Region can't ignore threats to future of GM Lordstown

Last Sunday's page one headline, "Threats to the future of Lordstown are real, an analyst says," stands in stark contrast to Friday's "Years Ago" entry:"April 28, 1966: A sparkling four-door Chevrolet Impala is driven through a huge Number 1 at General Motors Corp.'s new Chevrolet and Fisher Body facility at Lordstown, signaling the opening of a new era for the Youngstown district."
The hopes and dreams of the Mahoning Valley 40 years ago have now been replaced by concern and a threat of despair. This, despite the fact that GM's assembly plant in Lordstown continues to produce a superior automobile.
The Chevrolet Cobalt, which first rolled off the assembly line in October 2004 as a replacement for the top-selling Chevrolet Cavalier, has been the first- or second-fastest moving car ever since.
And yet, the future of the Lordstown plant, which is a shadow of its 1966 self in terms of the number of jobs, remains uncertain.As the story last Sunday revealed, workers at the Lordstown complex are on edge about the plant's future.
Why? Because even after GM spent $1 billion to prepare the facility for Cobalt production, the commitment to the new model is only through 2009.
Analysis
The analyst referred to in the headline of the story is Erich Merkle with IRN in Grand Rapids, Mich. Merkle told The Vindicator that his research indicates that while the world's leading automaker has established a 2009 date for the expiration of the current Cobalt model, the company may revise the model or put out a new small car in 2010.
"They have to have a presence in that segment," Merkle said. "One of the things that's interesting, though, is whether it will continue to be in Lordstown."
What is interesting to an auto analyst is worrisome to the people who would be most affected by the deactivation of the Lordstown facility, the workers and, in the big picture, the residents of the Mahoning and Shenango valleys. The economic impact of the manufacturing facility is enormous and any disruption will have a devastating ripple effect.
GM's decision to mothball a replacement for the Saturn Ion -- another small model that could have been built at Lordstown -- and the elimination of the midnight shift beginning in June lead Merkle to the conclusion that workers have reason to worry.
"There are other plants where GM has made more of an investment," he said.
It is clear that the Valley cannot take a wait-and-see attitude. It is not too early for political and community leaders to put GM Lordstown on the front burner. They should become familiar with every aspect of GM's mindset so as to develop a strategy for meeting whatever demands the automaker may have. In addition, they should confront the question that many in this region may not want to hear: What if GM closes up shop at the end of 2009?
This is not idle curiosity. The Valley was ill prepared for the collapse of the steel industry, which is why our economic recovery is still a work in progress -- more than two decades later.