GM plant closing not expected to stall Detroit’s rebound
Posted December 8, 2018 5:42 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
DETROIT — General Motors’ planned shutdown of its Detroit-Hamtramck plant would leave only one auto assembly factory in the city known for “putting America on wheels,” but the closure and job losses are not expected to stall-out Detroit’s comeback since its 2014 bankruptcy exit.
A more tech-driven and medical industry economy is moving Detroit further from a reliance on manufacturing.
GM wants to close four facilities in the United States and one in Canada. About 1,500 people work at the Detroit-Hamtramck plant.
Fiat-Chrysler also has an assembly plant in Detroit and is expected to open a second smaller one nearby for the 2021 model year.
Ned Staebler, CEO of small business incubator TechTown, says “manufacturing is now a tech industry — you don’t have to hire as many people to make as much stuff.”
Corey Williams, The Associated Press
