Navistar International Corporation reported some details of a new agreement with General Motors to manufacture the cutaway model of GM's G Van at Navistar's Springfield, Ohio, plant. Assembly will begin in the first half of 2017, it said, but the production volume and other details of the contract were not provided.
A GM executive, North American manufacturing and labor relations vice president Cathy Clegg, said the " partnership will provide our Wentzville, Mo., assembly plant more flexibility to keep up with continued demand for mid-size trucks and full size vans."
The multi-year contract will result in Navistar adding at least 300 jobs at the western Ohio operation, re-commissioning a second assembly line there, it said in its announcement.
Last September, GM and Navistar announced a long-term agreement to work together to develop and assemble medium-duty trucks. They said then their initiative would help “Navistar to strengthen its product lineup and GM to expand its Chevrolet commercial truck portfolio.”
Also last September, Navistar landed state tax credits to help finance the cost of adding a second production line at the Springfield Assembly Plant. Currently, the plant employs about 1,500 workers.
Springfield Assembly Plant produces Navistar’s International® brand ProStar+® and TranStar Class 8 trucks; DuraStar® and TerraStar® medium-duty trucks; and WorkStar® severe-duty trucks.
Now, Navistar indicates it will be assembling cutaway versions of the Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana vans, which are full-length vans capable of being refitted as utility or service vehicles, ambulance or rescue vehicles, shuttle buses or school buses.
"We're very pleased to partner with GM on this important manufacturing opportunity," stated Persio Lisboa, president of Navistar operations.
"Our Springfield plant is an important part of our manufacturing footprint, and we've been preparing it for a higher-volume concentration of light- and medium-duty products as part of our manufacturing strategy," he said.
