Howland native is launch manager for Cruze

An upscale interior, better crash protection and 40 mpg are key features of the car.

By DON SHILLING

VINDICATOR BUSINESS EDITOR

LORDSTOWN — Michele Lambert has humble beginnings for someone who now is in charge of launching one of General Motors Corp.’s most important new vehicles.

The 35-year-old Howland woman was first hired at Lordstown as summer help as she was completing her degree in industrial psychology at Youngstown State University.

She later was offered a full-time job on the line and took it.

Now, she is launch manager for the Chevrolet Cruze.

The launch that’s set for April remains on schedule despite some large changes at the plant, she said. One of the biggest changes is revamping the assembly line so parts are delivered right to operators so they don’t have to walk to parts bins.

“Now all of their work, all of their minutes per car, are adding value to the car,” Lambert said.

Lambert has been moving up the ranks at GM because she is talented and has worked hard, said John Donahoe, complex manager.

She has been at Lordstown for 14 years and spent one year at a GM plant in Atlanta. Before being named launch manager last July, she was a plant planner in charge of model changes for the Chevrolet Cobalt that’s made in Lordstown.

Being the Cruze launch manager is a big job because GM, which is in bankruptcy reorganization, is under pressure from federal officials to build more fuel-efficient vehicles, and GM is counting on the Cruze to lead the way.

Lambert said she thinks the Cruze will succeed because of its quality and its expected 40 mpg on the highway.

To ensure quality and cost-efficient production, Lambert is overseeing the $351 million renovation of the Lordstown assembly and fabricating plants, and she is the local contact for GM plants in South Korea, China and Russia that already have started building the Cruze for foreign markets.

Lambert is quick to point out the Cruze will be different from the Cobalt. GM hopes the Cruze will be seen as a more upscale car, she said.

First, the Cruze is a little larger than the Cobalt. It will be the same length, but it will be five inches wider and about an inch taller.

The big difference will be on the interior, plant officials said.

GM has upgraded the interior as it did with the Chevrolet Malibu, Donahoe said. Included are better-looking plastics, more chrome and more plush carpet, he said.

He also said a Korean-made Cruze has received the highest crash rating of five stars.

The Lordstown-built Cruze will offer more crash protection that the Cobalt because of additional reinforcement parts that have been added to absorb more of the impact, he said.

The Cruze will have 5,000 welds, instead of 4,000 for the Cobalt, because of these additional parts, he said.

Plans call for Cobalt production to stop at the end of March and to be followed almost immediately by production of the Cruze.

Dealers should have an ample supply of the car sometime in May or June, officials said.

shilling@vindy.com

SEE ALSO: GM Lordstown on Cruze control.