GM Lordstown Assembly Launches Campaign To Bolster Regional Importance
4
Sponsored Links
It’s been all quiet on the western front at the GM Lordstown, Ohio, assembly plant for some time. Slowly, but surely, the plant has scaled back its operations. The bustling plant that once ran three shifts to meet Chevrolet Cruze demand is down to a single shift.
The Vindicator reported Sunday that the community and the facility have now launched a “Drive It Home” campaign to underscore its importance. The new campaign mirrors the “Bring It Home” campaign launched at the end of the 1980s when the plant’s future was uncertain. Today, many employees feel like it’s the beginning of the end at Lordstown.
The most troublesome fact for locals? GM management won’t participate in the campaign. Drive It Home, which will see a community come together to support the manufacturing complex, is somewhat of a last-ditch effort to appeal to GM. CEO Mary Barra has met with both of Ohio’s senators, Republican Rob Portman and Democrat Sherrod Brown, and would not commit to the plant’s future with either of them.
The local UAW has also penned a letter of distress to President Trump and asked for his help as many believe GM is prepared to pack up and shutter the GM Lordstown plant. Thus far, the president has not responded to the UAW’s distress letter.
Barra has also said it would cost more than $100 million to upgrade the plant’s paint shop and retool the assembly plant for SUV or crossover production. The lack of commitment has left locals worried about the local economy’s future.
Dave Green, president of United Auto Workers Local 1112, said there’s a clear reason why the plant’s management won’t participate in the Drive It Home campaign—he believes their “marching orders” have come directly from Detroit. Managers were invited, but declined to participate.
Still, a handful of notable figures will appear on Monday as the campaign kicks off. Senator Brown, U.S. Reps. Tim Ryan, and Bill Johnson; Lordstown Mayor Arno Hill; Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber president and CEO James Dignan; and UAW’s Green will all try to grab GM’s attention.
- Sweepstakes Of The Month: Win a Corvette Z06 and 2024 Silverado. Details here.
Sponsored Links
Well the failure of small cars has caught GM and many other mfg of guard,
The harsh reality is Lordstown is a real Delema for GM.
GM makes plans well in advanced with plants and production to fit all the puzzle parts together. The failure of the Cruze has left them out of sync as GM had planned for the car to be built there for a good time longer.
Now that sales are tanking it is a real possibility you may not have a Cruze for much longer or if you do they move it to a smaller plant with the Hatch.
Lordstown is so big not every model fits there. Also even if they started today with a planned model it would take at least 3 years or more to make changes in a contracting market.
GM has no ill will to the UAW there as they have been one of the best to work with. But right now the cars failure has hit them all.
I would expect it could be a real possibility that the plant could be idled like Springhill was and then brought back at a later time with a future model.
The politicians could do a lot more to help GM keep the plant profitable so it would make it viable to bring back.
Shfraud Brown is nothing but a grand stander and Portman is from the other end of the state.
Unfortunately in business it is not always roses.
GM management opening the Mexico plant for the hatchback is foolish. Should have made both at Lordstown. The Cruze is a good car in a tough market.
GM is too cheap to spend $100 million on Lordstown for allowing it to produce CUVs? I bet GM spent three times that much last year on executive perks and bonuses. In Oshawa, GM spent $500 million to build out an outgoing pickup model spending six months to retool the place for a one-year model run. Where is the financial “discipline” in that. I hope that Lordstown and Oshawa get new product and long-term job security.
GM has like 7 plants in CAN, US, and MEX to build CUV/SUV, retooling doesn’t make sense unfortunately for GM and Lordstown. GM need to update the Cruze, I have one and the chassis and seat is too hard, it is uncomfortable after 3 hour drive