New Lordstown manager’s goal: perfection

By GRACE WYLER

gwyler@vindy.com

lordstown

The launch of the Chevrolet Cruze has coincided with a changing of the guard at the General Motors complex in Lordstown.

Plant manager John Donahoe, who has overseen the plant since 2005, recently announced that he is retiring after 33 years with GM. Donahoe, who will formally retire Oct. 1, has been replaced by 31-year GM veteran Bob Purcell.

Purcell, who arrived in Lordstown last month from the Chevy Corvette plant in Bowling Green, Ky., has taken over plant management as the complex enters the final weeks of the Cruze launch. The cars are scheduled to hit dealerships later this month.

Purcell starts the job under a microscope, as the country watches the launch of the Chevy Cobalt’s replacement. The success of the Cruze has been deemed critical to the company as it seeks a breakthrough while competing in the compact segment.

“We have struggled to make a small car right,” Purcell said. “We have all the makings of a home run here, and now it is on us to produce the car.”

Purcell’s track record suggests that he is the right man to accomplish this task. As plant manager at GM’s CAMI Automotive Plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, Purcell oversaw last summer’s launch of the 2010 Chevy Equinox and the 2010 GMC Terrain. The cross-over cars have been two of the company’s most successful sellers this year.

Like the Equinox and Terrain launches, the Cruze launch is moving “slow and methodically,” Purcell said. In the past few years, GM has increasingly emphasized quality over production targets during new vehicle launches, he added.

“You only get one first impression,” he said. “We want to make sure it is perfect.”

Although the process is slow, the Cruze launch is slightly ahead of schedule, Purcell said. The goal is to be at “full acceleration,” by the end of 2010, he said.

He added that consumer demand for the Cruze is likely to keep the plant running at two shifts for “many years.”

In terms of quality, production and safety metrics, the Lordstown complex compares favorably to any automotive plant in the world, Purcell said. He credited his predecessor for this success.

In the past five years, the Lordstown plant became one of the 10 most productive in the world. It now boasts the lowest problem rate of GM’s facilities.

Donahoe, who also was Lordstown’s assistant plant manager from 1992-1997, said the complex’s success is due largely to improved relations between management and labor.

“The relationship between the management and the union leadership grew and became very participative,” he said. “The joint leadership of both local unions being progressive, from a contract standpoint, and they have been willing to take risks to demonstrate their ability to make the new product.”

Under Donahoe, the Lordstown complex went from the verge of closure to what GM North America president Mark Reuss called “ground zero” for the company.

The character of the Lordstown complex’s workforce bodes well for the success of the Cruze, Purcell said. The local union leadership and the employees on the floor have been eager and welcoming, he added.

“All of the people are just outstanding,” Purcell said. “They want to build a car — they’re anxious to get started.