Sitting high above the assembly line inside General Motors' Arlington assembly plant are the words "A World Class Ride Built with Texas Pride."
The people who work under them are indeed a proud bunch, especially these days as sales of the full-size SUVs the plant makes — the Chevy Tahoe, Chevy Suburban, GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade — are surging.
"I think it's fun," Arlington Assembly Plant Manager Juan Carlos Jimenez said. "Very exciting times."
Jimenez says no sooner than they ship the vehicles out, dealerships across the world are demanding more.
"That's a good problem to have," he said.
To keep up with the demand, the assembly line at the plant runs 24 hours per day Mondays through Saturdays. Even on Sundays, the plant never fully shuts down.
“That’s a significant load for our people in terms of the hours that they work every week, but we know that and we do that because the customers are waiting," Jimenez said. "Not every plant is on this type of a schedule."
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In 2015 alone, the plant produced more than 303,000 vehicles — a record high. They're on track to produce at least that many this year.
"If I’m working on a truck, that’s all that matters right there is the quality of that truck," said George Smith, who works in plant's quality department. "So you kind of lose sight of the numbers.”
But when he looks at them, Smith says he can't help but be impressed. When he started at the plant 39 years ago, he never could have imagined they'd reach this point.
"It puts a big smile on your face," he said.
He says assembly line technology has come a long way since he began his career and that has certainly helped. But at the end of day, he and others agree it's the people — and that Texas pride — that keeps the plant going.
"We want it done right," said Smith.
So does GM. The company announced last year it was investing $1.4 billion into the plant to expand its capabilities and update its technology. Work is already underway.
