GM LORDSTOWN Plant boosts productivity by 7 percent

Lordstown is ranked No. 4 among nine subcompact car plants in North America.
By DON SHILLING
VINDICATOR BUSINESS EDITOR
The General Motors Lordstown assembly plant is becoming more productive even though it has slipped in national rankings.
A closely watched industry study released this morning showed the plant was 7 percent more productive last year in making Chevrolet Cavaliers and Pontiac Sunfires.
Despite the improvement, the plant dropped from being the second most productive subcompact car plant in North America in 2002 to the fourth best last year.
Dan Flores, a GM spokesman, said the plant's increased productivity was good news because the plant continues to find ways to be productive even though it is assembling models that are 10 years old. New designs come with fewer parts and new ways of assembly.
"This is a very significant improvement," Flores said. "It shows the commitment of the organization to run the business more efficiently."
Besides improvements in efficiency, building good quality cars also helps productivity, he said. When cars need fewer repairs on the line, overtime hours are reduced, he said.
Who's on top
In last year's report, Lordstown was topped only by Honda's plant in East Liberty, Ohio. This year, it was also beaten by a Toyota plant and a DamlerChrysler plant.
The Harbour Report, which is published by Harbour Consulting in Michigan, rates plants by the number of labor hours needed to assemble a vehicle.
The Lordstown plant needed 21.38 hours per car last year, compared with 23.02 hours in 2002. The average among the nine subcompact plants in North America was 23.48 hours last year.
The Lordstown plant has improved dramatically in recent years. In 1997, it needed 29.56 hours per car.
The plant has cut back its work force as it becomes more productive. The plant has about 4,000 hourly workers, compared with more than 6,000 in 1997.
The complex in Lordstown also has about 1,800 hourly workers at a fabrication plant, which stamps metal parts.
GM has attributed productivity gains in recent years to the implementation of its Global Manufacturing System, which focuses all efforts on how to help line operators build a high-quality product the first time. The system includes items such as reducing movement needed by operators to retrieve tools or parts.
In October, the plant will launch the Chevrolet Cobalt from the Lordstown plant. The Cavalier will be discontinued, and production already has stopped on the Sunfire.