View Poll Results: What Should GM do with the Spring Hill "Saturn" factory?
Convert it into a landfill for all of those plastic body panels.
5
13.89%
Turn it into a museum dedicated to corporate failure.
6
16.67%
Hand the keys over to the nearest UAW member and run away.
8
22.22%
Invest huge amounts of money....as always.
17
47.22%
Voters: 36. You may not vote on this poll
Autoweek: GM Ponders What To Do With The Soon To Be ex-Saturn plant at Spring Hill
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Autoweek: GM Ponders What To Do With The Soon To Be ex-Saturn plant at Spring Hill
http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=102713
It should be mentioned that Consumer Reports gives the Spring Hill built Saturn Vue gets the same "poor" predicted reliability rating as the British-built Land Rover Freelander.
Originally Posted by Autoweek
Saturn plant prepares for makeover as GM ponders what vehicles to build there
LINDSAY CHAPPELL | Automotive News
Posted Date: 7/4/05
General Motors will move ahead with a major reconstruction of its Saturn plant in Spring Hill, Tenn., as it ponders what vehicles to build there.
Industry sources said late last month that GM is considering moving the plant's current Saturn products, the Ion and Vue, to other GM factories. And studies are under way to determine what to build at Spring Hill.
But the planning won't stop a scheduled $400 million overhaul of the 15-year-old plant. Preparations for the work are in progress, says Mike Herron, chairman of Saturn UAW Local 1853. Construction could begin in November, he says.
A GM spokeswoman said the automaker was not at liberty to discuss the plans or the Spring Hill labor agreement.
Whatever GM's ultimate product plans are at Spring Hill, Herron says the automaker committed to several major changes in a UAW contract that went into effect there in February:
>> A switch from building polymer-paneled vehicles to steel-paneled ones after 2007. Since Saturns first went on sale in 1990, the brand has promoted the merits of the dent-resistant plastic body panels it produces in-house in Spring Hill. This doesn't necessarily mean the Ion and Vue will drop plastic panels at their new assembly plants.
>> GM's C-Flex body shop - a production system in use at GM's newest plants that will allow Spring Hill to build multiple steel-paneled vehicles on different platforms.
>> An enlarged and more versatile paint system that will let Spring Hill build not only multiple models, but larger ones. The plant was built to accommodate small Saturn cars, which crimped Spring Hill's ability to lobby for larger vehicles as the market drifted away from small cars over the past decade.
>> Redeployment of Saturn's plastics operations from producing body panels to making other polymer vehicle components.
Getting ready
"We obviously don't know yet what GM will ask us to build in the future," Herron says. "But we're upbeat about what's going to happen here. A lot of people and the media have been thinking the worst about our future, when in fact it's really looking pretty promising."
A late-2005 start of construction would allow Spring Hill to begin building a new line of products for the 2008 model year. The renovation would be done as Spring Hill continued building the Saturn Ion and Vue SUV.
It is not unusual for an assembly plant to suspend production while it tools up for a new product. Plants also sometimes sit underused for periods while automakers figure out future product strategy.
What makes the uncertainty at Spring Hill surprising is that the plant is one of GM's crown jewels. GM has invested $3.5 billion there since launching the venture in the late 1980s. It remains one of GM's most modern plants and has a well-trained work force of 5,800 hourly employees.
The operation is not only large - with the capacity to build at least 400,000 vehicles a year - but also diverse. It has competencies in aluminum casting, plastic injection molding, engine building and modular component build-up.
Spring Hill = Saturn
But Spring Hill was built to be synonymous with the Saturn brand. And the Tennessee plant was designed to stand apart from other GM factories, with unique production practices, a separate union contract and unique work rules.
"It's a little bit of an emotional change," Herron admits. "I'm like everybody else at Spring Hill. I came here in 1990 to build a different kind of car. I believe in what Saturn stands for.
"But we're also realists. As the Saturn factory, we were always going to be limited in how much we could do. Imagine if all the speculation is true and we get a chance to build vehicles for the rest of GM. That means instead of building cars for just 300 or 400 Saturn dealers, we'll be taking orders from thousands of retailers."
LINDSAY CHAPPELL | Automotive News
Posted Date: 7/4/05
General Motors will move ahead with a major reconstruction of its Saturn plant in Spring Hill, Tenn., as it ponders what vehicles to build there.
Industry sources said late last month that GM is considering moving the plant's current Saturn products, the Ion and Vue, to other GM factories. And studies are under way to determine what to build at Spring Hill.
But the planning won't stop a scheduled $400 million overhaul of the 15-year-old plant. Preparations for the work are in progress, says Mike Herron, chairman of Saturn UAW Local 1853. Construction could begin in November, he says.
A GM spokeswoman said the automaker was not at liberty to discuss the plans or the Spring Hill labor agreement.
Whatever GM's ultimate product plans are at Spring Hill, Herron says the automaker committed to several major changes in a UAW contract that went into effect there in February:
>> A switch from building polymer-paneled vehicles to steel-paneled ones after 2007. Since Saturns first went on sale in 1990, the brand has promoted the merits of the dent-resistant plastic body panels it produces in-house in Spring Hill. This doesn't necessarily mean the Ion and Vue will drop plastic panels at their new assembly plants.
>> GM's C-Flex body shop - a production system in use at GM's newest plants that will allow Spring Hill to build multiple steel-paneled vehicles on different platforms.
>> An enlarged and more versatile paint system that will let Spring Hill build not only multiple models, but larger ones. The plant was built to accommodate small Saturn cars, which crimped Spring Hill's ability to lobby for larger vehicles as the market drifted away from small cars over the past decade.
>> Redeployment of Saturn's plastics operations from producing body panels to making other polymer vehicle components.
Getting ready
"We obviously don't know yet what GM will ask us to build in the future," Herron says. "But we're upbeat about what's going to happen here. A lot of people and the media have been thinking the worst about our future, when in fact it's really looking pretty promising."
A late-2005 start of construction would allow Spring Hill to begin building a new line of products for the 2008 model year. The renovation would be done as Spring Hill continued building the Saturn Ion and Vue SUV.
It is not unusual for an assembly plant to suspend production while it tools up for a new product. Plants also sometimes sit underused for periods while automakers figure out future product strategy.
What makes the uncertainty at Spring Hill surprising is that the plant is one of GM's crown jewels. GM has invested $3.5 billion there since launching the venture in the late 1980s. It remains one of GM's most modern plants and has a well-trained work force of 5,800 hourly employees.
The operation is not only large - with the capacity to build at least 400,000 vehicles a year - but also diverse. It has competencies in aluminum casting, plastic injection molding, engine building and modular component build-up.
Spring Hill = Saturn
But Spring Hill was built to be synonymous with the Saturn brand. And the Tennessee plant was designed to stand apart from other GM factories, with unique production practices, a separate union contract and unique work rules.
"It's a little bit of an emotional change," Herron admits. "I'm like everybody else at Spring Hill. I came here in 1990 to build a different kind of car. I believe in what Saturn stands for.
"But we're also realists. As the Saturn factory, we were always going to be limited in how much we could do. Imagine if all the speculation is true and we get a chance to build vehicles for the rest of GM. That means instead of building cars for just 300 or 400 Saturn dealers, we'll be taking orders from thousands of retailers."
Last edited by redzed; Jul 4, 2005 at 03:26 PM.
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Re: Autoweek: GM Ponders What To Do With The Soon To Be ex-Saturn plant at Spring Hi
Originally Posted by redzed
http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=102713
It should be mentioned that Consumer Reports gives the Spring Hill built Saturn Ion gets the same "poor" predicted reliability rating as the British-built Land Rover Freelander.
It should be mentioned that Consumer Reports gives the Spring Hill built Saturn Ion gets the same "poor" predicted reliability rating as the British-built Land Rover Freelander.
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 4,600
From: Pewee Valley, KY
Re: Autoweek: GM Ponders What To Do With The Soon To Be ex-Saturn plant at Spring Hi
Guys take a look at this and see how close Spring Hill is to the Vette plant. What would you think would go there? Something RWD maybe using V8s?
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Re: Autoweek: GM Ponders What To Do With The Soon To Be ex-Saturn plant at Spring Hi
Originally Posted by redzed
It should be mentioned that Consumer Reports gives the Spring Hill built Saturn Vue gets the same "poor" predicted reliability rating as the British-built Land Rover Freelander.
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Joined: Dec 1969
Posts: 1,911
From: Southern California (SoCal)
Re: Autoweek: GM Ponders What To Do With The Soon To Be ex-Saturn plant at Spring Hi
Originally Posted by redzed
http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=102713
It should be mentioned that Consumer Reports gives the Spring Hill built Saturn Vue gets the same "poor" predicted reliability rating as the British-built Land Rover Freelander.
It should be mentioned that Consumer Reports gives the Spring Hill built Saturn Vue gets the same "poor" predicted reliability rating as the British-built Land Rover Freelander.
My wife has an awd v6 Vue for 3 year and hasnt had the 1st problem with it and she absolutely loves the car. Here friends that also got v6 Vues after she did have had no problems either so I dont know if the problem is with the cheaper 4 cycl models that had the now discontinued CVT tranny.
redzed=Nissan
Last edited by johnsocal; Jul 4, 2005 at 05:09 PM.
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Re: Autoweek: GM Ponders What To Do With The Soon To Be ex-Saturn plant at Spring Hi
Spring hill is only about 30 minutes from my house on the south side of Nashville. Spring Hill's growth has been explosive, and it was all due to the Saturn plant.
Boy would I love to be gegraphically sandwiched between C6 and Camaro production
Boy would I love to be gegraphically sandwiched between C6 and Camaro production
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Posts: 2,402
From: Toronto, ON Canada
Re: Autoweek: GM Ponders What To Do With The Soon To Be ex-Saturn plant at Spring Hi
Originally Posted by 91_z28_4me
Is there something you would like to share with the rest of the class?
Indeed I would.
Just some FYI.
1. While GM decided to invest between 400 and 500 million into its saturn plant, Nissan invests $400 million to add just one small cross-over vehicle to its sunderland plant. Hidden costs? Crappy engineering? Russian mafia? Take your pick.
The real story
2.
SARS scares Nissan
A newcomer to the scene, Nissan Motor Co. admits SARS virus may seriously set it back as a business. In an attempt to explain such nonsense to the customers, Nissan claims its engineers cannot travel to China for the fear of contracting the disease.
Now, I would normally agree that SARS is no picnic, but does the Japanese automaker really sub-contract its engineering to China? I guess made in China Nissan explains many things [read: the fugly panzer/Murano]. I would watch out for those flying doors on the highway, or death-dealing transmission drop-outs.
3. Poor Quality at Nissan blamed on workers
News alert: encouraged by its comrades in the chinese communist government, nissan blames poor fit and finish (and other quality problems) of its Titan, Armada and Pathfinder on poor worker productivity, citing such factors as jewellery.
Nissan was known to have problems in the 90's. And also in the 80's. Actually, from its inception in the 30's throughout. Anyhow. It was rescued by Renault, a french automaker (whose home country is famour for the freedom fries), who installed a foreigner Carlos Ghosn. Carlos introduced the Nissan Revival Plan (NRP), which managed to get the automaker out of the craphole it used to be in. Of course, outsourcing to China was part of the plan.
Now, another foreigner, wanting to remain anonymous, provided The Plan for the Nissan. It includes 20 steps among countless others. This Plan will help Nissan return to greatness it never experienced, or was close to experiencing with its venture Tu-Ka . Wishing to share some of its successful roadmap, the foreigner enthusiastically shared point number one: STOP ENGINEERING IN CHINA. Kudos, brave foreigner, kudos!
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From: Frankfort, KY U.S.A.
Re: Autoweek: GM Ponders What To Do With The Soon To Be ex-Saturn plant at Spring Hill
Consumer Reports makes good toliet paper, but thats about it.
Isn't redzed beloved Nissan Altima plant in the area too, I think around Murfreesboro?
Spring Hill Saturn plant: retooled to produce RWD chassis for multiple cars, including a 2-door sports coupe and 4-door performance sedan. That would be nice
Isn't redzed beloved Nissan Altima plant in the area too, I think around Murfreesboro?
Spring Hill Saturn plant: retooled to produce RWD chassis for multiple cars, including a 2-door sports coupe and 4-door performance sedan. That would be nice
Last edited by 30thZ286speed; Jul 4, 2005 at 11:38 PM.
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Re: Autoweek: GM Ponders What To Do With The Soon To Be ex-Saturn plant at Spring Hi
Originally Posted by Chris 96 WS6
Spring hill is only about 30 minutes from my house on the south side of Nashville. Spring Hill's growth has been explosive, and it was all due to the Saturn plant.
Boy would I love to be gegraphically sandwiched between C6 and Camaro production
Boy would I love to be gegraphically sandwiched between C6 and Camaro production
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From: Chattanoga & Franklin
Re: Autoweek: GM Ponders What To Do With The Soon To Be ex-Saturn plant at Spring Hill
That would be kick a@@ if they made Camaros 10 miles from my house. I could go pick my Camaro up directly from the factory with ZERO miles on it
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Re: Autoweek: GM Ponders What To Do With The Soon To Be ex-Saturn plant at Spring Hi
Originally Posted by johnsocal
My wife has an awd v6 Vue for 3 year and hasnt had the 1st problem with it and she absolutely loves the car. Here friends that also got v6 Vues after she did have had no problems either so I dont know if the problem is with the cheaper 4 cycl models that had the now discontinued CVT tranny.
redzed=Nissan
redzed=Nissan
Just wait until your wife "attempts" to trade in here Saturn Vue. In the wake of the rear suspension issue, resale values have collapsed. Vue residuals are in the toilet - just ahead of all of those horrible Isuzu and Suzuki SUVs.
Right now, the Saturn brand is in far worse shape than it was 5 or 10 years ago. Gone are the days of superior resale values. Judging by the treatment of the Vue's rear suspension woes, Saturn's supposed reputation for "customer satisfaction" will soon be left behind as well.
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Re: Autoweek: GM Ponders What To Do With The Soon To Be ex-Saturn plant at Spring Hi
Originally Posted by redzed
Just wait until your wife "attempts" to trade in here Saturn Vue. In the wake of the rear suspension issue, resale values have collapsed. Vue residuals are in the toilet - just ahead of all of those horrible Isuzu and Suzuki SUVs.
Right now, the Saturn brand is in far worse shape than it was 5 or 10 years ago. Gone are the days of superior resale values. Judging by the treatment of the Vue's rear suspension woes, Saturn's supposed reputation for "customer satisfaction" will soon be left behind as well.
Right now, the Saturn brand is in far worse shape than it was 5 or 10 years ago. Gone are the days of superior resale values. Judging by the treatment of the Vue's rear suspension woes, Saturn's supposed reputation for "customer satisfaction" will soon be left behind as well.
Actually, those suzuki suv's are not so bad. Except being proportioned for people half my height, they are not bad at all.
