Plant manager: Marion Metal Center ‘well positioned’ for future
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The plant manager at the General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) Marion Metal Center says the automaker’s planned $491 million investment will support the next generation of not just electric vehicles, but the facility’s employees as well. While no new jobs are being added, GM says the investment will support its transition to an “all-electric future.” Doug Hanly says the investment is a testament to the hard work and dedication of more than 750 employees at the Grant County facility.
In an interview with Inside INdiana Business, Hanly says the expansion will have an important function.
“The key here is we’re putting in two new high-speed presses, and while that is a very small portion of what we’re really doing, it’s really about the capability with these new presses and what it’s going to do for us,” Hanly said. “We’re going to be both aluminum and steel capable. Today, we only do steel.”
The investment announced Thursday will add 6,000 square feet to the Marion plant’s 2.4 million-square-foot footprint and also provide upgrades to existing equipment in addition to the two new presses.
Hanly says the upgrades will also allow the existing equipment to handle aluminum as well as steel.
“We’re going to be able move between EV product and [internal combustion engine] product, both steel and aluminum,” he said. “So, I feel very good that we’re well positioned for the future.”
The presses currently take steel and trims them to get a formed part, which could include fenders, roofs, body sides, or smaller parts. They are then sent to GM’s assembly plants across North America.
The Marion Metal Center has been operational for 66 years. Hanly says he’s excited for what the investment means for the plant’s employees.
“This is really a testament to their commitment, to quality and safety and everything we do every day,” he said. “This is for the next generation. This is for the people that work here to see themselves through their careers.”
Construction on the addition and installation of equipment are expected to begin this year. The expanded operations are slated to start in late 2024.