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Orion Assembly

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Coordinates: 42°43′02″N 83°15′43″W / 42.71719°N 83.26196°W / 42.71719; -83.26196
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Orion Assembly
Map
Operated1983–present
LocationOrion Township, Michigan
Coordinates42°43′02″N 83°15′43″W / 42.7172°N 83.262°W / 42.7172; -83.262
IndustryAutomotive
ProductsAutomobiles
Employees1,228 (2022) [1]
Area433 acres (1.75 km2)
Volume4,300,000 sq ft (400,000 m2) [1]
Address4555 Giddings Road
Owner(s)General Motors
Websitegm.com/company/facilities/orion

Orion Assembly is a 4,300,000 sq ft (400,000 m2) General Motors vehicle assembly plant located in Orion Township, Michigan. From late 2025, the plant is slated to assemble battery electric pickup trucks such as the Chevrolet Silverado EV and the GMC Sierra EV. As of September 2019, the plant has approximately 1,032 salaried and hourly employees.[2] It assumed operations of Buick City, and Pontiac Assembly.

History

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Orion Assembly commenced production on December 1, 1983 with the 1985 model C-body cars.[3] Orion Assembly produced the Chevrolet Malibu and Pontiac G6 until 2009, when the plant was idled due to the General Motors Chapter 11 reorganization of 2009. The plant in suburban Detroit was saved from closure through a $1 billion grants and tax incentives from the state of Michigan, local municipalities and the federal government.[4] Under an agreement with the UAW, the plant began assembling the successor to the South Korean-built Chevrolet Aveo, the Chevrolet Sonic, in 2011 — making it the only subcompact car currently assembled in America.[5] Later in 2011, the plant began manufacturing the Buick Verano.[6][7]

In the past, GM assembled subcompact vehicles in Mexico or in South Korea due to lower cost labor rates in those countries. Under the new agreement with the UAW, GM used domestic laborers earning less than under previous contracts and slimmed down labor rules to make assembling subcompact vehicles in the US economically competitive. For younger workers, wages were cut in half from the standard $28/hour. For the first time, parts supplier employees worked alongside of GM workers on the assembly line. They made as little as $10/hour.[4] This arrangement replaced GM's previous plan to import a new subcompact vehicle from China. Orion's bid was selected over those from plants in Wisconsin (Janesville Assembly), and Tennessee (Spring Hill Assembly).

On March 22, 2019, GM announced an additional investment of $300 million and an addition of 400 workers to build a new electric vehicle at Orion.[8] This was later revealed to be a slightly larger version of the Bolt to be known as the Bolt EUV.[9]

In 2023, GM announced that it will discontinue the production of Chevrolet Bolt at the end of 2023, with that the Orion plant will be reopened as the Orion EV Assembly in 2024, to produce electric pickup trucks such as the Chevrolet Silverado EV and the GMC Sierra EV.[10][11][12] With $4 billion in additional investment at the facility, GM CEO Mary Barra announced that "employment will nearly triple (from 2023) and we'll have a companywide capacity to build 600,000 electric trucks annually."[11][12]

GM has pushed back the production schedule for its electric trucks at the Orion Township plant in Michigan. Originally set to start in late 2024, the production of models like the Chevy Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV is now slated for the end of 2025. The company says the delay is due to a need to align its investment strategy with the slower-than-expected uptake in EV demand.[13] Hourly workers at GM's Orion plant are not being left in the lurch with the EV production pushback. They get job offers at other Michigan facilities, like Factory Zero, which is gearing up to boost its production next year.[14]

Controversy

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After GM announced the plan to construct a new factory, opposition to the plant in Orion Township came from three separate groups: those who disliked the fact that GM had selected the site without first notifying township officials (a land option was previously given to Grand Trunk Railway by township officials without first informing the public, which then was negotiated for GM by Argonaut Realty); pilots who opposed its location on land which was at the time partially occupied by the Oakland-Pontiac Airport; and from the community group Area Citizens for a Rural Environment (ACRE) who opposed the factory over environmental concerns. GM instated a community relations campaign in Orion Township to garner support. While groundbreaking was intended to happen in June, the construction of the factory was briefly delayed by an ACRE referendum opposing the construction of the factory, which gathered enough signatures to be placed on the ballot. At the August 6, 1980 election in Orion Township, the construction of the plant was approved by 90% of voters, and groundbreaking took place shortly after. [15]

Dedication ceremony

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On July 5, 1984, President Ronald Reagan gave a ceremonial dedication speech at the plant. Also in attendance were Michigan Governor James Blanchard, Michigan Senators Carl Levin and Don Riegle, Representative (from the local district) William Broomfield and notable General Motors executives, including chairman and CEO Roger Smith.

During his speech, Reagan commended both GM and the United Auto Workers for their progress in the automotive industry.[16]

Vehicles produced

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Future

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From late 2025:[17]

Past

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c Orion Assembly, GM.com
  2. ^ "Orion Assembly". media.gm.com. September 14, 2019.
  3. ^ Ward's Communications.
  4. ^ a b Goldstein, Amy (April 18, 2017). Janesville; An American Story (Kindle ed.). 1027: Simon and Schuster Digital Sales Inc. ASIN B01MT2X3AD.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  5. ^ Vlasic, Bill (12 July 2011). "With Sonic, G.M. Stands Automaking on Its Head". The New York Times.
  6. ^ General Motors Company 2010.
  7. ^ General Motors Company 2011a.
  8. ^ Ferris, Robbert; LeBeau, Phil (March 22, 2019). "GM invests $300 million in Orion Assembly Plant, adds 400 jobs". CNBC. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  9. ^ "GM kills Chevy Sonic, making room for Bolt EUV at company's second all-EV plant". 7 July 2020.
  10. ^ Klender, Joey (2023-04-25). "GM bids farewell to the Chevy Bolt, bringing closure to its best-selling EV". TESLARATI. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  11. ^ a b Mauger, Kalea Hall and Craig. "GM to invest $6.5 billion at 2 Michigan sites for EV, battery production". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2023-04-28.
  12. ^ a b "GM to stop making electric Chevrolet Bolts at the end of this year". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2023-04-28.
  13. ^ Yekikian, Nick (17 October 2023). "Report: GMC Sierra EV and Chevy Silverado EV Production at Michigan Plant Delayed". Edmunds.
  14. ^ LaReau, Jamie (17 October 2023). "GM delays production of 2 EV pickups, plans Orion Assembly plant restart for 2025". Detroit Free Press.
  15. ^ Scherer, Jaqueline (1981). "Part II. The Work of Nets.". A Sociological View of an All American City. School-Community Relations in Pontiac, Michigan During the "Age of Complexity.". Sponsored by The National Institute of Education, US Department of Education. Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan. pp. 114–125. OCLC 11082458.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  16. ^ Reagan 1984.
  17. ^ Shepardson, David; Klayman, Ben; Klayman, Ben (17 October 2023). "GM delays EV truck production at Michigan plant by year". Reuters. Retrieved 5 December 2023.

References

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  • Ward's Automotive Yearbook 1984. Southfield, Michigan, United States: Ward's Communications. May 1984. ASIN B002LADYJG.
  • "Orion Assembly". media.gm.com. General Motors Company. 2011-05-10. Archived from the original on 2011-06-25. Retrieved 2011-06-02. Employee Information Hourly: 1300 Salaried: 159 Total: 1459
  • "Orion Assembly Site". media.gm.com. General Motors Company. 2011-04-07. Archived from the original on 2011-05-23. Retrieved 2011-06-02. Products: Retooling for launch of new products: Chevrolet Sonic and Buick Verano
  • "GM Invests $145 Million for Small Cars at Orion Assembly" (Press release). General Motors Company. 2010-10-07. Archived from the original on 2011-05-06. Retrieved 2011-06-02. General Motors will invest $145 million at the Orion Assembly Center, GM North American President Mark Reuss said today. Orion will be the home to Chevrolet's new small car and Buick's future compact sedan – the all-new Verano.
  • Reagan, Ronald (1984-07-05). "Remarks at the General Motors Assembly Plant in Orion Township, Michigan". Archives. Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Archived from the original on 2012-10-24. Retrieved 2011-06-02. This plant is a result of the bold leadership of your industry and an admirable commitment to the future of America. And I think your plant symbolizes a new spirit of cooperation between management and labor.
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42°43′02″N 83°15′43″W / 42.71719°N 83.26196°W / 42.71719; -83.26196

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