General Motors will invest $1.2 billion into its Fort Wayne, Ind., truck plant for upgrades and technology that will improve the plant's competitiveness in assembling light- and heavy-duty pickups.

The investment will fund several upgrades, including a new pre-treatment facility featuring thin-film paint pretreatment; e-coat paint customized to each vehicle style; radiant tube ovens for exceptional paint finish and lower energy use; new equipment that accommodates the many variations of the truck cab and box being placed on the chassis; and new skillet conveyance systems for instrument panel assembly intended to improve worker ergonomics, GM announced on May 26.

Construction of the new pre-treat, electro-coat paint operation and sealing facility, expanded body shop, expanded and new material sequencing centers, and upgraded general assembly area is expected to begin in June and take several years to complete, according to the automaker.

The investments in Fort Wayne are part of the $5.4 billion that GM said it would invest in U.S. facilities over the next three years.