GM Targets Productivity at Antwerp Astra Plant

ANTWERP – General Motors Corp. is seeking a 27% reduction in the number of hours it takes to build a vehicle at its Opel Astra plant here.

By the time production of the next-generation Astra begins in 2008, the auto maker expects an hours-per-vehicle (HPV) rate of 16, down from the current 22, says Kurt Lievens, a production supervisor.

Asked which competitive plants Antwerp is ...