Area Development
General Motors Company (GM) will add a third shift at three of its production plants, restoring 2,400 jobs. The company says in a statement that the shifts will be added at facilities in Indiana, Kansas, and Michigan and production will be phased in from January through April of next year. In January, the Fairfax, Kansas, plant will produce the Chevrolet Malibu, taking over production from another factory that is being retooled for smaller vehicles. In April, the Fort Wayne, Indiana, plant will make the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra heavy-duty pickup trucks, taking over production from a facility slated to close this month. Also in April, the Lansing Delta Township, Michigan, plant will add the Chevrolet Traverse production to its production line, taking over production from a factory scheduled to close in November. "Today's actions enable GM to add production shifts and maximize the utilization of several of our plants," says Tim Lee, GM's group vice president for manufacturing and labor relations. "In turn, we are better positioned to deliver the vehicles our customers desire and put thousands of employees back to work that would have otherwise been laid off."