Factory #70/#71a

This large commemorative plaque was on display at the Sloan museum in Flint,Michigan.

This is the commemorative plaque in honor of the first day of operations at the new Buick foundry #70 in 1927.

This is a commemorative plaque in honor of the last day in the old Buick foundry #70. The factory then became factory #81 building torque converters.  The combined buildings that made up this factory were demolished in the summer of 2011.

I have no info on this other than it was found at an estate sale.

The third Buick foundry (gray iron) was built between 1926-1927 and was eventually made up of eight different buildings numbered #69-#77. This is the oldest factory still in use at the Buick site. The top photo during construction is facing south east from Division street. The bottom photo shows an artist rendering of a large addition along Division st, to be built after WWII. This addition would be designated #71a. The bottom view would be facing northeast. .......jim yuill said...

The highlighted building was 71B, that was finally designated for casting and cleaning. Building 71A was initially for cleaning but finally became the "new" core room when expansion of the Plant took place. This building housed the Supt. office, Material control, Inspection and other service functions. It also housed the "battery room" for charging electric truck batteries and the shell molding and shell core making.

Sand drying area. Also delivery of reclaimed sand, which was one of the main benefits of this whole new operation.

Sand delivery crane. 

Bins for coarse and fine sand.

 Links:

Factory #70 Raw Casting

Factory #70 Before 1953

Factory #70 Core Room

Block Grinding In Factory #70

Factory #70 Engine Block Pouring

Factory #70 POTS

Factory #70

Buick Strikes.

This is the 1968 strike in Flint. This is in front of the Oak park entrance at the north-end of factory #04. This north facing view shows factory #12 trailing off in the distance. link  for news story.  More strike news.

This would have been the strike I walked picket duty for during the 70's except this is the #04 south gate.

This is the Hamilton Avenue gate in 1968. The Flint Journal states 1964 but they are mistaken. If this were 1964 the background would be filled with the Buick main office which was torn down shortly before this photo was taken. This view is facing northwest showing body receiving and factory #04. This was the same gate that I walked picket duty in the 70's. When I walked here our plan was to hold up vehicles for at least three changes of the traffic signal. Most of management would wait, "but a few were more aggressive". I got thrown onto a car hood when a driver tried to just barge right through. I was fine but it sure caused confusion between the union and management.  

September 28, 1994

January 1937 Strike at Buick.  September 1933 Strike.

Factory #40/bldg 16 1978

This line in factory #40 on the second floor is near the area called the "Hairpin". The racks you see behind the woman are condenser racks. This was the place I worked in 1982. The woman in this photo was in my department installing hood insulation at that time. After the vehicle made the "Hairpin" turn at the south wall it then went down "Derby Hill" to the first floor. In the distance a little off center was the material control office which had two floors. The first floor was for the clerk and supervisor. The second was where the 24 hour a day poker games were played. I remember one game in particular that went on three days straight with the pot in the thousands. A few workers lost their paychecks that week. In the Buick City day's the poker games took place over in "OLD" factory #40 between the tire & wheel area and exhaust build-up. High stakes games could always be found at Buick. There is a pit three stations before this one that I also supplied the parts for. One very peculiar man worked in this pit. He would not speak to anyone and during lunch and break he would climb out and stand next to the aisle, with hands at his side as if at attention. He would stare straight ahead with not even the slightest movement. Then, when break or lunch was over he would return to his pit without speaking a single word. I was warned about him, but tried to speak to him anyway, "with no luck". I think maybe he was a Vietnam veteran that seen some action but I'm not sure. I met so many interesting people during my years with General Motors, some stick in my mind more than others.

Material (OUT OF) Control

This was the cap which the materials people wore as a protest to the stupidity of turning Japanese. Instead of the stories you read about all the workers pulling together at Buick it was really all smoke and mirrors for the benefit of the men in Detroit. If we had actually had true input at the team meetings and management had truly believed in teamwork, Buick City would still exist. I remember all the hogwash they tried getting us to swallow during the months of Buick City schooling and even then you could see it was not going to work. Whenever you asked a question you were immediately shut down. Just one example I recall: we were in the auditorium at Southwestern Academy and a truck driver questioned the sanity of having no guard rails in Buick City. "This was supposed to open up more space". The same reply as always was "that's the way it will be, next question please". Well the first month back in the revamped factory a water main on the second floor of factory #04 was broken and flooded the first floor (south end of #04). The water also came down the bridge to factory #40 flooding the second and first floor. After that the guard rails went up at an alarming rate. Nearly everything we were taught in school did not work. We were told any time a problem arose on the line a worker could pull his own personal cord (this was called the ANDON system) and stop the line so as to correct said problem. You see just as with the guardrails never being needed they thought repair people in each department were no longer needed. They soon found out that constantly stopping an assembly line may not be the correct way to go, so we now had the repairmen back. We were told that we would only need six repair bays on the repair floor because the cars would be perfect when they came off the line. In the end repair was as large as before Buick City plus it was a 24 hr. operation supporting a usual 16 hr. production schedule. I remember one time we ran out of front fascia's (bumpers) so the Buick City motto of "Build In Station" was shelved and we ran without them. Consultant confirmation. I could go on and on but you get the point. So if the men at the helm of General Motors continue to just say "teamwork" for the benefit of the media we're all doomed.

Part Delivery printout

This was what the Buick material handlers used in the 90's for delivering parts to any given location. When Buick implemented this process it was the beginning of the end for General Motors. In the years previous to the "Pull System" a worker was given his daily print out (green sheet's) of their department and were in charge of that, and only that. Then if anything went wrong you, and only you, were responsible. Now with the "pull system" you no longer had any pride or control in your work and limited responsibility. We were modeled after the Nummi plant in Fremont, California, a joint venture between General Motor's and Toyota. Before the "pull system" I can't remember a truck driver shutting down the assembly plant for lack of parts, but after, it was a daily occurrence. Not only did management have to hire 137 more workers to turn us into Japanese, they also had to rent about 60 new fork trucks for them. The line foreman's hated this but upper management loved it because we had to sit on our truck's and wait for our next order, which placed each line worker in charge of parts delivery. This system made it hard for a truck driver to take long lunches which was always a sore spot with the big boss. So instead of a worker showing initiative and making his own breaks we sat and twiddled our thumbs. The workers on the assembly line are inherently jealous of the truck drivers so placing them in charge of parts delivery was like putting the fox in charge of the hen house. The end result was utter chaos at Buick City for most of the 90's as far as material (out of) control went. We even wore hats with this saying on them and I still have mine but Buick City is gone. Upper management knew this was a mistake but you do not rock the boat at General Motors. So you just blindly do what you're ordered whether right or wrong with the end result being, the president of the company Lloyd Reuss blaming the working man and the beat go's on. Link to Lloyd Reuss Quote

Factory #12 1925 Thru 2002     Just in Time story.

Factory #40/bldg 16

This is the second floor of factory #40 facing south, the photographer would have been standing where bridge #40 from factory #04 exited onto the second floor. The computer terminal for the second floor truck drivers is located in the white enclosure just above the worker in cap. The worker at the far left in flannel is Jim Brainerd a clerk from factory #04 materials (our group), the worker in cap is Ben 'Sparky' Zerod playing against Phil Wheatherly. The worker in shorts is Don Rawlings.

Factory #40/bldg 16

This was my department in factory #40 in 1972 and then again in 1982. This view is facing (north) on the first floor of factory #40 at the north end. The view below would be the same spot as this photo after the creation of Buick City.

This view showing the drive train A.G.V.'s (automated guided vehicle) is facing (north) at the north-end first floor. The worker lowering the drive-train into place is Steven Davis. The light in the distance is from one of the truck dock doors. In 1972 this area was used for the engine line and coil spring and rear axle storage, the rail dock would have been off to the right but was filled in for Buick City. My department in 72-73 was at the left beyond the pillars. The racks extending over the yellow line at the right midway north was not correct but we did not have much space for storing parts. These racks contained the rotor Assembly's. I always hated working in this area. It was like playing a game. "Seeing if you could get in and out with parts before an A.G.V. would hit you".

Dave Yettaw was my first committee man and taught me well from the beginning. He was the person who started the NEW DIRECTIONS group that I supported .  The other two were UNITY & U & I.   When I hired in there was only the UNITY group.  That changed in 1981 with U & I  followed a few years later by the NEW DIRECTIONS group.  I still have a shirt somewhere. Dave would eventually become the local 599 President in later years. He passed away not that many years ago. Jim Yaklin was my second committee man. As I recall he was a good guy and restored old tractors. Jim took an appointed position at region 1. I never have liked appointed positions. "GIVE ME A VOTE".  Overtime issue story from Dave Yettaw. Another story from Yettaw times.  Yettaw loses presidency.

Factory #12 Body Shop

Buick City body shop in 1988.

This view inside the "Dimensional Certification Center" is facing south located along the east wall. The employee in the foreground is Willie Younger. The platform the body shell is placed on is actually a 100 ton Granite block to dampen any vibration. The man at the right in the distance has a hand operated lift truck which was used to place and remove the body. He would place it outside the door at the left and then I would remove it to dock #03. As I recall three body's were tested per day and then placed on a scrap truck. I could fit three on a semi trailer but sometimes I also had a large 5190 basket of additional scrap to ship. The way to fit more was to compact the body's since they were now just scrap. In the photo you will notice the large opening for the radiator and condenser, this was were you placed your forks and they extended under the floor. On dock three we had a unique feature around the roof pillars of concrete encased in steel shaped like a ships hull. These were perfect for ramming and thus compacting the body shell. One particular day I had been unloading a rail-car on the other side of the factory and when I opened the boxcar door it fell off which was not uncommon. Anyways I had to get my trailer switched to get another delivered so I was short on time and left the door laying on the dock. I had also invited my friend, Bob Alexander, to come down and crush a body on this particular day,because he lost his truck driving job in a cutback in 1987 and he wanted to get back on the horse so I had to meet him. Well he crushed one so good it looked like a head-on collision with a Buick which was now stuck wrapped around the mast of the forklift. While we're busy trying to pry this mess off the front of my truck my boss Ron Hensel drives up to inquire about the door laying on the dock. He knew Bob and I well and decided to talk to us later and just drove off shaking his head.

This is on the main aisle heading west & east at the north-east end of the B-loop, in factory #12. I stocked all these jobs at one time or another because I was an extra man towards my last years at Buick.  This is facing south.

Somewhere in B-loop at the Buick body shop.   

Factory #40/bldg 16

This view is from the doorway leading to the repair floor facing east at the south end first floor. The dual line in the distance was one of the few survivors from the original Buick City configuration. The cars here were headed for department #53 second floor where I took most of my home movies. This was also where I first entered a Buick factory back in 1972. In 1972 the assembly line was reversed here with the cars coming down instead of going up and was then called "Derby Hill".

Last Flint Buick Headquarters

This photo shows the showroom which faced Industrial and Hamilton. We are facing east.

 

This photo shows part of the executive garage viewed from North street facing northeast. 

This shows the reception area adjoining the showroom and lobby facing west.

This photo was taken from the showroom floor where many Buick's 'old and new' were placed on display.