United States. General Motors (GM) confirmed its $600 million investment in its Fairfax assembly plant that includes the construction of a paint shop and other improvements.
Construction on the 3.2 million-square-foot plant will begin later this year and increase in size by 15 percent. It is expected to take two years to complete.
The new paint shop includes substantial improvements in technology and will occupy a new building in Fairfax, with new tools, robots, and state-of-the-art environmental and efficiency improvements. Some of the improvements include:
- A 20% smaller footprint; use 50% less energy per vehicle and reduce VOC emissions.
GM-patented furnaces designed to use 20% less natural gas and 40% less electricity.
- Thin-film technology, which reduces water use and maintenance and removes hazardous chemicals from the waste stream, and a system called Hyper Throw E-COAT, which places more coating on cavities and voids for optimal corrosion protection.
The Fairfax plant currently builds the Buick LaCrosse and Chevrolet Malibu models.
Photo: Courtesy of General Motors
