2004: Lansing Delta Township
2004: Lansing Delta Township Starts Construction
"Building on our heritage, we commit to building the world's finest vehicles in an environment that supports and empowers our team members." LDT Mission Statement -- April 28, 2004"
General Motors started construction of Lansing Delta Township assembly complex (LDT) in January, 2004. The facility is comprised of six buildings: stamping/body shop, paint, general assembly/administration, a visitor's center, a central utilities complex and an environmental recycling facility. The complex (both LDT and Lansing Regional Stamping) covers 320 acres with over 3.4 million square feet under roof. GM invested almost $2 billion in the complex: $330 million in Lansing Regional Stamping, $1 billion in LDT and $500 million in tooling for the new products. The new plant is located in Delta Township, Michigan, at 8175 Millett Highway.
Lansing Delta Township (LDT) is critical to GM's global manufacturing strategy, and sets the world standard for a state-of-the-art, innovative, high-tech automotive manufacturing facility of the future. The facility was designed using 3-D math modeling.
The assembly complex is represented by UAW Local 602. A stamping plant, called Lansing Regional Stamping, is represented by UAW Local 652. The stamping plant adjoins the LDT body shop and supports both LDT and Lansing Grand River.
The plant started regular production in the fourth quarter of 2006 on two shifts and building two products (Saturn Outlook and GMC Acadia). A third product, the Buick Enclave, was added approximately four months after SORP. Based on the Lambda architecture, the three vehicles have been designed and engineered from the ground up. From the outset, they were designed to be true crossover vehicles in terms of utility, proportions and performance. These vehicles are coming to a market that is ripe for customers demanding better fuel economy (estimated 17 city/25 highway) without compromising utility. GM's goal with these vehicles is to increase conquest sales in the rapidly evolving crossover market.
Lansing Delta Township has received a gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. The facility is the only automotive manufacturing plant - as well as the largest facility and the most complex manufacturing site - to ever receive any level of LEED certification. The gold certification recognizes a higher level of performance in energy efficiency and environmentally friendly design and construction.
The LEED certification program is a globally recognized process that uses common standards to define "green buildings." Its goal is to support the design and construction of buildings that reduce or eliminate negative impacts on the environment. Lansing Delta Township is one of about 500 buildings worldwide that are LEED certified at any level - of these buildings, only a third are certified at the gold level.
Some of the environmental highlights of the Lansing Delta Township plant include:
- Water use has been reduced by 45 percent, for a savings of over 4.1 million gallons of water annually.
- Rainwater is collected from the roof, based on a cutting-edge roof drain system. It is then stored in cisterns above rest rooms and is used to flush toilets.
- Energy efficiency was designed into every system, resulting in energy costs that are 45 percent lower than industry standards, with a projected savings of $1 million per year.
- Bright task lighting and lower overall lighting reduced lighting energy used in the plant by 50 percent.
- The 1.5 million square foot roof is made of a special white polymer that does not absorb heat, resulting in reduced costs to cool the building.
- The facility has also set aside 75 acres for a wildlife habitat area.
- The LDT paint shop uses environmentally friendly technology: including lead free ELPO, powder prime, water based color and a fully abated clear-coat.