Insourcing at GM
Teamwork keeps compressor jobs at Fort Wayne plant
Centrifugal air compressors.
The name alone conjures up visions of something big, powerful and complex.
These behemoths stand 5 feet tall, are the length of a minivan and run on 1,500 horsepower. Weighing 7.5 tons, it takes a 15-ton crane to move them.
At General Motors’ Fort Wayne (Ind.) Assembly Powerhouse facility – where 2,750 UAW Local 2209 members build full-size Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups – five compressors provide air to the plant, with three running simultaneously on each shift.
Due to normal wear and tear, the hulky compressors must be rebuilt every five years or so.
That’s where the UAW stationary engineer skilled-trades team comes in.
In the past, they’ve always done compressor rebuilds in house. But last fall, GM thought they had a better idea: outsource the work to Kentucky. Management didn’t think the rebuild could be done on time, feared lost production and wrongly assumed it would be cheaper to outsource.
The 14-man Powerhouse team put together a plan of action, and with the support of their local union leadership convinced the company to reconsider.
“It was work we’d done in the past, and we didn’t want to lose it,” said Don Lockwood, 53, a 21-year veteran stationary engineer. “We said it was a one-shot deal and persuaded management to try it.”
Yet GM remained concerned there would be problems pulling the water coolers out of the massive compressors.
The stationary engineers worked closely with their fellow Local 2209 toolmakers – including Tim Mahnenship and Bill Gooley – who decided they could help the Powerhouse team by redesigning the “pooler puller,” a delicate tool used to pull out the cooler in the compressor.
It proved to be a winning combination improving the safety and speed of the work, along with cost savings to GM.
“We said if we had any problems, we’d be honest and forthright about it with the company,” said Marvin Toran, 52, also a stationary engineer with 27 years at the plant.
Toran said they worked around the clock with several tradesmen on each shift. “We had our part done in a week, and it was shipped out for another rebuild phase for a couple of weeks,” he said. “Then it came back here to be reassembled.”
“There was a real spirit of cooperation, and it was a total team effort,” said John Lothamer, 48, with 21 years as a UAW skilled tradesman.
But the guys don’t consider it a big deal. To them, it’s just what they do.
Said seven-year tradesmen Rob Whitehair, 43: “We’re just turning wrenches.”
