Timeline Accelerated to Build Electric Vehicles at CAMI

Tuesday, 6 July 2021 13:21

In the short term, CAMI employees in Ingersoll will be facing another long layoff next year, long term though the GM investment to build electric vehicles, should provide job security.

INGERSOLL - General Motors is speeding up the plans to build electric vehicles at the GM CAMI plant in Ingersoll.

The last Equinox at the plant will be built on April 22 2022. The plant will shut down for 4-5 months to switch everything over to the electric vehicles. Plant Chair for Unifor Local 88 Mike Van Boekel says in the short term, employees will be laid off.

"They want to retool the entire plant, which means everything comes out and then of course, everything has to come in, which will cost in the hundreds of million of dollars. They think they can do it inside of 4 1/2 months at the most."

The plan is to bring the first shift back in the Fall, and then the second shift 3 months after that and finally running at full capacity in early 2023. Van Boekel says employees are nervous about the long layoff, but this is good news for the future of the plant.

"I think there is still trepidation because of the layoff that is looming again next year. I do believe the long term plan is fantastic, a lot of great stability, we just need to get through the next 18 months to two years."

It has been a tough couple of years for CAMI employees. They have dealt with a long strike, the threat of GM moving and layoffs related to COVID-19 and most recently a parts shortage.

Van Boekel says the good news is that GM is investing a lot of money in Ingersoll.

"Almost a billion dollars, so hopefully the long term job security, at least for the next decade is supposed to be fantastic. It sounds like the vehicles we are building have a lot of orders, we already have enough orders right now to keep us busy for 3 years and that is why they want to get going on this."

GM has already lined up companies to purchase the BrightDrop EV600 electric vans that will be produced at the CAMI Plant in Ingersoll.

You can listen to the full interview with Mike Van Boekel below: