General Motors will resume the overnight shift at its Lordstown assembly plant this summer, adding 1,200 jobs, the company said today.
Lordstown, located near Youngstown, will have a total of 4,500 workers, which is the plant's maximum capacity.
GM is making the move as it prepares to build the Chevrolet Cruze, a compact car, for the U.S. market. The Lordstown plant now produces the Chevrolet Cobalt, another compact car, and will be switching to the Cruze later this year.
Adding a third shift to build Cruze is an investment with impact far beyond General Motors, said Mark Reuss, president, GM North America, in a statement. "It's an investment in the long-term value of Lordstown and the prosperity of Ohio."
Gov. Ted Strickland joined GM executives to announce the move at the plant, before an audience of workers and union leaders.
"The chips were down but we never gave up," he said. "That grit and steely determination is why I love this valley and why I believe in Ohio."
It was barely nine months ago that GM filed for bankruptcy and announced a list of plant closings, including the metal-stamping plant near Mansfield. Lordstown survived that cut, but the plant was running below capacity, with only one shift.
"This plant is going to be here for a long time," said Ben Strickland, United Auto Workers shop chairman for the plant. "This is the future. This is the cornerstone of General Motors, and we are going to continue to drive it that way."
The Lordstown plant started in 1966 and it has produced about 14.3 million vehicles, almost all of them small cars such as the Chevrolet Vega and Cavalier.
"If GM, after many attempts, can build a competitive small car, then Lordstown is the key point player on that," said James Rubenstein, a Miami University professor who writes about the auto industry.
The Cruze will enter an increasingly competitive segment, including the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic and Ford Focus.
GM has spent $500 million to develop the Cruze, including $350 million in Lordstown. The vehicle will be produced and sold worldwide, with Lordstown handling production for the U.S. market. The model has already gone on sale in some foreign markets.
Cruze is already a hit in Europe and Asia, and it is designed to challenge the status quo in America, said Jim Campbell, general manager of Chevrolet.
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