Union says GM, LG’s Ultium battery factory need to be safer

Good morning! Today is Monday, July 10, 2023 and here it is Morning shift, your daily compilation of the top automotive headlines from around the world, in one place. Here are the important stories you need to know.

First device: Ultium Cells Union wants a safer battery factory

It’s entirely possible United Auto workers strike against at least one of Detroit’s Big Three before the union’s current contract expires on September 14. The UAW also recently hosted General Motors and LG’s new Ultium Cells division, and as part of master talks this summer , the union will petition for improved safety protocols.

Twenty-two workers have been injured at the Ohio facility since it began operations last September, according to data provided to them by the union. Bloomberg. That means 2.2 injuries per 100 workers, twice the average for battery plants. Ultium Cells also paid $68,000 to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for non-injury claims during that time, double what another battery supplier, SK, was fined at the plant in Georgia. Here’s some of the stuff going on at Warren, courtesy of Bloomberg:

Battery factories are more like chemical plants than conventional automobile manufacturing facilities, where injuries from mechanical accidents or repetitive tasks are more likely to occur.

A year ago, a contractor at the Ultium plant was crushed by an automatic crane while working inside the plant and was seriously injured, according to Travis Eastham, the local fire station chief. Eastham said in a phone interview that the worker was hospitalized for several months and then died from his injuries.

At the time, the company confirmed a subcontractor was injured at the plant, but declined to discuss the incident further.

In a white paper, the union said Ultium worker Gavin Currey was sprayed with toxic gas in early May while working in an area that extracts toxic electrolyte compounds from battery cells. Currey said in the article that he suffered minor burns to his face and a union official said he was unable to work for three days.

Another worker, Mandy McCoy, told the union that she saw a coworker put toxic waste in the trash, emitting smoke that made her and her coworker nauseous. McCoy said her colleague was taken to the hospital.

This adds to another incident at the beginning of the story, where a faulty battery caught fire:

According to the fire department near the facility in Lordstown, Ohio, workers raced to put out the fire and were able to do so. While no one faced life-threatening injuries, two people were taken to hospital with smoke inhalation – adding to the strain on the already strained relationship between the factory’s workers and the others. its manager.

The UAW’s position is that automakers are benefiting from massive subsidies for their new battery plants, thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act incentives for each vehicle sold. Union members want to see wealth shared and invest in safe procedures. As it stands, employees in joint ventures such as GM’s joint venture with LG at the Ultium facility are not part of UAW’s current contract with GM, so they are not paid competitive salaries.

When reached for comment, an Ultium spokesperson reiterated to Bloomberg that “safety is a priority every day” and that the plant now has four union members as safety representatives. Back in May, Ultium Cells temporarily suspended four employees in its electrolyte dispensing department for refusing to work until a safety shower was installed.

2nd gear: GM holds the lead

Two years ago Toyota breaks GM’s record for leading new car sales in the US, but GM won the title back in 2022. We’re just over half way through 2023, but GM seems poised to widen the gap to second place. From auto news:

As of June, GM has outsold Toyota Motor North America by nearly 250,000 vehicles, far more than the roughly 42,000 gap between the two by mid-2022, according to the Automotive News Research & Data Center. .

The supply constraints that helped Toyota beat GM in 2021 and have hampered industry-wide manufacturing activity for two years are easing, analysts say, boosting inventories to meet demand. pent-up from both fleets and retail buyers.

Signs of improvement continued in the second half of the year. The annual, seasonally adjusted sales rate of 15.8 million vehicles in June was the highest in forecasters’ estimates and the third-highest for the year, according to Motor Intelligence. That was an improvement from 15.1 million in May and 13.1 million a year earlier, when shortages of semiconductors and other key parts left dealers short of products.

As the supply chain recovers, so does GM’s operations. That’s not to say Toyota isn’t affected by the same limitations; it’s just better prepare them for the start. When its chip reserves are exhausted, it has fallen like everyone else.

3rd device: Lyriq hit by China’s electric car price war

In the final installment of today’s GM Morning Shift trilogy, Cadillac is offering discounts on lyriq in China to stay competitive, like others have. From Reuters:

The Lyriq, a luxury crossover based on GM’s Ultium EV architecture, is now priced from 379,700 yuan ($52,466) from 439,700 yuan ($60,784) previously, according to GM China’s website.

GM also offers an additional discount of nearly $2,500 for Lyriq buyers who deposit in China before the end of August.

GM’s move comes shortly after Volkswagen slashed prices of electric vehicles in China, where the market share of Chinese-made EV brands is growing and the market faces fierce price competition. .

VW’s joint venture with state carmaker FAW on Friday announced discounts ranging from 8% to nearly 27% on the ID line of electric vehicles.

Cadillac sales drop eight percent in the region last year, which is not unusual for the once-strong foreign companies in China. We’ll see if this move restores some local interest to the brand.

4th gear: McLaren Artura faces more delays

The Mclaren Artura It’s a good car, but McLaren took a long time to build it. Improperly tightened fuel line nut has resulted in a “thermal breakdown” in a media drive in Spain last year, this ended up sounding suspiciously similar to an issue that the last car launched and was withdrawn for last January. Currently auto news It is well-authorised that McLaren was slower in delivering their first series of hybrid supercars in the US by an average of four months:

In a memo to US retailers obtained by auto newsMcLaren says deliveries of its Artura plug-in hybrid are delayed by an average of about four months as the British carmaker has established “enhanced testing processes” to improve quality.

McLaren said the measures provide “additional inspection and testing in our quality control process.”

Spokesman Roger Ormisher confirmed the delay.

“To implement these quality control procedures, we have temporarily slowed down production,” he said.

A McLaren retailer said customers who planned to pick up their cars in May can now expect to do so in September.

During a recent dealer meeting, car news reports that the brand emphasizes improving quality and resale value as a top priority. Artura was first announced in 2020better late than never, I suppose.

Reverse: The ticket to click it

On this day in 1962, 61 years ago, an important patent was registered.