GM to Idle Lordstown Complex for Three Weeks

LORDSTOWN, Ohio – Production at the General Motors assembly plant in Lordstown will shut down for three weeks in March, GM has announced.

To align with market demand, the Lordstown Assembly Complex will be shut down the weeks of March 13, 20 and 27. The idling of the plant was announced in December, with the dates announced Monday.

On Jan. 20, about 800 workers were laid off at the complex’s two plants due to slumping small-car sales.

Sales of the Chevrolet Cruze, which is built at the Lordstown Assembly, dropped 16.6% nationwide last year, while the Chevy brand as a whole rose nearly 13%. In the Mahoning Valley, Cruze sales dropped 4.4% in 2016 from a year earlier.

In December, General Motors announced that it would temporarily close five plants – including Lordstown – to allow market demand to catch up with production. At the time, GM had enough Malibus to last dealers 84 days and enough Camaros to last 177. In general, manufacturers aim to keep a 60-day supply.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.