GM is using an innovative shuttle service in Ontario, Canada to move Equinox model body units from the recently completed body shop at its CAMI Automotive plant in Ingersoll to its Oshawa plant for final assembly.
Regular production of the Equinox at Oshawa started on Monday this week just six months after the company took the decision to begin uniform assembly there.
The ‘Equinox Shuttle’ uses the extra production capacity available since the completion of the CAMI body shop to move the Equinox bodies 200km to Oshawa for paint and final assembly on the Consolidated Line, which also produces the Chevrolet Impala.
“At full production in Oshawa on three shifts – later this year – we will be shuttling 270 Equinox bodies from CAMI to the Oshawa Assembly Plant per day,” GM spokesman Tony LaRocca told Automotive Logistics News.
The body-in-white units will be moved in batches of five per truck on 54 trucks per day by TTR, the logistics joint venture between Ryder and Toyota Tsusho.
“This arrangement increases overall Equinox production and allows CAMI to increase Terrain volumes as well to meet the strong customer demand for both,” added LaRocca.
GM is planning to increase production of the Equinox crossover, as well as the GMC Terrain, as sales of the vehicle have increased 49% in Canada and more than 140% in the US where GM exports more than 85% of production.
This will be the third production increase for the Equinox and Terrain, adding capacity to build 60,000 to 80,000 more vehicles for the Canadian and US markets, according to the company.
