GM Opens $65 Million Processing Center
New 1.1 million square foot Burton processing center is triple the former facility’s size and will boost Michigan’s Flint-area employment.
General Motors Co. recently opened a new ACDelco and GM Genuine Parts processing center in the Flint, Michigan, suburb of Burton. The 1.1 million-square-foot Burton processing plant, located on 141 acres on Davison Road, is triple the size of the facility that it’s replacing. The increased capacity allows for greater efficiency and output as employees unitize and package as many as 120 million service parts a year.
GM now employs more than 9,500 people in Genesee County. This includes the Grand Blanc headquarters of the company’s Customer Care and Aftersales business and the Flint manufacturing complex. The new, state-of-the-art Burton facility will employ more than 800 hourly and salaried employees.
“This new facility in Burton will help us continue to deliver the industry’s best possible sales, service and ownership experience,” said Barry Engle, GM executive vice president and president, the Americas. “Strategic investments in our core business, and the strong U.S. economy, are creating opportunities for GM and its employees all over the country, and especially here in Michigan.”
All of the positions in Burton support GM’s CCA business. The CCA team is responsible for supporting the service and repair needs of millions of GM vehicle owners as well as owners of competitive makes around the world.
“GM has the highest owner loyalty of any manufacturer,” said Tim Turvey, GM global vice president, Customer Care and Aftersales. “A big part of that equation is getting high-quality parts into the hands of trained service technicians when and where they need them. That’s why this particular facility is so vital. Great service keeps our customers coming back year after year.”
GM internal studies show that service lane loyalty is directly correlated with purchase loyalty. These two areas are where GM and its brands excel. According to IHS Markit, a leading source of global automotive industry information, analysis and insight, GM has earned the highest customer loyalty among all automakers selling in the United States for four consecutive years.
GM’s Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac brands all consistently score at or near the top of J.D. Power’s annual Customer Service Index Study, which measures satisfaction with service at a franchised dealer or independent service facility for maintenance or repair work among owners and lessees of one- to three-year-old vehicles.
“We have had tremendous support from the City of Burton, including Mayor Paula Zelenko and the city council, UAW Local 651, the project management team at NorthPoint Development and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation to take this facility from concept to reality,” Engle added. “We are very grateful for this opportunity to expand, grow and contribute to the Burton community.”
The parts packaged and distributed from Burton are used to maintain every Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicle sold in the United States, as well as hundreds of competitive vehicles. GM and its general contractor NorthPoint Development broke ground on the new site in June 2018. By June 2019, GM had shipped its first outbound delivery. The facility has 84 shipping and receiving docks, up from 35 at the previous site. An average of 100 inbound deliveries and 55 outbound deliveries are expected each day.
During the grand opening event, Engle and Turvey underscored the company’s commitment to the Flint area by announcing $130,000 in new grants to seven local nonprofits: Boy Scouts Water & Woods Field Service Council; Communities First, Inc.; Flint River Watershed Coalition; Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan; Kettering FIRST Robotics; Neighborhood Engagement Hub; and STEMletics. GM has awarded more than $5.6 million to Flint-area nonprofits since 2017.
Photos: GM