GM Plans Announcement About Future Of Warren Tech Center

DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - General Motors Co. is planning to announce details Thursday about the future of its technical center in the Detroit suburb of Warren.

Detroit-based GM said last month that it's planning a major overhaul.

Mayor Jim Fouts has said that an unnamed business is considering a $1 billion investment that could create 3,000 jobs, but neither he nor GM has confirmed it involved the automaker.

"It's going to be the biggest non-manufacturing development of its kind in Michigan, in Warren and maybe in North America, so it's pretty exciting, I'm excited about it," Fouts said last month.

GM says Fouts and Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder are among those scheduled to attend Thursday morning's announcement.

GM's technical center was built in the 1950s with low-rise buildings, several concrete lakes and miles of roadways. The company for years has wanted to upgrade the facilities to better compete for technical talent with Silicon Valley and other firms that have nicer workplaces.

GM already has begun bringing thousands of computer experts to Warren as one of four information technology centers nationwide that are being set up to develop software for new vehicles and other purposes. The company also has consolidated 23 data centers globally into two, including Warren, and it's likely to expand design and engineering work on the huge campus.

The company bought a building across the street from the tech center that housed its former advertising agency for years. That building is now being renovated and likely will be used to house teams of people as their buildings are being upgraded on the tech center site.

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