GM chief tours Ultium Cells plant

Barra quietly tours Lordstown battery-cell plant

LORDSTOWN -- General Motors CEO Mary Barra and other senior members of the automaker's executive team quietly visited Ultium Cells to see progress at the electric-vehicle battery-cell manufacturing plant.

There to meet GM's team were Jim Tressel, Youngstown State University president, and Jennifer Oddo, the university's executive director of strategic workforce education and innovation.

YSU is a partner with Ultium Cells to develop workforce training and technology advancement strategies.

GM spokeswoman Jennifer Korail said Barra's visit, kept quiet because of its internal nature, provided insight into the "amazing progress" that has taken place at the plant in Lordstown over the year despite "myriad challenges" brought on by the viral outbreak.

The Ultium team was able to share what it learned to be the best practices and collaborations through the joint venture with South Korea's LG Energy Solution, an equal partner in the approximately $2.3 billion facility that will mass produce battery cells.

The visit was Aug. 12. It was followed by a similar stop the same day in Spring Hill, Tenn., where GM and LG are investing another $2.3 billion on a second battery-cell plant. An assembly facility there is also one of three GM has designated to build electric vehicles.

GM did not have a formal statement on the visit to Lordstown, but several Ultium Cells employees and Barra posted remarks on the social networking business community site LinkedIn.

"Every day is a great day here at Ultium Cells LLC, but this was a momentous one," wrote Brooke Waid, Ultium Cells launch team senior analyst, communications, thanking Barra, Mark Reuss, GM president, and Gerald Johnson, GM's executive vice president of global manufacturing, for spending time at the plant.

Kevin Kerr, Ultium Cells plant manager, wrote the plant welcomed the senior leadership "to see the rapid construction and tooling progress made onsite, hear about the winning culture we are creating from newly onboarded team members, learn about the best practices we are leveraging from our joint venture partners GM and LG Energy Solution, and highlight the strategic workforce development partnership we have built with Youngstown State University."

"A common observation throughout the visit was the team's energy, which is second to none," Kerr wrote.

Barra wrote she is inspired by "the team's passion for GM's future with Ultium Cells LLC."

"Each of you has a key role to play in achieving General Motors' vision for an all-electric, zero-emissions future, and I look forward to continuing our work to create a better world," Barra wrote.

Tressel said he and Oddo had limited time with Barra, but used it to discuss the university's role in identifying and training the workforce needed by Ultium Cells. Oddo, he said, works closely with Ultium Cells vice president of operations, Tom Gallagher to meet workforce needs.

"We're working extremely hard with them to make sure that everyone in this region or outside of the region knows the employment opportunities, the culture of the place, the goals they have for the entire operation," Tressel said. "Our people are working night and day on that very, very difficult challenge."

Tressel also noted about eight of the 10 employees who spoke to visitors about the culture and mission at Ultium Cells are YSU graduates.

"So we were very, very proud about how they presented themselves and the roles they are playing in that whole group," he said.

The nearly 3 million-square-foot plant -- large enough to contain 30 football fields -- on Tod Avenue SW is expected to be substantially complete by the end of the year with early phase production beginning in early 2022. It will employ upward of 1,100 people at full capacity.

The stop was Barra's only local stop that day.

rselak@tritboday.com