General Motors has announced a US$600m spend at its Fairfax, Kansas, assembly and stamping plant to build a new 450,000 sq ft paint shop, install a new stamping press and other upgrades.
About $2bn has already been spent in Fairfax in the last decade. Earlier this month, GM announced it would spend $1.5bn on North American facilities in 2013 and the Fairfax development comprises a large part of that commitment.
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Construction at the 3.2m sq ft plant begins later this year and is expected to take about two years to complete, increasing the footprint of the plant by about 15% to 3.7m sq ft. Vehicle production schedules will be unaffected by the construction, keeping the plant’s three shifts of nearly 4,000 hourly and salaried employees on the job.
The new paint shop includes substantial upgrades in technology and will occupy a new building at Fairfax, with new tooling, robots and environment and efficiency enhancements.
Some of the upgrades include:
- Up to 20% smaller footprint, up to 50% less energy use per vehicle and reduced Volatile Organic Compound emissions
- GM-patented radiant tub ovens, designed to use 20% less natural gas and 40% less electricity
- Thin film technology, which reduces water use and maintenance and eliminates hazardous chemicals from the waste stream
- Hyper throw e-coat which places more coating in cavities and recesses for optimal corrosion protection.
- In the stamping facility, the upgraded AA3X press will replace the current middle press used to create some of the structural reinforcements for vehicle body frames. The upgraded press is expected to enhance quality and reduce waste through greater accuracy.
Car assembly at the Fairfax site dates back to 1945 after it was used during World War II to make military automobiles and jet fighters in the same building. The current plant opened in 1987. Since production started in 1945, over 12m vehicles have been built.
The plant currently builds the Buick LaCrosse and Chevrolet Malibu.
