"Its a breakthrough change in the way we do business," smiles August Olivier, GMs director of capital projects. He was talking about two automotive plants under construction in Michigan that take the idea of virtual design and construction roaring down the road.
"Its a schedule-driven innovation," Olivier says. Schedule for GM means time-to-market. That takes fast movement from decision to productionand not just of cars, but also of the dedicated plants to build them. Compressing plant design and construction cycles lets GM hold off on facilities commitments as long as possible while the car culture decides what it wants. Shortening the cycle mows down the chaos inherent in predicting the market and designing and building plants to meet it.