[August 12, 2011] GM welcomes community with open arms Tweet LOCKPORT, Aug 12, 2011 (Lockport Union-Sun & Journal - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- What does a condenser do in a vehicle? Over 1,000 people found out Thursday that a condenser is part of the air conditioning system responsible for getting rid of heat in the vehicle, allowing the air conditioner to cool the inside of the vehicle. Condensers are also one of the major thermal products produced at the Lockport General Motors plant, which produces 6,350 condensers each day and 1.5 million each year. The items are then shipped to GM truck plants in Fort Wayne, Ind. and Flint, Mich., as well as plants in Wentzville, Miss.; Oshawa, Ontario; Lordstown and Bowling Green, Ohio; and Fairfax, Kan. The condensers are made for trucks, vans, the Chevy Cruze, Impala, Malibu and Corvette. Known now as GM Components Holdings, the Upper Mountain Road facility held its community open house, welcoming about 1,300 visitors on Thursday, according to plant officials. Visitors were treated to a behind-the-scenes tour of the 1.6 million square foot facility, where they got to see up close the manufacturing techniques of GM Lockport. Among what people saw was the making of radiators, something Lockport has done well since 1910 with the Harrison Radiator Co. The company would eventually become part of General Motors, then become part of Delphi in 1995. The Lockport plant went with Delphi when it spun off of GM in 1999, then reverted back when GM bought the facility in 2009. For some, such as Frank and Marie Jemiolo of Lockport, they were invited by family to tour the plant. Their daughter has worked there for 20 years. "I found it very interesting," Frank Jemiolo said. "I enjoyed it very much. Very informative." "It was different than I expected," Marie Jemiolo added. Each year, the Lockport plant pumps out over 1.6 million evaporators, 2.6 million heater cores and 1.3 million heating, ventilation and air conditioning units. The plant employs about 1,440 people, including salaried and hourly workers. Mayor Michael W. Tucker, a retiree with 30 years of experience working at the Lockport plant, stopped by the complex for a tour. "It's nice that we have a facility that can have an open house, there's several that aren't open," Tucker said. "Although it is much smaller, the plant is still a very important part of this community. There's always been a great relationship between the city and GM." Also inside the plant, FIRST robotics teams from Lockport and Newfane high schools put on a demonstration. The GM plant and the neighboring Delphi center support the teams as they compete against other high school robotics teams from around the world. Also inside was a 1954 Pontiac, as well as a 1923 "Junior R" car, the first vehicle built by the Harrison Radiator Co. James Fennell, the plant's personnel director, said building vehicles turned out to be pretty hard for the Harrison company. "They thought they'd stick with radiators," Fennell said. Part of the tour included seeing assembly lines for HVAC units, as well as where the condensers are put together. It's in that department where Kelly O'Grady, an 11-year veteran at GMCH, works as a team leader. The team concept has been well received, O'Grady said. "It's about developing relationships between employees, us and management, we're bridging the gap," O'Grady said. GM had a number of events going on outside the plant, including a test drive of the new Chevrolet Volt, an electric car. The Niagara County Sheriff's Department was also present to offer a car seat safety check. There were kids activities, as well as a classic car cruise. GM has said the community open house is a way to reach out and thank the public for its support during its bankruptcy period in 2009. Similar events are being held at each of GM's 54 US location throughout the year. Tonawanda's GM Powertrain plant held its open house back in June. Contact reporter Joe Olenick at 439-9222, ext. 6241. To see more of the Lockport Union-Sun & Journal or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://lockportjournal.com/. Copyright (c) 2011, Lockport Union-Sun & Journal, N.Y. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]