GM's New Lansing Plant to Demonstrate Innovative Environmental Practices
29 March 2000
GM's New Lansing Plant to Demonstrate Innovative Environmental Practices
SAN MATEO, Calif., March 28 General Motors Corp.
today outlined a revolutionary design and manufacturing process for
its new Grand River Assembly Plant under construction in Lansing, Michigan.
David A. Skiven, Executive Director of GM's Worldwide Facilities Group,
discussed the company's plans to incorporate numerous groundbreaking,
environmentally responsible techniques in its conversion of the former
manufacturing site into a state-of-the-art automotive assembly facility.
Speaking at the Sustainable Business Forum's 2000 CEO Forum in San Mateo,
Calif., Skiven detailed the commitment of the world's largest company to
sustainable business practices and presented the new Lansing plant as a
blueprint to industry leaders on how to build and operate an environmentally
responsible manufacturing facility.
"Redevelopment of a brownfield site -- another word for a manufacturing
plant no longer in use -- allows a company to update the former plant's
systems and technology, all while adding environmentally responsible practices
to the operation," said Skiven. "This is an example of how GM transforms
outdated sites into the environmental consciousness of present times. At the
same time, we enhance the local economy and maintain the vitality of the
region."
GM will build the next-generation Cadillac Catera and other luxury
vehicles at the new Lansing plant, which is due to open in December 2001 and
will employ approximately 1,500 by its third year in operation. It is being
built adjacent to the site of the Oldsmobile Engine and Components plant.
The new Lansing plant will consist of three separate buildings -- a body
shop, a paint shop and a general assembly facility -- designed around
so-called "lean manufacturing" processes. In addition to its tremendous
efficiency, one of the key aspects of the plant's lean process design is its
strict environmental standards. Indeed, the plant will incorporate several
leading-edge environmental protections into the construction and planning of
the assembly facility including:
-- The recovery and recycling of many of the former building's component
materials during demolition -- including 20,705 tons of steel, 145
tons of cast iron, 875 tons of copper, 60 tons of stainless steel, and
35 tons of aluminum;
-- The installation of new plant sewers above ground to eliminate
potential underground seepage, making it possible to stop discharge at
the moment of detection, and discouraging the outdated "pour it down
the drain" mentality of disposal;
-- Putting ISO 14001 (an international voluntary set of environmental
standards) in place at the outset of the project in order to instill a
fresh sense of environmental consciousness in the workplace;
-- Developing a system in which two-thirds of all storm water from the
site will be treated prior to discharge and the other third will drain
from non-production areas. Additionally, wetlands will be used as a
natural buffer before storm water is discharged;
-- A waste elimination plan for the new facility that includes
parts-delivery trucks leaving an amount of waste equal in tonnage to
the materials they delivered; plastic parts-carriers being sent back
for reuse; and recycling 90%-95% of the purge solvent used in paint
operations; and
-- The use of lead-free ELPO (a body dip anti-rust agent), a
chromium-free phosphating process, and a water-borne paint in basecoat
process to eliminate the volatile solvents used in most paint
operations.
Many of these protections are not new to General Motors. The company
developed its groundbreaking Saturn plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee, more than
a decade ago, pioneering environmental techniques that are still considered
ahead of their time. Despite the fact that the Saturn plant was a
"greenfield" site -- built on undeveloped land -- many of these steps will be
duplicated at the "brownfield" Lansing plant.
"Although Saturn's Spring Hill plant was completed many years ago, the
project employed environmental techniques so far ahead of the curve that many
of them still seem revolutionary today," said Skiven. "When we first built
the Saturn plant, we attempted to minimize all environmental impacts during
the construction as well as the on-going operation. What we ended up with was
a recipe for a successful and sustainable manufacturing facility."
Saturn's Spring Hill plant began construction in early 1987 and was
completed in late 1990. The facility implemented innovative, solution-driven
environmental protections through the construction and development of its
production process system. The specific measures GM used to minimize impacts
to the environment during the construction process included:
-- Maintaining the rural environment by creating man-made hills around
the property to contain noise, provide drainage and water runoff
control, and to shield unsightly construction activities from the
road;
-- Collecting and recycling all oil from construction equipment on the
site;
-- Implementing a computerized chemical review and management tracking
program during construction;
-- Collecting, sorting, and recycling all scrap metal during
construction;
-- Establishing two storm water ponds designed to protect the streams
running through the property from silt erosion and sudden infusion of
surface water during heavy rains; and,
-- Saving 500 trees from the construction zone to be used later for
landscaping the property.
Once construction was complete, GM continued to employ environmentally
responsible practices in the assembly process, including:
-- Using molded-in color dashboards, eliminating the need to paint them
in the plant;
-- Using the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) for power, eliminating any
need for coal-fired boilers;
-- Requiring all contractors to use returnable containers when bringing
materials and parts into the plant;
-- Reusing all scrap polymer panels, used to make the external body of
Saturns, as production parts;
-- Building the plant without using any PCBs and not allowing them on
site;
-- Installing liners under all power transformers to capture any leaks;
-- Recycling 85% of all solid waste; and,
-- Using liners under and around all below-grade processes so that all
leaks are prevented from seeping into the soil or ground water.
Not surprisingly, GM has successfully transformed "brownfield" plants no
longer in use for many years. One of the largest such efforts was the
Centerpoint project in Pontiac, Michigan, where the company turned a former
truck plant into GM's global truck engineering center. That site also
includes an adjacent commercial park with several hotels, retail services and
a child care center. In Flint, Michigan, GM turned a former plant into an
ultra-modern office center, health spa, and banquet center.
Currently, GM is redeveloping two more sites for vehicle assembly -- in
Arlington, Texas, and Shreveport, Louisiana. The company is about to convert
a former plant in Tarrytown, New York, into an upscale commercial center. And
in Clark, New Jersey, GM is building a municipal golf course and driving range
on the site of a closed roller bearing plant.