General Motors has started constructing a new US$200m stamping facility that will create approximately 180 more jobs at its Arlington, Texas, manufacturing complex producing large components for next generation full-size Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade SUVs.
The automaker broke ground at the beginning of last October for a US$331m expansion of the plant to make the SUVs.
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Construction includes a new 129,250sq ft body shop addition on the west side of the site that will have 51 bays and six new truck docks.
The project, adding 110 jobs, was part of $2bn in US investment by GM for 17 facilities in eight states announced on 10 May, 2011.
The Arlington complex was last expanded in 2001, to 3.75m sq ft. The plant opened in 1954 and built its 9m vehicle in 2011. It employs 2,523 people.
Currently, Arlington receives stamped components from several GM plants, with some parts coming from more than 1,000 miles away. The new stamping facility, which comes on line in 2013, will save about $40m a year in logistics cost. The new facility is in addition to the earlier $331m investment.
The stamping announcement is the first manufacturing investment by GM in 2012. Since June 2009, the company has detailed over $6.9bn of investment to upgrade or expand operations in 12 states, creating or retaining more than 17,600 jobs.
