General Motors Fairfax

Size: 6,000 Tons

Duration: Twelve Months

Location: Kansas City, Kansas

Description: Paint Shop Expansion

Square Feet: 800,000

Structural Tons: 5,500

General Motors is a worldwide leader in automotive manufacturing. They are making tremendous investment in bringing manufacturing jobs to the United States. As part of this ambitious and exciting process, Metro Steel Experts completed a $30 million automotive and paint shop project in Kansas City, Kansas. General Motors commissioned Metro Steel Experts to erect the steel for the main building and an all-new press and paint shop oven and booth setting upgrade, including providing phosphate e-coating.

In 2013, the U.S. automaker committed $600 million to the Fairfax facility’s improvements, the largest ever made in an existing GM plant. The Metro Steel Experts-led project helped build and equip the 450,000-square-foot paint shop and upgrade the plant’s stamping press. With the numerous building upgrades and improved steel construction, the new paint shop will use 50 percent less energy per vehicle and utilize more environmentally friendly paint by using GM-patented radiant tubes. One state-of-the-art process will improve a vehicle’s coating to prevent rust in GM cars.

The Metro Steel Experts team successfully overcame the General Motors Fairfax Assembly project challenges that included a tight schedule and changes in the design build plan by implementing Blue Beam as a communications team. The steel project was completed in 12 months, helping GM to continue to improve the state, and country’s workforce development. The plant is Kansas City’s largest employer in the metro area and produces one vehicle every 58 seconds.


Project Scope:

  • Design Assist Services
  • Building Installation
  • Detail, Fab and Erect conveyor trestle to existing building.
  • Unload and setting of and Process Ovens within field erection process.
  • Detail fab and install spray booth steel.
  • Unload and installation of Phosphate E-Coat tanks.
  • Detail fab and erect Phosphate E-Coat mezzanine steel.
  • Sludge tank installation
  • Design, detail, fab and installation of conveyor platforms.


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