Mary Barra To Announce BGA Hiring News

[John]

Thanks to CorvetteBlogger, we have interesting news, a supposed to be announcement tomorrow in Bowling Green regarding the BGA Plant. Not just Ms. Barra will be there, but she will be accompanied by a major UAW leader.

GM To Make a Major Announcement Regarding the Bowling Green Assembly Plant on Thursday

By
Keith Cornett

Apr 24, 2019



We just got into Bowling Green early this afternoon for the National Corvette Museum’s annual Bash event and already we are hearing about a significant announcement regarding the Corvette set for tomorrow.

Local Bowling Green TV station WBKO-TV says that GM will be making a “major announcement” on Thursday, April 25 at the plant. Here is that news from the WBKO website:

Details are limited at this time, but General Motors Co. Chairman and CEO Mary Barra will be joined by the Executive Vice President of Global manufacturing Gerald Johnson, United Workers Vice President Terry Dites and federal, state and local officials for the announcement.

What we are hearing on the ground is that GM will be expanding the workforce at Bowling Green Assembly Plant with those new workers coming from one or more of the GM plants that are closing. Sources tell us that the positions could be part of a rumored 2nd shift at the Corvette assembly plant.

Bowling Green Assembly has been the home of the Chevrolet Corvette since 1981. It’s long been rumored that a Cadillac mid-engine sports car may be in the works as well and would most likely be built in Kentucky alongside the C8 Corvette.

General Motors has invested heavily in the Bowling Green Assembly Plant over the last few years with nearly $900 million spent on various projects that include a new state-of-the-art paint shop and a complete redesign of the assembly line.

Chevrolet will reveal the next generation Corvette on 07.18.19 at a currently undisclosed location.


Source:
WBKO.com

https://www.corvetteblogger.com/2019...t-on-thursday/

[Shrike6]

Second shift. There it is. Increased production numbers over current.

[electroVette]

Fantastic news, and good marketing moves by Barra. Drives home that the upcoming C8 is American made and in demand.

[TOMDOM69]

If they are making a full second shift, that means half of the people building the new C8s will be new to building corvettes. I'm not sure I want one of the first ones if that is the case.

[07MontyRed]

Thanks John! Should be interesting ...

[Frenzy36]

Great News, They will be able to produce Verts as well as Z51 and Grand Sports? Lets hope so.

[Brian Kissel]

Or maybe the Bowling Green plant is closing, and the C8 project is cancelled. That is the kind of luck I have. Just a very negative thought. I know.

Regards Brian

[meyerweb]

Let's not overlook the "second shift" comment is nothing but speculation. "a source" said "could be" a 2nd shift.

[meyerweb]

If they are making a full second shift, that means half of the people building the new C8s will be new to building corvettes. I'm not sure I want one of the first ones if that is the case.

Then again, they will all be new to building a mid engined Corvette

[Djnsoxfan]

And there is also the possibility that the car might take additional labor hours to build, but I’m sure GM is gearing up for increased demand nonetheless.

[Plasboy]

Unless it really takes a lot more time to build I can’t see a second shift as a long term option. Think it would be another vehicle or in house production of some part.

[Frenzy36]

Unless it really takes a lot more time to build I can’t see a second shift as a long term option. Think it would be another vehicle or in house production of some part.

It has been said they will be producing the new engine there and that the Cadillac may be made there as well.

[Frenzy36]

Article from Detroit Free Press-

General Motors plans an announcement Thursday about its new mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette.

The car is expected to be built in Bowling Green, Kentucky, where Corvettes are built now. Thursday's announcement is expected to reveal what that means in terms of employment. Some sources say the company also will shift production of the new engine to the plant, though GM would not confirm that Wednesday.

A TV station in Bowling Green, WBKO, reported Wednesday that GM will make a "major announcement" on Thursday in regard to the Corvette Assembly Plant.

CEO Mary Barra, Executive Vice President of Global Manufacturing Gerald Johnson and UAW Vice President Terry Dittes will be on hand for the announcement, WBKO said.

That's the usual cast of characters for major assembly plant announcements. In March, Barra and Dittes presided over GM's announcement at Lake Orion Assembly in Michigan that it would invest $300 million to build a new electric car there.

More: GM, UAW to announce 'major' investment in Orion Assembly Plant

More: GM plans to make new electric car, spend $300M, hire 400 workers in Lake Orion

The new mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette made its first public appearance as GM CEO Mary Barra and chief engineer Tadge Juechter cruised about New York City.
(Photo: PDTF)

Research analyst Alan Baum of Baum and Associates in suburban Detroit said GM closed the plant, which employs about 871 people, for about a year to install a new engine line.

Bowling Green Assembly now builds the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, Z06, Grandsport, and ZR1. It also builds the LT1, LT4 and LT5 6.2L V-8 engines for Corvette, according to GM's website.

Baum, who advises parts manufacturers, estimates Bowling Green will produce about 10,000 mid-engine Corvettes in the first year of production.


“This is a statement vehicle for Chevrolet,” said Baum, who figures the price will start at about $80,000. “They’ll make money on it for certain. But GM is really going to use it to make Chevy/GM seem more special. They haven’t done that before.’’

GM’s engine plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee, will continue to make 6.2-liter engines for the traditional Corvette after the mid-engine car is launched at Bowling Green, said Mike Herron, chairman of UAW Local 1853 at Spring Hill.

Herron said Bowling Green’s open visitor policy will attract buyers interested in seeing the vehicle they ordered. Nashville music celebrities have watched their cars on the assembly line, for example. The new engine operation will provide a similar opportunity, he said.

On April 13, the mid-engine Corvette made its first public appearance in New York City as GM CEO Mary Barra and Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter drove in a leopard-print camouflaged version of the sports car. They said the car would be fully unveiled on July 18 at a location to be determined.

More: GM unveils mid-engine Corvette, a 60-year dream come true

More: 20 must-see new cars coming in the next 12 months

The car is expected to go on sale in 2020. It’s the eighth generation of the iconic sports car, and the most radical engineering change since the first Corvette debuted in 1953.

That’s because the engine moves from under the hood to tucked between the passenger compartment and the rear wheels. The layout improves handling because it puts the engine’s weight in the middle of the car

[WWR]

Let's not overlook the "second shift" comment is nothing but speculation. "a source" said "could be" a 2nd shift.

Usually the "second shift" is the most productive. No hassles from management and hopefully maintenance has been done on days.

[WWR]

h General Motors plans an announcement Thursday about its new mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette.

The car is expected to be built in Bowling Green, Kentucky, where Corvettes are built now. Thursday's announcement is expected to reveal what that means in terms of employment. Some sources say the company also will shift production of the new engine to the plant, though GM would not confirm that Wednesday.

A TV station in Bowling Green, WBKO, reported Wednesday that GM will make a "major announcement" on Thursday in regard to the Corvette Assembly Plant.

CEO Mary Barra, Executive Vice President of Global Manufacturing Gerald Johnson and UAW Vice President Terry Dittes will be on hand for the announcement, WBKO said.

That's the usual cast of characters for major assembly plant announcements. In March, Barra and Dittes presided over GM's announcement at Lake Orion Assembly in Michigan that it would invest $300 million to build a new electric car there.

More: GM, UAW to announce 'major' investment in Orion Assembly Plant

More: GM plans to make new electric car, spend $300M, hire 400 workers in Lake Orion

The new mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette made its first public appearance as GM CEO Mary Barra and chief engineer Tadge Juechter cruised about New York City.
(Photo: PDTF)

Research analyst Alan Baum of Baum and Associates in suburban Detroit said GM closed the plant, which employs about 871 people, for about a year to install a new engine line.

Bowling Green Assembly now builds the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, Z06, Grandsport, and ZR1. It also builds the LT1, LT4 and LT5 6.2L V-8 engines for Corvette, according to GM's website.

Baum, who advises parts manufacturers, estimates Bowling Green will produce about 10,000 mid-engine Corvettes in the first year of production.


“This is a statement vehicle for Chevrolet,” said Baum, who figures the price will start at about $80,000. “They’ll make money on it for certain. But GM is really going to use it to make Chevy/GM seem more special. They haven’t done that before.’’

GM’s engine plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee, will continue to make 6.2-liter engines for the traditional Corvette after the mid-engine car is launched at Bowling Green, said Mike Herron, chairman of UAW Local 1853 at Spring Hill.

Herron said Bowling Green’s open visitor policy will attract buyers interested in seeing the vehicle they ordered. Nashville music celebrities have watched their cars on the assembly line, for example. The new engine operation will provide a similar opportunity, he said.

On April 13, the mid-engine Corvette made its first public appearance in New York City as GM CEO Mary Barra and Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter drove in a leopard-print camouflaged version of the sports car. They said the car would be fully unveiled on July 18 at a location to be determined.

More: GM unveils mid-engine Corvette, a 60-year dream come true

More: 20 must-see new cars coming in the next 12 months

The car is expected to go on sale in 2020. It’s the eighth generation of the iconic sports car, and the most radical engineering change since the first Corvette debuted in 1953.

That’s because the engine moves from under the hood to tucked between the passenger compartment and the rear wheels. The layout improves handling because it puts the engine’s weight in the middle of the car

If 10,000 the first year is correct there will plenty to go around.