FCA Restarts Manufacturing, Partners with Southfield’s Beaumont Health for Employee Testing

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in Auburn Hills has released a plant reopening schedule, which restarted six Michigan locations Monday. Employees in the Detroit area with symptoms of COVID-19 will be tested through one of five Beaumont Health centers designated for FCA employees.
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FCA worker in plant
FCA began reopening its plants on Monday and will continue through June 1. // Photo courtesy of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in Auburn Hills has released a plant reopening schedule, which restarted six Michigan locations Monday. Employees in the Detroit area with symptoms of COVID-19 will be tested through one of five Beaumont Health centers designated for FCA employees.

Nearly 12,000 employees throughout North America started Monday.

The Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit; the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant and Sterling Stamping Plant, both in Sterling Heights; the Trenton Engine Complex in Trenton; and the Warren Stamping Plant and Warren Truck Assembly Plant, both in Warren, opened Monday.

Construction on the Mack Avenue Engine Plant in Detroit and Warren Truck also was scheduled to resume on Monday.

The Dundee Engine Plant in Dundee, Mich. is scheduled to reopen Tuesday, May 26.

Other openings include the Toledo Assembly Complex and Toledo Machining Plant, both of which opened Monday; the Brampton Assembly Plant and Windsor Assembly Plant, both in Ontario, Canada, which are scheduled to open today; the Indiana Transmission Plant 1, Kokomo Casting Plant, and Kokomo Transmission Plant, the three of which are located in Kokomo, Ind. and scheduled to reopen May 26; the Tipton Transmission Plant in Tipton, Ind., which is also scheduled to reopen May 26; the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Belvidere, Ill., which is set to open June 1; and the Etobicoke Casting Plant in Ontario, Canada, which will also open June 1.

In Mexico, seven plants were scheduled for a Monday restart pending government approval.

Any FCA employee in metro Detroit exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms before or during their shift will be referred for testing through the Beaumont Health centers. The company is targeting same-day appointments and expecting results to be available in 24 hours or less. Similar testing arrangements have been made through Ascension St. Vincent in Kokomo, Swedish American Hospital in Belvidere, and Promedica Hospital in Toledo. FCA will send employees who are tested home until they are medically cleared to return to work.

Employees will be paid during 14-day doctor ordered quarantines. All employees will receive face masks, safety glasses, and gloves.

Additional safety protocols include having employees and visitors complete daily health risk assessments, including temperature checks and self-screening questionnaires; thermal imaging cameras to verify temperatures of everyone entering the facility; requiring the use of masks and safety glasses for everyone in all facilities; staggering start times and adding time to breaks and lunch to minimize large gatherings; dedicating 10 minutes to cleaning and disinfecting workstations at the start of each shift; and enhancing cleaning and disinfecting schedules for common and high traffic areas including turnstiles, restrooms, cafeterias, locker rooms, and conference rooms.

More information on FCA’s cleaning and safety measures is available here.