History of General Motors. History of General Motors Production of General Motors in Russia

At the end of last week, production of the new generation Opel Astra began at the GM plant. Today, this is the fourth model launched at the General Motors plant in the village of Shushary near St. Petersburg. Taking this opportunity, we continue our series of excursions to the factories of the largest manufacturers operating in Russia.

The plant of the American company began its work a little less than two years ago - on November 7, 2008. To build it, it was necessary to pay 300 million dollars - a considerable amount, but the design capacity of the plant is 60,000 units per year - this is 10,000 more than at the Nissan plant in Kamenka.

Initially, only two models were assembled at the enterprise - the Chevrolet Captiva and Opel Antara crossovers, but already in August 2009, the Chevrolet Cruze joined them. At present. According to Hans Jürgen Michel, CEO of GM Auto, it was not at all easy to launch such a number of models in that short period, but “modern flexible production equipment and a young, motivated team of employees made it possible to solve a difficult task.”

It is noteworthy that before the launch of production of the new Opel Astra, the plant worked only one shift. Now everything has changed - with the appearance of a new model on the assembly line, the plant switched to a two-shift mode and, accordingly, recruited 700 new employees. From now on, the total number of the enterprise was over 1,500 people. Of course, all new employees underwent special training - during intensive months-long training on the unified international GM production system. Hans Jürgen Michel is convinced: “The GM Auto plant operates to the same high standards as GM plants around the world.” So Russian buyers should not worry about build quality.

The GM assembly plant in Shushary, minus a few nuances, is very similar to the Nissan plant in Kamenka. Car assembly is carried out here through a full cycle, including welding and painting of bodies. As in Kamenka, the Dzhiemovsky plant has a low level of automation - manual labor is widespread at all stages of production. Welding is done manually, using various manipulators, and the finished bodies are rolled between stations directly on carts. The only robot in the entire assembly shop, like at the plant in Kamenka, applies glue to the glass before installing it.

As at the Nissan plant, different models are mixed along the assembly line. After welding, the bodies that have passed the mandatory inspection are sent to the painting shop, where not only the paint coating is applied, but also anti-corrosion treatment is carried out. Then the car begins to acquire details: lighting equipment, doors, trunk and hood. And a little later - interior elements.

Then the long-awaited moment occurs - the meeting of the body and chassis, which move along the conveyor along a parallel line. A special automatic trolley helps connect the engine and transmission to the prepared body.

Workers only lift the units to the required height and fasten the connections. At the final stage of assembly, wheels are put on the car and it is filled with process fluids, after which the finished car goes to the quality control stand.

However, careful control is carried out at all stages of production - as at the Nissan plant, most defects are eliminated directly on the assembly line. The algorithm is as follows: if the problem cannot be solved within the allotted time, the assembler gives a signal to the foreman, who takes the car under his responsibility and continues to fix the problem at the next post. In this case, the conveyor does not stop, and this is the main difference from the Nissan plant system.

The last point is to check the car on a test track. At this stage, extraneous noises or squeaks are identified, as well as the serviceability of all equipment. If necessary, the car is returned to production to fix problems, and if everything is in order, the car is sent to the finished product site.

The conveyor's throughput capacity is 15 new cars, and with the introduction of a second shift, the plant will be able to produce up to 240 cars daily (87,600 per year). At the same time, the Nissan plant, even at full capacity, cannot produce more than 139 cars per day (50,000 per year).

Now about the prospects of the model itself. In 1.5 months, about 3,000 orders were received for the new Opel Astra. This means that the first cars that will be assembled in the near future have already been purchased. However, no specific production volumes appear to be planned. The number of cars produced will be determined solely by demand - like their colleagues, GM representatives prefer to “work for the customer.”

Main goals

• improvement of production culture;
• improving the quality of products;
• development of a modern dealer network.

Thus, the main task of the enterprise is to take the place of a full-fledged manufacturer of high-quality, competitive, affordable cars in the markets of Russia and the CIS countries.

Mission of GM-AVTOVAZ

• Every buyer gets the best car and the best service.
• Every employee has real opportunities for professional growth.

Values ​​of GM-AVTOVAZ

• Always think about the customer and the product. Work with the idea that you are creating and producing a car for yourself;
• Constantly improve everything around you;
• Act quickly;
• Work as a single team;
• Be honest and open in everything you do.

Innovation

Like all GM factories, the company's production process is based on the implementation of the flexible GM-GMS system, which ensures low-cost, resource-saving production and minimizes costs of any kind, ensuring high quality products. This is achieved not only through strict input and output control, but also through a well-developed system of standardized procedures for such control, as well as appropriate training and motivation of personnel. Since July 1, 2002, the company has introduced and successfully operates a modern automated management system - SAP.

Project history

On June 27, 2001, representatives of General Motors, AVTOVAZ and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development signed a General Framework Agreement on the establishment of the enterprise. The joint venture itself was created at the founding meeting on July 30, 2001 and received registration with the Russian Ministry of Justice on August 2, 2001.

The parties' contribution to the authorized capital of the joint venture amounted to 238.2 million US dollars:

• General Motors - 99.1 million in cash and equipment (41.61%);
• AVTOVAZ - 99.1 million in intellectual property (patents, certificates and trademark for the NIVA car, model 2121), engineering systems, buildings and structures (41.61%);
• European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) - $40 million in cash (16.78%) and a $100 million loan.

Investments

The total investment in the project is 338.2 million US dollars.

• 82.3 million - cash;
• 63.6 million - intellectual property;
• 92.3 million - cost of equipment;
• 100 million - EBRD loan.

Staff

One of the main tasks of GM-AVTOVAZ is to provide the enterprise with qualified personnel. For this purpose, the company cooperates with a number of recruiting agencies, both in Tolyatti and other regions of Russia, which provide assistance in personnel selection. When a vacancy arises, the relevant information with the requirements for a candidate for the position is posted in the company in the public domain to provide an opportunity for interested JV employees to take part in the selection. The decision to select a candidate is made based on the results of the interview collectively by the head of the structural unit and a representative of the HR directorate.

As for personnel training, in 2010 GM-AVTOVAZ launched a “conveyor line simulator or workflow simulation” for the purpose of training and adaptation of newly hired employees and to further familiarize existing personnel with the organization of production. This is a training environment that simulates the production line at GM-AVTOVAZ, where the employee learns about standardized work and the rules of “built-in quality”. The training is also aimed at teaching teamwork skills, communicating the goals and values ​​of the organization in a practical form that is as close to reality as possible.

The company actively develops its staff by training and improving their skills. The main direction of planning and organizing annual types of training is a strategy focused on the needs of the organization. For example, in 2010, the management team and key specialists of the enterprise were trained on the topic “Conflict Management”.

The company continues to actively involve internal resources in training - specialists who are experts in their field.

As of August 2017, the total number of employees of JSC GM-AVTOVAZ is about 1,200 people.

Environmental Policy

CJSC GM-AVTOVAZ, as a car manufacturer, is aware of its full responsibility for preserving the environment and assumes the following obligations:

• prevent environmental pollution;
• carry out activities in accordance with the requirements of legislation in the field of environmental protection, the requirements of the Environmental Management System of JSC GM-AVTOVAZ, the corporate requirements of General Motors and other requirements applicable to the environmental aspects of the enterprise;
• constantly improve the Environmental Management System;
• rational use of natural resources;
• require all company personnel to carry out work in accordance with current rules and regulations for environmental protection;
• train personnel in order to increase their level of environmental awareness and understanding of personal responsibility for the state of the environment;
• organize work according to the principle: it is easier to anticipate and prevent pollution than to eliminate its consequences;
• plan, monitor and improve the environmental performance of its activities in order to reduce its impact on the environment.

I was lucky enough to spend the whole day in the company of employees of the General Motors plant in St. Petersburg. We walked through all the workshops and conveyor lines of the enterprise and did not notice how the whole shift flew by. We got so carried away that we even skipped lunch in the incredible factory canteen.

Perhaps for the tenth time I will repeat that by education I am a car designer, even though I work as a photographer and do not draw cars, I still understand a little about the issue of automotive engineering. I even did an internship at ZIL back in 2004... Therefore, such production facilities are especially interesting to me.
And we were lucky. Kolya and I were one of the few who were taken into the holy of holies, into the most sterile area - the body painting shop and, what is even more surprising, we were allowed into the chambers where cars are painted by robots - there had never been any guests there before us.

1. Installation of equipment in the plant’s workshops began in January 2008, and the official opening of the enterprise took place in November of the same year.

2. At the Russian plant, as at all other GM production sites around the world, a single global system is used, covering all areas of production organization - from the shape, size of workshops and the method of delivery and arrangement of components in the operator’s work area, to methods for performing standard operations and implementation of quality control directly in the process of work.

Many have probably heard about the principle of lean manufacturing and ensuring the efficiency of production and supply chains... Constant quality control, order everywhere, all tools are always in their place, and so on... So at this enterprise everything is ok. Impressed by the plant, I marked out areas in my closet for tools, a stepladder, and a vacuum cleaner. Now I'm in complete order too)

3. Car production at the plant in St. Petersburg begins with the welding shop. On an area of ​​9,000 square meters, the workshop personnel are engaged in the production of car bodies. The logistics department is responsible for receiving, unpacking, and is also responsible for delivering parts to stations in the assembly and welding shop.

4. Welding operations are performed manually using resistance welding method. On the conveyor, one can guess the bottom of the trunk and a niche for a spare wheel.

5. Body welding takes place in 7 main stages. In the first three stages, the engine compartment, front and rear floors, inner and outer sidewalls are subassembled, and the floor is completely welded. To eliminate the possibility of a defect, all operators perform standard work, but to avoid monotony within teams, rotation is carried out and, as a rule, an employee can work at all stations of his team.

6. At the plant in St. Petersburg there are no stamping shops with huge multi-ton presses that create micro-earthquakes. Stamped parts for the welding shop are supplied to the plant from the European Union and Korea. In Russia, stamping production is only partially localized.

7. You can see what large stamping shops are in my report from Rüsselsheim in Germany.

11. In this workshop, each body receives about 2800 weld points.

12. At the penultimate stage of body assembly, the canopy of the wings, doors, hood and trunk is carried out, and the gaps are set. At the stage of final processing of the body, it is cleaned and polished.

13. Why don't engineers like designers? Because the designer comes up with a beautiful shape on paper, and the engineer thinks about how to recreate the drawings in reality, in all the smallest details, and so that everything then works and drives, without making noise and smelling good.

Here it is - the work of a design engineer.

14. At all stages of assembly, constant quality control and search for possible defects are carried out. In addition, random quality checks of welded points are carried out. In a special compartment, using ultrasonic diagnostics, gaps and differences in the interfaces of the hinged panels are checked.

16. High-precision equipment measures the geometry of the body. The actual parameters are compared with a mathematical model of the body.

17. After passing through all stages, the body leaves the welding shop and is sent to the next painting shop, which occupies an area of ​​2500 square meters and is located on three levels. Once in the painting shop, the body on a specially equipped overhead conveyor enters the preparation line, where it goes through the stages of preliminary cleaning, degreasing and phosphating, followed by the application of anti-corrosion primer.

18. The painting process is the most difficult in automotive production, so outsiders are not allowed here. The requirements for cleanliness and order in the workshop are extremely high: work is carried out in lint-free overalls, one of the floors is almost completely occupied by equipment for air purification down to five and two microns.

19. Processing of bodies before painting is carried out by spraying and immersing the body in special baths. The tempo, immersion time and chemical consumption are controlled by a programmable controller installed on the conveyor.

20. The prepared body is subjected to cathophoresis treatment to provide basic anti-corrosion protection. After diving, the bodies are sent to the oven.

22. After treatment, the body receives an anti-corrosion guarantee.

24. The primer is applied to the suitably prepared body by robots.

25. After the next stove, the fixed soil layer is checked for defects; if any are found, the body will be moved to a special area and the defects will be eliminated.

27. The painting shop is as automated as possible.

28. Only areas that are difficult for the robot to reach, such as the inside of the hood, trunk lid, doors, and so on, are painted manually.

30. Further application of paint is carried out using robots, which can paint cars in 8 different colors.

31. Cars can be painted in any order in any color in any quantity. It turns out that, for example, four cars from one batch of a camera can be painted black, then, by changing the settings, the next four cars can be painted white, and so on.

32. Applying metallic.

33. There is absolutely no smell of paint in the entire paint shop. That is, absolutely! Thanks to some magical recirculation and air purification, all excess paint immediately flies through the grate in the floor into a special solution.

34. The vehicle goes from the paint shop directly to the waxing chamber, where operators in sealed suits apply wax into hard-to-reach holes for added corrosion resistance. After drying, the conveyor with the painted bodies goes to the third assembly shop.

35. The car is moved onto the interior finishing conveyor line. Manipulators are used to carry out the installation of all heavy elements: thanks to them, installation of the front panel, glass, seats and doors takes a matter of minutes.

36. From the outside, such operations are similar to installing the brain into the skull.

37. The car dashboard with wires and pedals hanging on the manipulator is carefully inserted by the operator through the front door opening into the car interior.

39. The assembly shop occupies about 12 thousand square meters and is designed in the shape of the letter “T”, including two car interior finishing lines, a chassis assembly line, a final assembly area and sub-assembly areas. This form of workshop arrangement is typical for General Motors and provides maximum convenience for the delivery of components to conveyor lines.

Gluing glass, despite its apparent simplicity, is a high-tech process - a robot is used to accurately apply the insulating material to the glass.

40. The engine subassembly line and the engine-transmission coupling station are designed to work with different models: at the “marriage” station (where the body is combined with the engine and transmission), robotic carts self-position using the WiFi system, and the “hangers” that feed the bodies “understand » what type of body is being transported and to what height should it be lowered.

The photo clearly shows the car body and separately its suspension, which is automatically moved on a robotic cart.

41. The process of “marriage”. The transmission is gradually raised to body height while the operator attaches and screws something.

43. The last assembly stage is the “chassis” line, where process fluids are filled, the car stands on its own wheels for the first time and is independently sent to additional quality control stations.

45. At quality control stations, a complete inspection of the vehicle is carried out for the presence of internal and external defects. Each car is sent for an alignment/camber test, a rain chamber, a dynamic test and a check for squeaks and noises.

46. ​​Today, the GM plant in St. Petersburg simultaneously produces Chevrolet Cruze and Opel Astra cars in sedan and hatchback bodies. It is planned to launch the Chevrolet Tahoe using the SKD method soon. But that's a completely different story.

47. Thank you for your attention!

We managed to talk briefly with a person closely familiar with the situation at the assembly plant in Shushary, and here is a short interview with him.

Kolesa.ru:– Was the announcement of the shutdown of production a surprise for the plant staff?

Source:- Of course, no one expected this. Yes, last year was difficult for us, we laid off a large number of staff, but working on one shift allowed us to retain the remaining workers, even in a falling market.

Pictured: GM assembly line

TO:– When did you learn about the plans to shut down production? AND:– We found out along with everyone else from the official message on the website and publications in the media. TO:– Have there been any problems with production capacity utilization in recent months? AND:– No, our production plan was designed to cover market needs. TO:– Is the plant stopped now? AND:– The main conveyor was stopped, but the SKD SKD assembly remained. TO:– When did you dismiss the main staff? AND:– The main production staff of the assembly line, where, for example, Cruz and Astra were assembled, were dismissed on March 19. There was a plant-wide meeting at which they announced that production would stop from that day, workers would be paid compensation and everyone could go home. TO:– So people were thrown out of the plant? AND:- In no case. Management spoke in detail about plans to stop production and compensation for staff. To avoid provocations and uncontrolled actions, and since the assembly line was no longer working, the workers were transported to their homes by corporate buses. This is a common practice of large industrial enterprises.

In the photo: the body painting line of the GM plant

Photo from the official GM website

TO:– What is the compensation paid to the workers? AND:– Everyone will be paid 7 salaries. TO:– Did this suit everyone? AND:- There are always dissatisfied people. TO:– If the plant is reopened, for example in a year, will all the personnel be taken back? AND:- This was not reported. Let us add that the mothballing of production does not mean that the plant will be closed and dismantled. The equipment will not be dismantled; security and minimal technical and accounting personnel will remain. According to Koles, last year the plant was preparing for a major modernization of painting equipment, but the sanctions imposed in the summer suspended this process and the equipment was not even imported into the country. In addition, the plant has invested several million dollars in new wastewater treatment facilities, which were launched only a few months ago.

In the photo: satellite view of the plant

Also, we must not forget that the big drop in sales of Opel and Chevrolet was not yet the biggest. For example, Honda lost 90% of its customers in February, Suzuki - 76%, but these companies publicly announced that they do not plan to leave, although they depend on the exchange rate even more than GM, since they export their entire model range. Therefore, there is less and less doubt that the decision to leave Opel and Chevrolet was more political. If the situation in the domestic economy does not improve, then the next St. Petersburg plant to stop production could be Ford, which is also controlled from overseas. The Japanese Toyota and Nissan, as well as the Korean Hyundai-Kia, will obviously last longer, but no one can guess.

General Motors announced the imminent closure of the GM Korea plant in Gunsan (Jollabuk-do province): the company will cease operations until the end of May, and two thousand of its employees will be laid off. This is one of four plants purchased by General Motors in 2002 along with the bankrupt passenger branch of Daewoo (the truck division was acquired by the Indian Tata, and the bus branch went autonomous).

By the way, GM owns only 77% of GM Korea: another 6% belongs to the Chinese concern SAIC, and 17.02% is owned by the state-owned Korea Development Bank, which until October last year had a veto right on the sale of assets. It was this circumstance that prevented the Americans from cutting production earlier, because in 2014-2016, the GM Korea division brought them $1.8 billion in losses, which were associated with the departure of the Chevrolet brand from Europe, where mainly Korean-made cars were sold. It is curious that the Chevrolet brand, according to GM functionaries, cannibalized the sales of Opel cars, but after the sale of the European branch to the French last year, the concern practically disappeared from the Old World market.

GM Gunsan Plant

Currently, the Kunsan plant produces two models: the Chevrolet Cruze (in the main photo) and the Orlando. And if the first of them is also produced in China and the USA, then for the Orlando minivan this is the only plant. According to JEM employees, the enterprise has been operating for the last three years at approximately 20% of its planned capacity (260 thousand cars per year), which leads to an increase in the cost of the product. Closing the plant will cost GM $850 million in compensation for laid-off workers and other technical expenses. By the way, the costs of mothballing the General Motors St. Petersburg plant and curtailing sales of mass-produced cars in Russia cost the Americans a little less - $600 million.

Chevrolet Orlando

But that's not all: at the end of February, after the end of negotiations with the Korean government, a detailed plan for the reorganization of the GM Korea division was promised. After the closure of the Kunsan site, it will remain two car assembly plants, a transmission plant and a screwdriver assembly branch in Vietnam: the total number of personnel will be more than 15 thousand employees.

GM management explains the reduction in its activity in the world by the interests of shareholders who do not want to suffer losses. But the scale to which the once huge concern has shrunk is curious. In recent years, General Motors has withdrawn from the markets of Russia, Europe, Indonesia and Thailand, closed one of its factories in India and Holden production in Australia, and also transferred the South African automobile plant to the Japanese company Isuzu. Now, obviously, South Korea is next in line. At this rate, GM may in the near future remain only in the US and Chinese markets.