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Spring Hill Manufacturing

{{short description|Automotive manufacturing facility in Spring Hill, Tennessee, United States}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2023}}

{{Infobox factory

| name = Spring Hill Manufacturing

| image =

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| coordinates = {{Coord|35.7400|N|86.9650|W|format=dms|region:US-TN_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}

| built = 1986 - 1990

| operated = 1990 - present

| location = 100 Saturn Parkway
Spring Hill, Tennessee, United States

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| products =

| employees = 3,200

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| area = {{cvt|2,000|acre|km2}}

| volume = {{cvt|7,900,000|sqft|m2}}

| address =

| owner = General Motors

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Spring Hill Manufacturing is an automotive manufacturing plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee, United States, owned and operated by General Motors. The plant currently assembles the Cadillac XT5, Cadillac Lyriq, Cadillac Vistiq and Acura ZDX crossover SUVs for the North American market, and also includes powertrain, stamping and molding operations.{{cite web |title=GM Corporate Newsroom - United States - Company - Spring Hill Manufacturing |url=http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/company_info/facilities/assembly/springhill.html |date=May 10, 2019}} It was developed from 1985 and launched in 1990 as the sole manufacturing facility for Saturn Corporation.

History

On January 7, 1985, Saturn Corporation was formed as a subsidiary of General Motors to compete with Japanese imports, and soon searched for a site for a manufacturing facility. Governor Lamar Alexander began encouraging GM to locate the plant in Tennessee.{{cite journal |last1=Garber |first1=Carter |last2=Fausey |first2=Verna |date=1986 |title=Today's Jobs at Yesterday's Wages: GM's Saturn Auto Plant Arrives in Spring Hill, Tennessee |url=https://southernchanges.digitalscholarship.emory.edu/sc08-4_001/sc08-4_016/ |journal=Southern Changes |volume=8 |issue=4 |pages=16–24 |doi= |access-date=December 10, 2022}} The site in Spring Hill was officially announced on July 26, 1985.{{cite news |last=Risen |first=James |date=July 27, 1985 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-07-27-mn-6283-story.html |title=GM Picks Tennessee Town for Saturn Assembly Plant |work=Los Angeles Times |accessdate=March 28, 2021}} At the time, Spring Hill was a predominantly agricultural community with a population of about 1,000.{{sfn|Sherman|1994|p=124}} A payment in lieu of taxes agreement was negotiated with the state in September 1985, and that same month the Tennessee Department of Transportation announced plans to construct State Route 396 (Saturn Parkway), a {{cvt|5|mi|km}} long controlled access highway that connects the plant to Interstate 65, at a cost of $29.3 million.{{sfn|Sherman|1994|p=320}} This was completed in 1989.{{cite news |first=Randy |last=Barlow |title=Saturn Parkway Officially Open; Final Work Will Take 6–8 Weeks |url=https://tennessean.newspapers.com/clip/57879190/saturn-parkway-officially-open-final/ |work=The Tennessean |location=Nashville |date=August 8, 1989 |page=2-B |access-date=August 23, 2020 |via=Newspapers.com}} Preliminary site work for the plant began in May 1986, and construction activities began two months later. The plant began operation on July 31, 1990, when the first vehicle was produced.{{sfn|Sherman|1994|p=321}}

The decision to locate one factory as the source of Saturn vehicles was based on a tradition GM was founded on in 1909 with the core brands that came together to form GM. Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick and Cadillac each had main factories where the cars originated from, then in 1933 branch assembly plants were established in major American cities and the branch assembly locations would receive knock-down kits from the main plants and locally assemble GM products to meet demand. The main facilities were Flint, Michigan for both Buick and Chevrolet; Oldsmobile at Lansing, Michigan; Pontiac at Pontiac, Michigan; and Cadillac at Detroit, Michigan. The approach for Saturn was to have one dedicated location where vehicles originated from one location as in the past with the legacy brands.

Manufacturing continued through March 2004 as the sole assembly plant overseen by the Saturn subsidiary.Saturn contract ends era, Detroit News, June 27, 2004, 881 words. After the United Auto Workers ratified a new contract in March 2004, the plant became part of General Motors, but Saturn-only manufacturing lines continued until March 2007. The facility includes a four-cylinder engine assembly plant, auto assembly plant, paint and plastics plant, a Saturn parts warehouse, and a visitors center. In 2005, the plant had a yearly production of 198,142 vehicles.{{cite web |url=http://www.gmdynamic.com/company/gmability/environment/plants/facility_db/facility_summary.php?fID=135 |title=GM - Spring Hill Manufacturing Operations |access-date=December 5, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061106023616/http://www.gmdynamic.com/company/gmability/environment/plants/facility_db/facility_summary.php?fID=135 |archive-date=November 6, 2006}} Harbour Consulting rated the Ion line as the tenth most efficient auto plant in North America in 2006.{{cite web |url=http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060602/AUTO01/606020394/1148 |title=Efficient auto factories aren't spared the ax |work=Detroit News |access-date=June 2, 2006}}

After GM considered idling or shutting down the plant as part of its restructuring effort, it idled in March 2007 for a 1-year retooling project to produce the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse after receiving incentives from the State of Tennessee. Changes include adding metal stamping and removing the plastics plant (the Saturn production lines used plastic-based panels).{{Cite web |url=https://www.wkrn.com/nashville/news/spring-hill-gm-plant-to-cease-production-overhaul-facility/85886.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071026103046/https://www.wkrn.com/nashville/news/spring-hill-gm-plant-to-cease-production-overhaul-facility/85886.htm |archive-date=October 26, 2007 |title=Spring Hill GM Plant To Cease Production, Overhaul Facility |work=WKRN |date=October 26, 2007}} General Motors has stated the plant will manufacture various GM vehicles and no longer be dedicated to Saturns.

The vehicle assembly part of the Spring Hill plant was idled in late 2009 when production of the Traverse was moved to Lansing Delta Township Assembly near Lansing, MI, while production of power trains and metal stamping continued.{{cite web |title=GM Investing $483 Million at Tennessee Engine Plant |url=http://www.americanmachinist.com/Classes/Article/ArticleDraw.aspx?HBC=News&NIL=False&CID=86320 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120718053754/http://www.americanmachinist.com/Classes/Article/ArticleDraw.aspx?HBC=News&NIL=False&CID=86320 |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 18, 2012 |work=American Machinist |date=September 20, 2010}}{{cite web |title=Spring Hill Manufacturing |url=http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/company_info/facilities/powertrain/springhill.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120720161322/http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/company_info/facilities/powertrain/springhill.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 20, 2012 |work=GM News |publisher=General Motors |access-date=March 5, 2012}}{{cite web |title=Buick's Ecotec 2.0L Turbo Makes Best Engines List |url=http://media.gm.com/content/media/intl/en/chevrolet/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2011/Dec/1209_wards |work=Chevrolet Media Europe |publisher=General Motors |access-date=March 5, 2012}} Nearly 2,500 Spring Hill auto workers were faced with lay-offs, buy-outs and early retirement.Johnson, Bonna. "[http://tennessean.com/article/20090626/BUSINESS01/906260371/GM+picks+Michigan+over+Spring+Hill GM picks Michigan over Spring Hill]." The Tennessean. June 26, 2009. Retrieved on June 26, 2009.{{Dead link|date=January 2022}} In September 2011, it was announced that the plant would end its period of idling.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/18/business/general-motors-said-to-offer-bonuses-in-new-deal-with-workers.html |work=The New York Times |first1=Bill |last1=Vlasic |first2=Nick |last2=Bunkley |title=G.M. Will Offer Bonuses in New Deal With Workers |date=September 17, 2011}} In November 2011, GM announced plans for retooling of the vehicle assembly portion of the plant for use as an "ultra-flexible" plant which will initially be used to build the Chevrolet Equinox but will be designed for rapid retooling to other vehicles of similar size.{{cite news |last=Bunkley |first=Nick |title=Ex-Saturn Plant to Reopen, And G.M. to Add 700 Jobs |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/22/business/saturn-plant-to-reopen-with-700-jobs.html |work=New York Times |access-date=March 5, 2012 |date=November 21, 2011}}{{cite web |title=Spring Hill Assembly Reborn as Ultra-Flexible Operation |date=November 21, 2011 |url=http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2011/Nov/1121_springhill |publisher=General Motors |access-date=March 5, 2012}}{{cite web |last=Bowman |first=Zach |title=Senator Corker Heckled At GM Spring Hill |url=http://www.autoblog.com/2011/11/28/senator-corker-heckled-at-gm-spring-hill-plant-ceremony/ |work=Autoblog |publisher=AOL |access-date=March 5, 2012}}

In 2015, the plant announced that it would be reopening the entire plant's facilities, and would hire locally creating thousands of jobs for the surrounding area. General Motors looks to expand the plant's facilities and influence in the North American and Global Auto industries,{{Cite web |url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/general-motors/2015/10/13/gm-begin-taking-applications-work-spring-hill/73859852/ |title=GM to begin taking applications to work at Spring Hill |first=Melissa |last=Burden |website=The Detroit News}} and as of 2021, was the company's largest plant in North America.

In January 2019, General Motors said it has invested $2 billion into the complex since 2010.{{Cite web |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/24/general-motors-will-invest-22-million-in-a-tennessee-engine-plant.html |title=General Motors is investing $22 million to make fuel-saving V-8 engine |last=Ferris |first=Robert |date=January 24, 2019 |website=www.cnbc.com |access-date=January 25, 2019}} In October 2020, GM announced that it was investing another $2 billion in the plant to build electric vehicles including the Cadillac Lyriq.{{Cite web |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/cars/2020/10/20/general-motors-spring-hill-tn-cadillac-lyriq/5989438002/ |title=GM investing $2 billion in Spring Hill plant to build electric vehicles, including Cadillac Lyriq |date=October 20, 2020 |website=www.tennessean.co |access-date=October 24, 2020}} In March 2024, production of the second generation Acura ZDX began at the facility.

Products

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References

{{Reflist}}

=Bibliography=

  • {{cite book |last=Sherman |first=Joe |date=1994 |title=In the Rings of Saturn |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HhvoCwAAQBAJ |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0195072448 |via=Google Books}}

{{General Motors factories}}

Category:General Motors factories

Category:Motor vehicle assembly plants in Tennessee

Category:Buildings and structures in Maury County, Tennessee

Category:1990 establishments in Tennessee

Category:Saturn Corporation

Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1990

Category:Tourist attractions in Maury County, Tennessee