Straddling two cities – Detroit and Hamtramck, Michigan – is Factory ZERO, GM’s first fully dedicated electric vehicle assembly plant. Formerly known as Detroit-Hamtramck, the plant was built in 1985 and has manufactured more than 3 million vehicles over the years. Today, it’s been transformed into Factory ZERO. Some of the first vehicles built at the plant will be the GMC Hummer EV pickup and SUV, the Chevrolet Silverado electric pickup truck and the Cruise Origin, a purpose-built electric, self-driving, shared vehicle.
The plant’s updates include:
- Renovating and retooling the general assembly area
- Constructing a brand-new automated storage building addition for GM’s Ultium battery assembly
- Upgrading battery assembly with new, contemporary tooling
- Modernizing and adding enhanced tooling to the paint shop
- Renewing and refurbishing the body shop
In November 2020, Factory ZERO became the first U.S. automotive plant to install Verizon’s 5G Ultra-Wideband technology, GM says. Key benefits of 5G in a manufacturing plant include reliability, speed and sheer scale. 5G’s massive bandwidth offers the possibility to manage thousands of devices across Factory ZERO’s footprint, with ample capacity to support emerging technologies.
Factory ZERO will help contribute to GM’s commitment to source 100% of its U.S. facilities with renewable energy by 2030. In fact, all DTE-supplied GM facilities in southeast Michigan, including Factory ZERO, will be powered by renewable energy by 2023. The factory also features a 30-kilowatt solar carport and 516-kilowatt solar array from DTE.
During the plant’s physical transition, concrete waste was repurposed to create temporary roadways. Factory ZERO is also a certified wildlife habitat site featuring pollinator grasslands and formal native-plant gardens that are home to species such as monarchs, foxes and turkeys.
Today, the internet of things is transforming manufacturing plants like Factory ZERO, enabling connected devices to deliver important benefits to quality and safety, GM says. Countless systems and equipment rely on connectivity, such as robotics, sensors and the Automated Guided Vehicles that deliver materials across the factory floor.
