GM Plans To Invest $877 Million Into Michigan Truck Plant

General Motors is set to invest $877 million into its Flint, Michigan plant for updates that include a new body shop and retooling. The Michigan plant, GM’s oldest manufacturing facility that was constructed in 1947, builds the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado HD and 2015 GMC Sierra HD, most of which are Heavy Duties.

The new body shop is a key addition to the plant and will be located near an existing facility on site that provides sheet metal for the trucks. The proximity will allow for quicker transportation of parts between the two buildings, making the production process smoother. What’s more, a new painting process called wet-coat will be used and will provide a higher quality painted surface that is also more durable.

The retooling set to take place within the main assembly building is said to facilitate the next generation of Silverado and Sierra rumored to be in production for the 2018 model year. Coincidently, GM says the upgrades and additions will be completed by 2018. There are still no further hints GM will be moving to an aluminum body for the next generation, though several rumors suggest it.

The 3.7-milliion-square-foot plant is home to almost 3,000 workers and cranked out more than 180,000 Silverado and Sierra trucks during the 2014 model year. However, the Flint plant is only one of several plants around North American that build the GM truck twins, including plants in Indiana, Mexico, and Canada.