Flint Engine Operations (previously, Flint Engine South) is a General Motors automobile engine factory in Flint, Michigan. The plant opened in 2002 and is named to replace the Flint North engine plant. The plant currently produces the small four-cylinder SGE and Duramax I6 engines. The factory receives cast engine blocks from Defiance Foundry in Defiance, Ohio and Saginaw Metal Casting Operations in Saginaw, Michigan. It replaced Flint North.
| Flint Engine Operations | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Operated | 2002–present |
| Location | Flint, Michigan |
| Coordinates | 42°55′57″N 83°38′42″W / 42.9325°N 83.6450°W |
| Industry | Automotive |
| Products | Engines |
| Employees | 706 (2022) [1] |
| Volume | 1,165,212 sq ft (108,250 m2) [1] |
| Address | 2100 Bristol Road [1] |
| Owner(s) | General Motors |
| Website | gm.com/flint-engine |
History
editFlint Engine South began operations in 2002.[2] It produced inline five and six cylinder versions of the GM Atlas engine[3][4] until that engine line was discontinued in 2009 alongside the GMT360 platform.[5] Shortly after Flint Engine South was completed, Powertrain Flint (aka Flint North) was closed and demolished.[6]
Flint Engine South also produced 3.6L High Feature DOHC V6 engines (HFV6) for the Chevrolet Traverse, Buick Enclave, and GMC Acadia crossover utility vehicles and Cadillac CTS and STS sedans.[7] High Feature engines were produced in the northern half of the plant.[8]
On September 25, 2008, GM announced a $370 million investment to build another engine plant at the Flint South complex. The new plant was designed to produce the 1.4L GM Family 0 engine ("FamZero") for the Chevrolet Cruze and Volt models beginning in 2010.[9] However, major work was suspended that December as the automotive industry crisis worsened,[10] eventually resulting in the General Motors Chapter 11 reorganization of 2009. By February 2009, GM announced that rather than a new plant, the existing plant would be retooled for FamZero.[4] That October, GM announced it was investing $200 million to complete the retooling, with production scheduled to start in late 2010.[11] In November 2010, GM announced additional investments in Flint to increase production to a planned 1,200 FamZero engines per day by the end of 2012.[7]
The plant was renamed to Flint Engine Operations in approximately 2011.[12] GM announced a $215 million investment in 2013 for the Flint plant, which included plans to retool and upgrade the plant to accommodate production of the new GM small gasoline engine (SGE) and updated HFV6 engines;[13] the SGE was scheduled to replace the FamZero.[14] When the second-generation Chevrolet Colorado was unveiled for North America that November, GM announced the optional 3.6L HFV6 engine would be built at Flint.[15] By 2015, Flint Engine Operations had built one million FamZero engines, shortly before shifting production to the 1.5L SGE I4 "Ecotec".[16]
In January 2018, GM announced it would assemble the Duramax I6 engine at Flint Engine Operations.[2] Five years later, in January 2023, GM announced it would invest $579 million to add an assembly line at Flint for the sixth-generation small-block V8 gasoline engines.[17]
Products
edit- 1.5L SGE Turbo I4 "Ecotec"[18]
- 3.0L Turbodiesel I6 LM2 & LZ0 "Baby Duramax"[19][20]
Former products
edit- 1.4L I4 LUU "Voltec"[21]
- 1.4L Turbo I4 LUJ / LUV "FamZero"[22]
- 3.6L DI V6 LY7 & LFX "High Feature"[4][15]
- 3.7L I5 LLR "Vortec 3700"[4]
- 4.2L I6 LL8 "Vortec 4200"[3]
Product applications
editAs of September 2022:[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Flint Engine Op Archived 2022-09-11 at the Wayback Machine at GM.com
- ^ a b Fonger, Ron (January 17, 2018). "GM's Flint Engine Operations will build Chevy Silverado turbo-diesel engine". Michigan Live. Archived from the original on 23 January 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
- ^ a b Cobb, James G. (June 10, 2001). "A Straight Approach to a New Engine". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
- ^ a b c d Fonger, Ron (February 24, 2009). "Chevrolet Volt engine to be built at Flint Engine South". MLive. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ McNabb, Mark (October 21, 2016). "The Forgotten Inline Engine: GM's 4.2-liter Atlas I-6". Top Speed. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ Fonger, Ron (January 19, 2023). "GM to make 'positive plant manufacturing announcement' at Flint Engine". Michigan Live. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
- ^ a b Bailey, David (November 24, 2010). "GM to invest $163 million at three plants". Reuters. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ "GM breaks ground on new additions at Flint Engine facility". NBC25 Mid-Michigan Now. December 5, 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ Fonger, Ron (September 25, 2008). "GM expected to announce new engine plant for Flint". Michigan Live. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
- ^ Krolicki, Kevin (December 17, 2008). "GM suspends major work on Flint engine plant". Reuters. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ Woodall, Bernie (October 13, 2009). "Key GM engine plant to be running by late 2010". Reuters. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ Fonger, Ron (February 2, 2011). "General Motors cancels part of second shift at Flint Engine Operations". MLive. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ Jewett, Dale (April 3, 2013). "GM Preps For New Engines, 8-Speed Transmission". Autoweek. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ Woodall, Bernie (March 19, 2014). "GM to build 2.5 million new 'Ecotec' small engines by 2017". Reuters. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ a b Allen, Jeremy (November 20, 2013). "General Motors unveils Flint-built V6 engine for new Chevrolet Colorado trucks at Flint Engine plant". MLive. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ Adams, Dominic (August 27, 2015). "GM builds milionth 1.4-liter engine, will shift production to Ecotec". The Flint Journal. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ LaReau, Jamie L. (January 20, 2023). "GM to invest close to $1B in 4 US factories, 2 in Michigan". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
- ^ "GM 1.5-Liter Turbo I4 Ecotec LFV Engine". GM Authority. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ "GM Duramax 3.0-Liter I-6 LM2 Turbo Diesel Engine". GM Authority. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ "GM Duramax 3.0-Liter I-6 LZ0 Turbo Diesel Engine". GM Authority. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ "GM 1.4 Liter I4 LUU Engine". GM Authority. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ "GM 1.4 Liter Turbo I4 Ecotec LUJ/LUV Engine". GM Authority. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
