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June 6, 2007

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GM Tops in Three of Four Award Categories in Annual Productivity Study

General Motors Corp. took three of the top four plant award categories in “The Harbour Report North America 2007.” The Harbour Report measures North American automotive manufacturers’ assembly, powertrain and stamping plant productivity. This is the first time ever that an automotive manufacturer has placed first in three or more Harbour award categories.

GM’s Oshawa #2 car plant in Ontario, Canada, was the most productive assembly plant in North America at 15.68 hours per vehicle. In the engine category, GM’s Spring Hill, Tenn., engine plant led at 2.27 hours per unit. And GM’s Toledo, Ohio, transmission plant was the most productive transmission plant in North America at 2.54 hours per unit. GM improved its overall manufacturing productivity by 2.5 percent over last year and closed its productivity gap with Toyota by nearly 85 percent since 1998.

GM also led in 12 of the study’s 23 vehicle segments, six of them in cars, one in crossovers, one in vans and four in trucks. Since 1998, GM has closed the vehicle assembly productivity gap with Toyota by approximately 99 percent. Gary Cowger, GM group vice president of Global Manufacturing and Labor Relations, hailed the improvement as an example of the results that can be achieved when unions and management work together.

"GM's leadership in three of the four manufacturing categories demonstrates we are transforming the company for sustainable, long-term success," Cowger said. "This success is a result of our people being involved in the business like never before.”

As part of its overall improvement, GM’s vehicle assembly plants improved productivity by 1.2 percent. GM’s engine plants improved productivity by 4.3 percent and its transmission plants improved productivity by 4.9 percent. GM’s metal stamping operations improved labor productivity by 6.6 percent.

“Improving productivity in the face of lower production is a huge accomplishment, but none of the domestic manufacturers can afford to let up,” said Ron Harbour, president of Harbour Consulting. “General Motors essentially caught Toyota in vehicle assembly productivity.”

 

Some of GM’s productivity highlights in the Harbour study include:

At 32.36 total labor hours per vehicle (including assembly, stamping, engine and transmission manufacturing), GM improved its overall manufacturing productivity by 2.5 percent. GM has four of the top 10 most productive vehicle assembly plants in North America .

  • Oshawa #2, Ontario, was ranked #1 at 15.68 hours per vehicle.

  • Oshawa #1, Ontario, was ranked #2 at 16.34 hours per vehicle.

  • Fairfax, Kan., was ranked #5 at 17.89 hours per vehicle. Lordstown, Ohio, was ranked #9 at 19.17 hours per vehicle.

GM vehicle assembly plants led in 12 of 23 North American assembly plant segments:

  • Spring Hill, Tenn. #1 (ION) – most productive compact non-premium conventional car plant

  • Lansing Grand River, Mich. (STS)– most productive midsize premium conventional car plant

  • Oshawa #1, Ontario ( Monte Carlo ) - most productive midsize non-premium sports car plant

  • Bowling Green, Kentucky (Corvette, XLR) – most productive midsize premium sports car plant

  • Lansing Grand River, Mich. (SRX) – most productive midsize premium crossover plant

  • Moraine, Ohio (Saab 9-7x) – most productive midsize premium utility plant

  • Oshawa #1, Ontario (Impala) – most productive large non-premium conventional car plant

  • Detroit Hamtramck, Mich. (DTS) – most productive large premium conventional car plant

  • Ft. Wayne, Ind. (Sierra, Silverado) – most productive large non-premium pickup plant

  • Arlington, Texas (Suburban, Tahoe, Yukon, Yukon XL) – most productive large non-premium utility plant

  • Arlington, Texas (Escalade, Escalade ESV) – most productive large premium utility plant

  • Wentzville, Mo. (Express, Savana) – most productive large non-premium van plant

GM has four of the top 10 engine plants in North America .

  • Spring Hill, Tenn., was ranked #1 at 2.27 hours per unit.

  • Flint South, Mich., was ranked #5 at 3.00 hours per unit.

  • Flint North, Mich., was ranked #7 at 3.16 hours per unit. Tonawanda, New York, was ranked #8 at 3.17 hours per unit.

GM has two of the top five transmission plants in North America .

  • Toledo, Ohio, was ranked #1 at 2.54 hours per unit.

  • Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, was ranked #3 at 3.36 hours per unit.

“We’re pleased that UAW members continue to make such a positive impact on GM’s productivity as seen in the awards in this survey,” said UAW vice president Cal Rapson. “UAW members and UAW leadership are well aware of the importance of focusing on improving GM’s U.S. manufacturing productivity.”

Buzz Hargrove, president, CAW said today, "The results of the Harbour study just released are a reflection of the hard work and dedication of the men and women of the Canadian Auto Workers Union at GM plants. I congratulate these people for their ongoing commitment to making positive improvements in the workplace that benefit GM customers."

GM also continues to improve productivity in other areas of its business. Carlisle & Company, which benchmarks warehousing facilities on a number of metrics, recently recognized five of GM’s Service and Parts Operations (SPO) facilities as among the 10 most improved in productivity and quality.

(June 2, 2007)

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