New Centerpiece

General Motors Corp. dedicated its new Vehicle Engineering Center in Warren, MI, June 18, completing what arguably is the most significant investment of the $6 billion spent by the auto maker in southeast Michigan since 1996.

The 2.2 million-sq.-ft. (204,387-sq.-m) facility, located on the grounds of the GM Technical Center, is the cornerstone of the auto maker's strategic plan to consolidate vehicle engineering functions formerly performed at locations throughout metropolitan Detroit.

The complex will house 8,000 employees from GM's engineering and design groups, as well as purchasing, product analysis, validation and facilities operations.

While reducing product-development time and expenses, the facility also will help GM in highly competitive recruiting efforts for engineers and designers. Many of the other buildings on the sprawling 46-year-old suburban campus are dated architecturally — lacking a visual atmosphere that suggests the Technical Center is one of the world's greatest innovation hubs.

“The building we are inaugurating today, we believe, is the most-advanced facility of its kind in the world,” GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner tells the media and employees gathered for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The VEC's centerpiece is a new 960,000-sq.-ft. (89,186.9-sq.-m) 8-story tower. It is located adjacent to a recently renovated building containing about 1.2 million sq.-ft. (111,484 sq.-m). An artificial lake surrounds a good portion of the engineering center.

GM has been consolidating its engineering operations since 1992, some scattered as far away as Lansing, more than an hour's drive from downtown Detroit.

The consolidation is paying off, literally. Jim Queen, GM vice president-North America Engineering, says his budget has been reduced by 47% and throughput has increased 33%.