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The GM Factory Located in São Caetano do Sul, in the State of São Paulo, Is the Oldest Automotive Unit in Operation in Brazil
General Motors (GM) is trying to gain some productivity from the shutdowns of its lines in Brazil due to the widespread lack of electronic components. Since the global semiconductor shortage would inevitably disrupt production in São Caetano do Sul, in the state of São Paulo, the company decided to expedite the modernization works of the oldest automotive factory in operation in Brazil, which is being prepared to produce the new beefed-up generation of the compact pickup Montana. Also check out: New collective vacations announced by Renault at its factory in São José dos Pinhais, in the state of Paraná
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The Modernization of GM’s Factory in São Paulo
GM took advantage of the semiconductor shortage to carry out the works at the factory that would require production to stop anyway. There are 4,000 m² of new facilities, which include 93 welding robots imported from Japan. They will join the other 658 in the body shop already in operation, many installed last year for the production of the Tracker SUV.
The main feature of the renovation, one of the largest in the history of the factory over 90 years old, is the installation of a High Speed press, the first with this technology in the Americas, says Michel Malka, executive director of the São Caetano and Mogi das Cruzes factory. “So far, this type of press has only operated in China.” The giant equipment was developed by the German company Schuller in collaboration with the Brazilian branch. According to Malka, the new press has the capability to stamp 26,000 parts per day – doors, sides, hoods, and rear lids. The one currently in use makes 12,000. “The new press operates with intelligent triggering and, in addition to greater productivity, guarantees more quality and consumes 55% less energy,” says Malka.
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GM’s Unit Will Become One of the Most Modern
The new press at the factory will be installed in the crater that was opened in an area that previously housed a parts and machinery warehouse. The executive explains that the car factory, the oldest in the country, is squeezed between a railway line, a viaduct, a river, and the most important avenue in the city, Goiás, and cannot grow in area, “only up or down.”
To transform it into a globally competitive plant, GM created a new concept that, according to Malka, will be exported to other units in the group. “There is already greenfield (when the factory starts from scratch) and brownfield (when the factory area is expanded), and now we created goldenfield, which is to transform an old plant into one of the most modern in the group, within the same walls.”
The factory will continue to produce the Onix Joy in the 2012 version, which previously shared space with the old Montana. The new line will produce the Tracker and the unprecedented generation of the Montana, which will reach the market at the end of 2022. It is GM’s big bet to confront the Fiat Toro and Strada pickups, the main drivers of the brand’s sales that took GM’s leadership.
Also Check Out: GM Suspends Its Production in São Paulo for Another Month Affecting the Manufacturing of the Models Tracker, Onix Joy, Onix Joy Plus, and Spin
In yet another decision regarding the São Caetano do Sul (SP) factory this Tuesday (27), General Motors announced that it will extend the suspension of its activities for another 30 days due to the lack of semiconductor chips. Therefore, the Chevrolet models Tracker, Onix Joy, Onix Joy Plus, and Spin will continue to be out of production.
In June of this year, GM implemented an agreement involving 400 employees, based on MP 1.045, which authorizes the suspension of factory activities in SP for 120 days and had a validity deadline until this Monday (26). Therefore, if General Motors decides to take this measure, vehicle production should only resume on August 26, according to statements from the president of the local metalworkers’ union, Aparecido Inácio da Silva. The automaker stated that due to the lack of components, it will be more complicated to resume activities before this date.
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