Assembly Plant Tour: Behind the Scenes at GM Arlington

Rebecca Darling |

Updated: Apr 3, 2015

Have you ever wondered just exactly how a car comes together?

How long does it actually take to produce a full-size vehicle?

Last week, a group of Tech and Travel Influencers from the Dallas/Fort Worth area had the chance to go behind the scenes at the General Motors Assembly Plant in Arlington. Here’s a peek at what they were able to experience:

#GMArlington celebrated 60th anniv last yr and are bring fully manufactured vehicles off the line every 60 seconds. #TNTChevy #TNTFtWorth

— Jamie Roubinek (@jmroubinek) March 24, 2015

The Arlington Assembly Plant celebrated 60 years of production last year. Opening its doors in 1954, the first vehicle to be produced was the Pontiac Chieftain. In December of 2015, the plant celebrated its 10 millionth vehicle – a black Chevrolet Suburban.

THIS is the 10 millionth vehicle!! Proudly made in Texas! #TNTChevy #TNTFtWorth #ad #dfwchevy pic.twitter.com/GIx4lpNX1E

— Finding Debra (@FindingDebra2) March 25, 2015

The plant currently produces the GMC Yukon and Yukon XL, the Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe and the Cadillac Escalade, and is the only facility in the world producing these vehicles. The Arlington Assembly plant builds 1200 vehicles each day. That’s one per minute!

Awesome @GM plant tour in #Arlington This plant builds GM's full sized SUVs. #TNTChevy #TN… http://t.co/uC9YFNN0s5 pic.twitter.com/1pLbXp23H9

— Heather Buen (@heatherkbuen) March 24, 2015

Our tour began with our group meeting a successful panel of women whose career paths have landed them at GM. What an inspiration to hear their success in such a male-dominated career field.

The amazing women that work within the #GMArlington plant. Sharing their important roles! #TNTChevy pic.twitter.com/Hm7BgXgKwR

— DFW Bloggers (@DFWBloggers) March 24, 2015

Next, we began our tram tour of the entire facility. The 20-minute narrated ride took us from the beginning to the end. We were not allowed to get off of the tram, as work was being completed right in front of us:

so many moving parts! #GMArlington #TNTChevy #TNTFtWorth #cars #assembly #autos https://t.co/ESjClbC0sE

— Nasreen Stump (@ramblingstump) March 24, 2015

It was fascinating to see the large-scale assembly line come together to make a vehicle. Every area had a specific purpose – from installing the interiors to marrying the vehicle. Seriously, this is the term where the chassis first meets the body.

This big beauty had her hot body put on 45 seconds before this pic. So pretty!! #GMArlington #TNTChevy #TNTFtWorth pic.twitter.com/B7npPjlgfz

— Jamie Roubinek (@jmroubinek) March 24, 2015

It was wonderful to hear stories of employees that had spent their entire career at the Assembly Plant. GM employees are highly skilled workers, as many have one specific job…and they have less than 60 seconds to complete that job before another vehicle comes to them. Talk about working together as a TEAM!

Employees at #GMArlington are extremely skilled, having only 50-60 seconds to complete their particular job. #TNTFtWorth #TNTChevy

— R We There Yet Mom? (@RWeThereYetMom) March 24, 2015

And we found the GM employees to be happy – smiling and waving at us as we rode by.

@GM has the greatest pride in their skilled team"A world class ride, made with #Texas pride." #tntChevy #tntftworth pic.twitter.com/2sZ4mdmqfQ

— 6Chases (@6Chases) March 24, 2015

The GM Arlington Assembly Plant tour was fascinating. The vehicle demand is so high right now that they are running 3 full-time shifts, producing vehicles 24 hours a day. Unfortunately, the plant tours are not open to the public right now, but they will be soon.

Our plant tour was a part of a day spent at the #TNTFtWorth and #TNTChevy event held in Ft. Worth the last week of March. It was a day spent learning how to “Upgrade Your Tech and Travel”.