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Public Gets First Glimpse of New GM Paint Shop
"LORDSTOWN, Ohio -- What one union official calls the "bread and butter" of General Motors Corp.'s Lordstown Complex was unveiled for the first time today, as the public got its first glimpse inside the plant's massive new paint shop, expected to be in operation by mid-2005."This secures our future," said James Kaster, president of United Auto Workers of America Local 1714, which represents about 1,000 hourly workers at the complex's nearby Metal Center. "Everyone knows what's at stake here. It's our bread and butter."The new paint shop is a major component of the $1 billion renovation effort still underway at the plant as production ramps up on the new Chevrolet Cobalt. Currently, the plant is using the its existing paint department to produce the Cobalt, but officials concede the methods and equipment used are fast becoming obsolete.Kaster said he plans to take team leaders in the metal center to tour the facility this spring. "We've never done that before. All we did was make parts -- this exposes them to the whole operation," he added.Glen Santelices, paint department manfuacturing manager, related the new shop is equipped with new technology that is much more environmentally friendly. The new painting method uses a powder primer instead of a liquid based mix, which reduces the amount of organic compounds released into the atmosphere, lessening the threat to the ozone layer. "This is some of the latest and greatest technology," he said.Employees currently working in the existing paint shop will most likely be transferred to the new shop when it's running full speed, he said. The shop is expected to be running at full capacity by December 2005.Once in full production, the new shop will be able to paint 62.4 cars per hour, or 304,925 vehicles a year, Santelices said. As it stands now, the existing facility will be used to apply an initial ELPO/phosphate coating, a compound used to resist corrosion on metal. Then, the parts will be transferred to the new paint shop, where a waterborne base coat and powder primer will be applied. Lastly, a topcoat color will be affixed to the vehicle.Santelices also said there are plans to integrate the phosphate line into the new paint operations within 10 years.Most of the new equipment was installed this year, Santelices added. These new machines include 31 new turbo bell applicators for the primer and topcoat and 30 new robots for the sealer, primer and topcoat applications.Testing and validation of the new paint systems are scheduled to begin in early 2005, Santelices reported. An open house is scheduled for May 1 and product acceleration is expected to begin in June. "After the open house, we'll shut the doors for four weeks and clean to get rid of some of the construction dirt," he added.Santelices said the new shop employs the latest technology to ensure the shop remains clean. All workers, for example, will pass through an "air shower" -- entrances into the shop lined with pressurized air jets that remove dirt particles -- before entering the work area. "About 80% of the dirt that you see during the paint process is brought in by our people," he noted. Lordstown Plant Manager Maureen Midgley said the new paint shop enables the plant to produce more colors for vehicles. "It's a different paint technology," she said, noting supplier PPG Industries of Pittsburgh will be a major supplier to the painting operation.The new shop -- construction started in April 2003 -- measures 560,323 square feet plus 20,900 square feet of office space. More than $1 million of construction hours have been logged to date, while GM has let more than $162 million worth of contracts on the project thus far."