Summer 2009
Assembly Plant Total in the South Dropping to 16 - Chrysler Closing St. Louis North Plant, GM Closing Tennessee Factory
As part of its plan for a quick restructuring under Chapter 11 protection, Chrysler announced it is closing one of its plants in the Southern Automotive Corridor. The Michigan-based automaker will close the St. Louis North assembly plant in Missouri in 2010. The plant builds Dodge Ram models and houses about 1,200 workers. Also, in early June, GM filed for bankruptcy and announced it will close its Spring Hill, Tenn. (the old Saturn plant) facility in the fall quarter. That plant (2,500 employees) began making the Chevrolet Traverse last year after undergoing a $950 million retooling. Production of the Traverse is moving to Lansing, Mich. GM officials said the Tennessee plant will remain on "standby" and could reopen later. The closures, the first in the South since two domestic plants closed in Georgia in 2006 and 2008 (GM and Ford), means that there will soon be just 16 major auto assembly plants operating in the South. In addition, there are two that are being built (Kia in Georgia and Volkswagen in Tennessee) and one completed plant (Toyota in Mississippi) that is either waiting on economic conditions to improve before it opens or it is being shelved and sold to another user or to the State of Mississippi.
BMW Offers Buyouts to S.C. Employees
In the midst of a $750 million expansion, German automaker BMW announced in mid-summer voluntary separation packages to workers at its facilities in Greer, S.C. The buyouts are part of the company's plan to cut its worldwide workforce by about 8,000 employees. More than 5,000 employees work at the Greer assembly plant.
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Summer 2009
Assembly Plant Total in the South Dropping to 16 - Chrysler Closing St. Louis North Plant, GM Closing Tennessee Factory
As part of its plan for a quick restructuring under Chapter 11 protection, Chrysler announced it is closing one of its plants in the Southern Automotive Corridor. The Michigan-based automaker will close the St. Louis North assembly plant in Missouri in 2010. The plant builds Dodge Ram models and houses about 1,200 workers. Also, in early June, GM filed for bankruptcy and announced it will close its Spring Hill, Tenn. (the old Saturn plant) facility in the fall quarter. That plant (2,500 employees) began making the Chevrolet Traverse last year after undergoing a $950 million retooling. Production of the Traverse is moving to Lansing, Mich. GM officials said the Tennessee plant will remain on "standby" and could reopen later. The closures, the first in the South since two domestic plants closed in Georgia in 2006 and 2008 (GM and Ford), means that there will soon be just 16 major auto assembly plants operating in the South. In addition, there are two that are being built (Kia in Georgia and Volkswagen in Tennessee) and one completed plant (Toyota in Mississippi) that is either waiting on economic conditions to improve before it opens or it is being shelved and sold to another user or to the State of Mississippi.
BMW Offers Buyouts to S.C. Employees
In the midst of a $750 million expansion, German automaker BMW announced in mid-summer voluntary separation packages to workers at its facilities in Greer, S.C. The buyouts are part of the company's plan to cut its worldwide workforce by about 8,000 employees. More than 5,000 employees work at the Greer assembly plant.
next