A Critical Parts Factory for the 2020 Corvette Stayed Open Despite the Coronavirus Shutdowns

By
Keith Cornett
-
5
5618

A Critical Parts Factory for the 2020 Corvette Stayed Open Despite the Coronavirus Shutdowns


When General Motors shuttered their factories in mid-March to deal with the Coronavirus, one plant in North America stayed operational as a skeleton crew of volunteer workers continued to make the aluminum chassis parts for the 2020 Corvette.

Those critical chassis parts are made at the GM facility in Bedford, Indiana.

A GM spokesman told the New York Times that starting in April, Bedford began running three shifts per day with about 20 workers per shift instead of the usual 250 hourly workers that would normally be on-site. Manufacturing parts for other vehicles were paused at the facility as the plant workers focused exclusively on parts for the Corvette.

By keeping Bedford going during the shutdown, GM said the continuing operation at the plant would help reduce a chassis shortage and was aimed at getting Corvette production moving again once the Corvette Assembly Plant reopens in Bowling Green.

GM announced earlier this week that production operations would be resuming on May 18th.

A Critical Parts Factory for the 2020 Corvette Stayed Open Despite the Coronavirus Shutdowns


The C8 Corvette’s aluminum frame is 10% stiffer than the previous generation and much of that has to do with the six high-pressure diecast aluminum parts known as the “Bedford Six”. These parts from the Bedford plant help “minimize the number of joints within the vehicle, making a stiffer structure that aids in handing and track cornering,” said Chevrolet in a previous news release.

The spokesman for GM says the Bedford plant is one of three facilities where production work continued. A plant in Arlington, TX remained opened for 10 days to finish the final builds of an outgoing SUV, and another plant in Lockport N.Y. returned to work for building parts for servicing existing vehicles. Only the Bedford, Indiana plant has stayed operational during the entire coronavirus shutdown according to the Times.


Source:
New York Times

Related:
Chevrolet to Build Even More 2020 Corvettes Upon Return to Manufacturing
[VIDEO] General Motors Outlines Safety Measures for Resuming Automotive Manufacturing
Kentucky To End Coronavirus Restrictions for Manufacturing Beginning May 11th

 



-

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

5 COMMENTS

  2. Perhaps we should put GM in charge of our “Intelligence Community” in the USA. They managed to keep the information from leaking out that they were building the basic building block of the C8 in Indiana, in secrecy. Thus, there are plenty of C8 skeletons available, now to build cars. Clearly, other than the number of transmissions (will there be a new supplier?) available, a lot of Corvettes will be built this month. GM has to decided when in the next 2.5 months, that it will commence with the 2021 C8 Corvettes. We now know that cars will be built in their entirety, shortly, and then delivered to those with pending orders. AF

  4. Okay I had one week before my new corvette was going to production when the plant shut down, and now the plant will open on the 18th? Will I be one week away or is it going to take longer to get rolling? It is an LT-3 Z51 package loaded. Order# XJCTF-8 how long before The corvette museumme starts taking pictures as it goes down the production line? Yes I got that also. I went all out amd paying cash for the car!

  5. PS I am also a two time cancer survivor and I have managed to dodge all this Covid19 Crap so I do want all the workers to be careful and safe. It will be my last car but I do not want anyone being unsafe just to make me happy. Thanks
    Jack

Comments are closed.