Common Motors will idle the CAMI Meeting Plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, from October via spring 2024.
The corporate will halt manufacturing due to delays within the supply of wanted Ultium battery modules that energy the BrightDrop Zevo 600 and Zevo 410 electrical vans produced on the plant, the automaker mentioned.
“CAMI Meeting will take downtime starting in October, as a consequence of beforehand introduced delays in battery-module provide,” GM spokesperson Maria Violette mentioned in a press release.
“Automobile manufacturing is anticipated to renew within the spring of 2024, supported by the launch of CAMI’s new battery-module line, which may have capability to completely help BrightDrop manufacturing at CAMI and complement EV manufacturing at different GM crops.”
As you could recall, the CAMI Meeting Plant was idled for 2 weeks in July amid a battery module scarcity following two weeks of a summer time shutdown. Earlier than that shutdown, staff have been on rotating shifts, two weeks on and 4 weeks off, to maintain all employed.
GM CEO Mary Barra mentioned on the second-quarter earnings name in July that an unspecified difficulty with automation gear provide for battery module manufacturing was slowing its electrical automobile manufacturing ramp-up.
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The surprising delays have been brought on by an unnamed automation gear provider that was scuffling with supply points, which in flip constrained module meeting capability. The manager mentioned on the time that the difficulty was anticipated to be resolved on the finish of 2023.
In line with The Detroit Information, Common Motors despatched manufacturing engineering groups to assist the automation provider enhance its supply, and the automaker has additionally added guide module meeting traces at its EV crops, together with the CAMI website.
The 400,000-square-foot facility is anticipated to go on line within the second quarter of 2024 supporting manufacturing of BrightDrop Zevo vans and different GM EVs.
At present, the Ultium battery that powers the BrightDrop Zevo electrical vans is made at Ultium Cells’ Ohio battery cell plant. The Ohio plant is the one one at present making the Ultium battery, however GM and its three way partnership companion LG Vitality Answer plan to open a second cell plant in Tennessee in 2024 and a 3rd in Michigan in 2025.
The CAMI Meeting Plant hires roughly 1,500 folks, 1,200 of that are members of the Unifor union. GM Canada mentioned “main layoffs” would start in mid-October, sending the plant’s whole workforce residence.
“It is devastating information to our members,” mentioned Lana Payne, Unifor’s nationwide president, in accordance with The London Free Press. “We’re clearly pushing the corporate to shorten the downtime interval.”