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GM to Invest $600M in KS Paint Shop
General Motors has announced plans to spend $600 million on a brand-new paint shop, including new technology and environmental enhancements.
The automaker will invest $600 million in the Fairfax Assembly and Stamping Plant in Kansas City, KS, GM said Monday (Jan. 28)
The investment includes constructing a new 450,000-square-foot paint shop, installing a new stamping press, and other upgrades. GM has invested nearly $2 billion in the Fairfax plant over the last decade. This investment represents a large chunk of the $1.5 billion GM previously announced that it would put into its North American facilities in 2013.
Construction is expected to start later this year, and it is estimated that it will take two years to complete.
Paint Shop Upgrades
The new paint shop will occupy a new building and feature "substantial upgrades" in technology, including new tooling, robots, and state-of-the-art environmental and efficiency enhancements, according to GM. Plans for the facility include:
The Fairfax plant currently builds the Buick LaCrosse and Chevrolet Malibu. Vehicle production schedules won't be affected by construction, according to GM. The plant will continue to operate in three shifts with close to 4,000 employees.
The Fairfax Plant
"This major investment is a vote of confidence in the employees and leadership of this plant and will allow them to continue producing beautiful, world-class vehicles ... with the same quality workmanship that has defined the Fairfax complex for nearly 70 years," said Dan Akerson, GM Chairman and CEO.
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The Fairfax plant builds the Buick LaCrosse and Chevrolet Malibu. The brand new paint shop will have "substantial upgrades" in technology, according to GM. |
The Fairfax plant dates to 1945, and its current building opened in 1987. During World War II, it was the first industrial facility to make automobiles and jet fighters in the same building, said GM.
More than 12 million GM vehicles have been built at the plant.
"The United Auto Workers have proudly built vehicles in Fairfax for decades and look forward to being part of the upgrades that will be taking place in the plant," said Joe Ashton, UAW Vice President and director of the union's GM department.
More information: www.gm.com
