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Bedford - General Motors announced Monday it is investing $48 million in its GM Powertrain Bedford Foundry to produce six-speed transmission cases and converter housings for GM's growing family of six-speed transmissions.
The investment, partly made possible with local incentives, will help transition hourly and salaried employees to the expanded work. The investment covers partial facility renovation, including more energy-efficient melting furnaces; as well as new machinery, equipment and tooling to support the additional volume. The Bedford Foundry, an aluminum melting, die-casting and permanent mold facility, produces transmission cases and converter housings for GM Powertrain six-speed transmission facilities in Ypsilanti and Warren, Mich., and in Toledo Ohio, which are ramping up six-speed transmission production. Bedford also produces transmission castings, pistons and engine blocks for other GM Powertrain facilities.
Facility renovations are set to begin in July. Increased production of rear-wheel drive six-speed cases is already under way, and production will begin on front-wheel drive six-speed cases later this year. Full volume for both RWD and FWD cases is expected by late 2008.
Six-speed transmissions are gaining market popularity because they help save fuel and can help improve acceleration performance. The six-speed automatic enables a reduced engine rpm at highway cruising speeds, which reduces noise and engine wear, and improves fuel economy. New six-speed automatic transmission variants for front-, rear- and all-wheel-drive applications are launching in nearly 40 global GM models in 2006 and 2007. By 2010, GM will introduce 3 million six-speed transmissions a year, encompassing 10 variants.
