FLINT, MI (WNEM) -
Flint Engine employees were notified this week the third assembly shift will cease operation in April.
While the actual date hasn't been nailed down by General Motors management, officials with the plant say they had planned on this happening because Flint Engine has been building and exporting 1.4-liter engines to Korea until GM Korea could begin production of the same engine for the Buick Encore, which is assembled in that country.
Plant spokesman Tom Wickham said this action does not affect production of 1.4-liter engines for any other product they support.
In total, the layoffs will impact 44 production, 20 skilled trades and 40 temporary employees.
Flint Engine employs more than 900 hourly and salaried employees and makes the 1.4-liter engine for the Chevy Volt, Cruze and Sonic, as well as the 3.6-liter engine for the Cadillac CTS, Buick Enclave, Chevy Traverse and GMC Acadia.
"To put this action in context, what we are doing in not unlike what happened when Flint Engine started production of the 1.4-liter engine," said Wickham in a statement. "As we ramped up production, we relied on a GM plant in Aspern, Austria, to provide the initial batch of engines for the Chevy Cruze and Volt. Once we reached full capability, the Aspern shipments were stopped. Unfortunately, while this means layoffs here in Flint, it demonstrates that GM can leverage its global facilities to support timely launches throughout the world."
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