Gary Zhou 
General Motors has invested nearly a half billion dollars into stamping and new press lines for electric vehicle manufacturing at its Marion, Indiana, metal stamping operations plant.
GM will invest $491 million to bring two new press lines to the Indiana plant, complete press and die upgrades, and renovate the facility, including a 6,000-square-foot-addition. Construction is set to begin by year’s end and is being utilized to prepare GM for a variety of new steel and aluminum parts that will be used for electric vehicle manufacturing.
“While this investment prepares the facility for our all-electric future, it’s really an investment in our talented Marion team and will keep the plant working for many years to come,” Gerald Johnson, GM’s Executive VP of Global Manufacturing and sustainability, said. “This investment is another example of the company bringing everyone along and investing in the people who make manufacturing a competitive advantage for GM.”
Johnson knows that manufacturing is 9/10ths of the battle in EV production, most likely due to the roadmap Tesla laid down during its early mass-production phase of the Model 3. Tesla has developed numerous manufacturing efficiencies through the years to increase production output while improving overall build quality. Although Tesla’s overall quality is still put under harsh scrutiny due to the automaker’s past, it has improved ten-fold through various processes and developments that have not only increased overall quality but also the pace at which the automaker can produce vehicles.
One of the biggest advantages Tesla holds is the Giga Press from IDRA, which has revolutionized automotive manufacturing. Tesla utilizes Giga Press technology at both Fremont and Gigafactory Texas, and has displayed it on numerous occasions. It eliminates time from the manufacturing process, makes manufacturing less expensive per unit, and increases overall build quality.
GM’s expanding plans for electrification have been announced on numerous occasions. In the past few years, GM has announced plans to develop numerous electric cars on its Ultium battery platform. GM most recently unveiled the all-electric Chevrolet Equinox, which it plans to use as an affordable SUV option for its EV lineup.
