Moraine Assembly was a General Motors automobile factory in Moraine, Ohio, United States, a suburb of Dayton. Originally opened as a Frigidaire appliance plant from 1951 to 1979, the plant produced trucks for GM. Starting in 1981, it produced the Chevrolet S-10 small pickup along with Shreveport Assembly, then from 2001-2008 it produced the GMT360 SUVs. The 3rd shift of production was eliminated from Moraine effective in July 2006 following an announcement in November 2005.
Video Moraine Assembly
Plant closure
On 3 June 2008, GM Chairman Rick Wagoner announced that the Moraine plant would close in December, citing high fuel prices and decreased demand for the SUV and trucks produced by the plant. There were no plans to reconfigure the plant to produce other products. The last vehicle that rolled off the line was a white GMC Envoy.
Workers at the plant in Moraine were given a letter on 3 October 2008, informing them that the plant would close in December. It stated that the final day of production would be 23 December. At that time, the plant employed 2400 people.
Originally, General Motors had planned several shutdown weeks in December. However, Lee said there would be no temporary shutdowns and the plant would operate until December 23. IUE-CWA President Jim Clark said, "IUE-CWA is deeply disappointed in General Motor's refusal to keep the Moraine Assembly plant open. The announcement that the plant will be closed much earlier than initially stated will further hurt our members, their families and a Dayton community already rocked by plant closings and layoffs."
The plant closing was the subject of the HBO short documentary, The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant. It was filmed by local directors Steve Bognar and Julia Reichert with the help of several Moraine Assembly workers. In 2010 it was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Documentary (Short Subject) category. It lost to the documentary Music by Prudence.
Maps Moraine Assembly
Past products
1983-2004 Chevrolet S-10 Blazer
1983-2004 GMC S-15 Jimmy
1991-2004 Oldsmobile Bravada
1998-2009 GMC Envoy
2002-2009 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
2005-2007 Buick Rainier
2003-2008 Isuzu Ascender
2005-2009 Saab 9-7X
Redevelopment
As of April 2011, GM Moraine Assembly was awaiting federal approval of a sale from Motors Liquidation Company to Downey, California-based Industrial Realty Group (IRG), which plans to redevelop the site for multiple commercial and industrial tenants.
In 2014, GM Moraine Assembly was purchased from IRG by China-based Fuyao Glass Industry Group Co. Ltd. Fuyao manufactures automotive glass for GM and other automakers. Operations at the Fuyao plant began in late 2015. Fuyao Glass America's first customer was Hyundai Motor Company; additional clients added since startup include GM, Volkswagen, Fiat Chrysler, BMW, Honda, and US replacement-glass chain Safelite. The Fuyao plant now employs over 2,000 workers. Carillon Historical Park in Dayton displays the final SUV made at Moraine Assembly next to the first windshield made by Fuyao Glass America.
By the end of 2016 the plant brought an estimated $280 million to the Ohio economy. Fuyao has invested $1 billion in its U.S. subsidiary, with long-term plans to grow to 5,000 employees in the United States.
See also
- List of GM factories
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia