GM to Cut Number of Platforms and Engines by 50 Percent by 2018
DETROIT - During its 2nd Annual Global Business Conference, GM announced plans to streamline operations, including streamlining its production capabilities.
DETROIT – General Motors announced during its 2nd Annual Global Business Conference that it plans to reduce the number of vehicle platforms and engines by 50 percent by 2018. The company said the primary goal in this effort is to reduce program churn, i.e. late changes in programs, canceled programs, and start/stop projects.
In terms of manufacturing, the company said it plans to make its plants more flexible in their production capabilities. For example, the Chevrolet Malibu, Volt, and Impala will all be built on the same production line at the company's Detroit-Hamtramck plant.
The company also plans to be able to add capacity for production of an additional 200,000 Equinox and Terrain models without adding new brick-and-mortar facilities.
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