Smaller GM takes shape in Lansing

Associated Press ^ | December 8, 2006 | Tim Martin

[Zakeet]

LANSING, Mich. - Piles of crushed concrete and broken brick wait to be hauled away as bulldozers tear down old General Motors Corp. factories that have stood for a century on the banks of the Grand River in downtown Lansing.

Behind the demolition, a gleaming white Cadillac factory built five years ago with state-of-the-art technology greets the next generation of auto workers.

GM has a far smaller presence in the Lansing area than it had just a few years ago. But the automaker's new factories here are more efficient and better-suited to survive in the hyper-competitive automotive industry.

[Snip]

GM now has about 6,000 employees in the Lansing area, down from a peak of 23,000 in 1979 and more than 10,000 five years ago.

But GM's downsizing could have hit Lansing much harder. Were it not for innovative partnerships with the United Auto Workers and local government officials, the automaker might not have much of a presence left in Lansing.

[Zakeet]

This is a rather lengthy article discussing GM's efforts to become more productive in Lansing, Michigan. It would be interesting to hear from knowledgeable people as to whether this is a Chamber of Commerce puff piece or real progress.

[Hoplite]

Lansing Cadillac Models	Unit Sales 01-11/06	Unit Sales 01-11/05	Change
CTS	50,024	53,959	(3,935)
STS	23,226	30,298	(7,072)
SRX	19,907	20,927	(1,020)
Totals	93,157	105,184	(12,027)

I'm going with "puff piece".