McPherson, owner of Mt. Carmel Stabilization in Mt. Carmel, Ill, watched step by step on Thursday as his white Chevrolet Silverado Extended Cab became truck No. 5.5 million. He even installed the plate bearing the Vehicle Identification Number of his new truck as it moved down the assembly line on Thursday, March 31st.
McPherson, Jim Wilderman (owner of Patriot GM Superstore in Princeton) and Marsha Bosecker, the store’s Internet sales manager, arrived at the plant about 8 am, just as the truck began its journey through General Assembly. At each stop along the way, United Auto Workers team members explained their operation and offered the guests some hands-on experience, showing them what it takes to build a Silverado.
The truck had been driven off the final line, through a celebratory banner, and passed all quality inspections by 2:45 pm. Commemorative photographs were taken and McPherson drove home.
The production facilities, located in Roanoke, IN, currently make the Chevy Silverado 1500 2WD, 4WD, plus the GMC Sierra 1500, 2500 HD, 3500 HD 2WD, 4WD. General Motors Fort Wayne Assembly, North America’s most productive truck assembly plant, employs over 3,000 people. Back in 2005, the plant received a $175 million investment for product readiness of the GMT900 launch.
Most recently, in October 2009, GM re-engineered and converted all major areas of the facility to accommodate production of the 2011 Heavy Duty Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra with an investment of over $46 million for this latest project.
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