Eco-Friendly Car Production hits North America

Narrator: Contrary to popular opinion, manufacturing jobs are no longer on the decline in North America. Due in large part to new production methods and energy efficient factories like the one in Lake Orion, Michigan. Here 1500 employees work in a newly remodeled plant that has dramatically reduced its coal burning, with help from an unusual source.

Rob Threlkheld: Coal is not a clean source of energy. And through the years we’ve been able to optimize both energy efficiency within the plant as well as bringing in landfill gas that have reduced our emissions. Here at Orion Assembly it just made sense. You have two big landfills that are literally within a mile of the facility to actually reduce our coal usage well over 50%.

Narrator: And with big improvements to the plant, most notably in the paint shop, the reduction in coal use and expense should decrease even further.

Rich Engam: You are looking at the three-way application process that we implemented at the paint shop here at Orion. It puts down the primer, the base coat and the clear coat all in one application. We went from a two mega-watt hour vehicle shop down to a one mega-watt hour vehicle, and that is an energy star rated shop.

Narrator: The savings from the use of landfill gas and upgraded facilities means that Chevrolet can build the all-new Sonic here in the US, the first small car built here over forty years.