GM Korea to resume full operation next week

GM Korea, the local subsidiary of the Detroit-based carmaker General Motors, will be resuming operations of its key manufacturing plants here, months after a global semiconductor shortage sent them reeling and halted production.

The company will return to its regular operation and production level starting next week, as part of its US headquarters’ decision to normalize global productivity, officials said Friday.

“But as the semiconductor shortage prolongs, we will need to assume a flexible stance, instead of guaranteeing a 100 percent resumption,” said an official, leaving room for compromise.

Operations at the carmaker’s No. 2 Bupyeong plant in Gyeonggi Province had been suspended since mid-February. Earlier this month, it also halved production at its No. 1 plant in Bupyeong and another plant in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, due to the prolonged chip supply shortage.

The company’s productivity is estimated to have dipped by around 30,000 car units during the partial suspension period.

The two Bupyeong plants are in charge of manufacturing the compact sport utility vehicles Trailblazer, Trax, and midsize sedan Malibu, while the Changwon plant is where the minicar Spark is produced.

By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldcorp.com)