned to preserve the plant and find a new tenant, but the company deemed demolition necessary.
At its peak in the 1970s, Janesville employed 7,000 workers. When the plant officially closed, 5,000 workers lost their jobs.
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