Construction on the 326-acre General Motors Technical Center, perhaps the first industrial park of its kind in the world, began in 1949.
General Motors said today that it would invest $1 billion in its Warren Technical Center, creating 2,600 new jobs to support future business growth at what is a National Historic Landmark site. The multi-year project includes renovations of some existing facilities and expansion of some operations, begins this month, continuing through 2018. The Technical Center is currently home to more than 19,000 employees
“This is an investment in our people, our products, and, ultimately, our customers, to make the Tech Center a more advanced, more efficient and more collaborative workplace,” said Mark Reuss, GM executive vice president, Global Product Development and Purchasing and Supply Chain.
Investment highlights include:
• Construction of new Design studios
• Construction of a parking deck for Design employees
• Rebuilding and renovating some existing R&D facilities
• Construction of a multi-story IT building adjacent to the current Michigan IT Innovation Center and a new parking deck for Innovation Center employees
• Construction to accommodate additional testing areas at the Advanced Energy Center
• Extensive office upgrades including new carpet, paint, furniture, reconfiguration of miscellaneous work areas in most Tech Center buildings, improving the work environment for all campus functions, including the Vehicle Engineering Center or VEC.
GM previously announced at the end of April $139.5 million for body shop and stamping facility upgrades at its Warren Pre-Production Operations, part of a $5.4 billion investment in U.S. plants.
Initial construction on the 326-acre Tech Center began in 1949, and it opened in 1956. Architect Eero Saarinen and landscape architect Thomas Church designed the campus. In 1986, the American Institute of Architects honored the Tech Center as the most outstanding architectural project of its era. In 2000, the campus was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was named a National Historic Landmark in 2014 by the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service.
