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Micki Maynard · Mothballed GM Engine Plant Near Buffalo To See New Life
February 9th, 2012
When you drive across the Great Lakes to Buffalo, you probably go through the town of Tonawanda — one of the most industrial places in our region. Now, a General Motors engine plant there that’s been closed since 2004 is getting some new life. 
GM said Wednesday that it will revive Plant 4 at its Tonawanda engine complex for use as a training center and for production logistics. The move comes as GM is investing $900 million in its other three engine plants there.
The company is hoping the move eventually will lead to several hundred new jobs, according to the Buffalo News. The announcement came at the start of the Buffalo Auto Show.
Plant 4 first came to life during World War II, when it was used to assemble aircraft engines for Pratt and Whitney. Later, the 1.1 million square foot facility assembled big 3.1 liter and 3.4 liter engines, before it was shut down. Since then, it’s been used as a warehouse and for some shop work.
Under GM’s plan, the plant will be put back into use to train workers in the rest of the Tonawanda complex, and also as what’s called a “Logistical Optimization Center” or LOC.
Starting in April, workers will put together kits of the parts needed on the engine assembly line. Pre-assembling the kits means that employees on the engine lines won’t have to pick out the parts themselves. That should speed up production, and clear out space near the assembly line where individual bins of parts are kept now.
Toyota uses a process like this at its Tsutsumi plant, near its Toyota City complex in Japan, and it’s also implementing the LOC idea at its new plant in Blue Springs, Miss.
Robert Coleman, shop chairman for Local 774 of the United Auto Workers told the newspaper that between 100 and 200 people will be hired to staff the LOC over the next two years as it ramps up to three shifts.
The work will be handled by Tier II employees, who are paid a lower rate than veteran union members. (Read Changing Gears’ coverage of two-tier employees.)
At some GM plants, the LOCs are run by vendors who sometimes do the work off site. But Coleman said the UAW negotiated to do the work at the plant, by its members.
