Ask the Best and Brightest: Who's Going to Buy Old GM's Plants?

by Edward Niedermeyer

Published: September 2nd, 2009

ask the best and brightest who s going to buy old gm s plants

Old GM Liquidator-in-chief Al Koch tells Detroit News that there exists some unknown level of interest in The General’s cast-off assets. But he’s only saying that the level is greater than zero. “It’s not possible, until the process unfolds for a little bit, to tell the shoppers from the buyers,” Koch enthuses. “These are very, very large facilities. So the likelihood of finding a single user at any of these industrial sites — it’s not impossible — but it’s a relatively small buyer universe.” Universe? Wouldn’t it the list of buyers for outdated factories in perma-union states in an oversupplied market be more . . . sandbox-sized? A list of analyst-approved GM plants “for interest/sale” and an opportunity for wild speculation after the jump.

Pontiac Assembly, Pontiac, Michigan. Opened 1972, last built Silverado/Sierra (712,000 square feet).

Wilmington Assembly, Wilmington, Delaware. Opened 1947, last built Sky/Solstice and employed 655 (3,200,000 square feet).

Shreveport Operations, Shreveport, Louisiana. Opened 1981, last built Colorado/Canyon (3,100,000 square feet).

Moraine Assembly, Moraine, Ohio. Opened 1951 (as a Frigidaire plant), last built TrailBlazer/Envoy, 9-7X and employed 1100 (2,900,000 square feet).

But if you’re like us and you sometimes need a little reminder to stay positive, here it is: Detroit News says there’s been interest in GM properties that were “previously thought to be too large, too old and, in some cases, too polluted to sell.” Anything’s possible!

Edward Niedermeyer

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4 of 36 comments

Raymond Hieber on Sep 03, 2009
"Wait until the appropriate firms and governmental agencies have inspected for soil and sub-surface water contamination. The value of a site needing clean-up could be in the negative valuation." "One HUGE problem with a lot of the old plants (and neither GM nor Chrysler have many of any other kind) is that they are generally poster children for the abysmal environmental practices of three or more generations ago. Whoever tries to reuse or redevelop these sites will almost certainly have to deal with EPA superfund issues, forgotten underground pipes and tanks, contaminated groundwater and subsoil, asbestos, you name it." These are super valid points with Moraine/ old Frigidaire plant. There's bad stuff buried there from the long-time refrigeration operation (admittedly word of mouth from retirees, no smoking gun) that would make people care less about the Alien 5 floors beneath a warehouse at Wright-Patt Air Force Base 11 miles away. I don't care if these places were crystal clean, dirt cheap and easily adaptable; large manufacturing companies wouldn't buy the places for $1 and tax incentives out the butt due to the high likelihood unionization would occur.

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Durwood on Sep 03, 2009
"I don’t care if these places were crystal clean, dirt cheap and easily adaptable; large manufacturing companies wouldn’t buy the places for $1 and tax incentives out the butt due to the high likelihood unionization would occur." Probably if an american company bought it that would be true, but i bet if Toyota, Honda, or Hyundai bought it they could keep the union out.

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Mtypex on Sep 03, 2009

The zeppelin/airship idea is too creative for Michigan. It might work in other states, though.

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Yankinwaoz on Sep 06, 2009

Isn't prisons a growing industry? If you want a sad, depressing, grimy place for a prison, it sounds perfect.

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