GM's Willow Run Plant Adds new Workers

[wolverine]

The Ypsilanti Transmission Operations plant inside General Motors Corp.'s Willow Run facility started making its third kind of transmission earlier this year, adding 200 workers in the process, the Detroit-based company announced today.

[RustTown]

Out of curiosity, where exactly is the plant located? I'm not really familiar with this part of Southeastern Michigan.

[nofunk]

The tiniest glimmer of hope after Chrysler's sobering announcement yesterday...

Lmich: It's located between I-94 and Ecorse Rd on Ypsilanti's far east side. (Right near Willow Run Airport, if you know where that is.)

[LA Dave]

The transmission plant is the same plant where, in World War II, literally thousands fo B-24 bombers were turned out. Henry Ford built the plant, I am told, at the eastern edge of Washtenaw County to avoid Wayne County taxes or some other impediment. The airport adjoining the plant was used for testing purposes and was, until about 1958, Detroit's principal long-distance flight airport. (Also, I am not sure that Metro Airport had long enough runways for the early jets when it opened, so Willow Run may have been used long for those flights. I assume that a Detroiter could confirm this.)

The Willow Run plant is absolutely massive, and well worth a sidetrip. The excellent Yankee Air Force exhibit is on the other side of the field, though they unfortunately lost their exhibit hanger recently to fire.

[wolverine]

I'm glad that the Willow Run Plant has experienced quite a bit of success as the economic future of Washtenaw Co. heavily relies on it.

[RustTown]

And, the airport is an excellent cargo airport, and an integral part of the transportation infastructure of the region. It's a real asset to Southeast Michigan/Metro Detroit.