Inland Fisher Guide Plant (New Jersey)
| Company type | Manufacturing facility |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive manufacturing |
| Founded | 1938 |
| Founder | General Motors |
| Defunct | 1998 |
| Fate | Demolished |
| Headquarters | Ewing Township, New Jersey , United States |
Area served | United States |
| Products | Automotive components (door handles, body moldings, seat adjusters, painted exterior parts), torpedo bombers (during WWII) |
Number of employees | 2200 (peak), 900 (at closure) |
The Inland Fisher Guide Plant was a manufacturing facility owned by General Motors located in the West Trenton area of Ewing Township, New Jersey. Established in 1938, it stood as one of GM’s most advanced factories and remained operational for six decades. Originally part of GM’s Fisher Body division under the Ternstedt group, the plant specialized in producing automotive components such as door handles and body moldings. During the Second World War, its production focus shifted to building torpedo bombers for the U.S. Navy as a segment of GM’s Eastern Aircraft division.
In 1961, this site became notable for introducing the first industrial robot in the United States. By the time it closed in 1998, the facility was manufacturing automotive parts for Delphi Automotive. The plant was subsequently demolished, and by 2011, Ewing Township had obtained federal grants to clean up environmental contaminants and prepare the location for commercial redevelopment.
Construction
Construction costs totaled $2 million (equivalent to $ million in current terms), with groundbreaking taking place in August 1937 and attended by New Jersey Governor Harold G. Hoffman. The plant was officially opened in November 1938 by GM Chairman Alfred P. Sloan alongside President William S. Knudsen. Initially staffed by approximately 1,500 employees, there were plans to increase the workforce significantly, anticipating economic improvement following the 1938 congressional elections—an event Sloan regarded as indicative of a "returning common sense."
War effort
Production of automotive parts halted on December 12, 1941, and within a month, the facility became integrated into Eastern Aircraft—one of five former GM plants repurposed for military manufacturing during wartime. The factory produced TBM models of the Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bomber for use by the United States Navy throughout World War II. Components fabricated at other sites were transported via the Reading Railroad to Ewing Township, where they were assembled with locally manufactured parts. Finished aircraft were delivered to Skillman Airport (now known as Trenton-Mercer Airport) following successful test flights.
The first Avenger constructed at this location completed its test flight in November 1942, less than eight months after converting to military production. By the end of the war, approximately 7,800 Avengers had been assembled at the Ewing plant—including the plane piloted by future President George H. W. Bush when he was shot down over the Pacific in 1944. In September 1945, most naval-operated plants were transferred to the Surplus Property Administration; however, sections of this facility remained under Navy jurisdiction. After hostilities ceased, operations returned to manufacturing automotive parts.
First robot
In 1961, this plant became the first commercial site in America to implement a programmable industrial robot by installing the Unimate, an automated hydraulic arm created by inventors George Devol and Joseph Engelberger. This robotic arm managed aluminum door handles and other freshly die-cast automotive components weighing up to , eliminating workers' exposure to intense heat from molten metal. It replaced a labor-intensive process previously performed across three shifts, thereby enhancing both efficiency and workplace safety.
The Unimate operated nonstop at this location for a decade, accumulating 100,000 hours before its donation to the Smithsonian Institution in 1971 as a landmark achievement in industrial automation history. This breakthrough represented a major evolution in manufacturing practices and established GM as a leader in integrating robotics within production environments.
Closure
In December 1992, General Motors revealed plans to shut down the Delphi Interior & Lighting Systems facility in 1993, a move affecting approximately 2,200 staff members. The following year, William D. Hurley of Independent Component Systems attempted to purchase the plant with backing from New Jersey officials; however, this acquisition never materialized. After negotiations and concessions with Local 731 of the United Auto Workers, GM agreed in May 1994 to continue operations by decreasing the workforce by one-quarter as a cost-saving measure.
By 1998, the plant had become uncompetitive and was permanently closed, resulting in the elimination of 900 jobs involving the production of seat adjusters, moldings, and painted exterior parts. The final day of production was June 12, 1998; employees remaining at that time were provided with opportunities for relocation within the company and received commemorative books marking the closure.
The facility was subsequently demolished. As of 2010, General Motors paid $75,000 annually in property taxes on the 80-acre site, reflecting the minimum rate for undeveloped land. Although the property was valued at $7 million during its operational period, its assessed tax value dropped to $940,000 by 2010 due to vacancy.
Following this, Ewing Township prioritized the location for environmental cleanup and commercial redevelopment after securing a $10.4 million grant in 2011 from the Revitalizing Auto Communities Environmental Response Trust. This fund was created as part of GM’s 2009 bankruptcy restructuring to finance remediation of former GM sites. The cleanup activities are being conducted under the supervision of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.