Automotive Manufacturing Jobs in Arlington, TX
GM Arlington Assembly on East Abram Street has built vehicles since 1954 and today turns out the Tahoe, Suburban, Yukon and Escalade, with suppliers hiring around it. The guides below cover every automotive manufacturing role in Arlington, who is hiring, and what it pays.
Why Automotive Manufacturing Work Is Different in Arlington
Few Sun Belt cities still have a full vehicle assembly plant inside the city limits. General Motors is Arlington's largest principal employer, with about 10,500 people across the assembly plant and GM Financial in the city's FY2025 financial report, and the plant sits at the edge of the Great Southwest Industrial District near I-30 and SH 360. Hourly plant workers are represented by UAW Local 276. GM's own postings for Arlington run to quality management, with audits on torque, welds and sealing, and to paint process engineering, which tells you the plant runs its own body and paint operations.
The supplier side is where much of the posted hourly hiring shows up. International Automotive Components runs an Arlington plant whose job board carries material handlers on forklifts, production assemblers, CMM quality operators, tooling and molding makers and industrial maintenance technicians across all three shifts. Nearby plants that are not automotive hire the same skills, so a handler or inspector can move between them: ANDRITZ in Arlington posts quality inspectors for weld and paint inspection, Siemens in Fort Worth hires second-shift material handlers, and Poly-America in Grand Prairie hires handlers and machine operator trainees.
Top Automotive Manufacturing Employers in Arlington
These employers post automotive and production roles in Arlington or within a short drive:
- GM Arlington Assembly - the anchor plant, building full-size SUVs and posting quality and paint process roles for Arlington.
- International Automotive Components - the Arlington supplier plant hires material handlers, production assemblers, CMM operators and maintenance technicians on three shifts.
- ANDRITZ - the Arlington industrial equipment maker posts quality inspectors for weld and paint inspection and field service welders.
- Siemens - the Fort Worth plant hires second-shift material handlers with a 5% shift differential.
- Poly-America - the Grand Prairie manufacturer hires material handlers, forklift drivers, quality control staff and machine operator trainees.
- Caliber Collision - hires automotive painter helpers at its Bedford shop, an entry route for the paint track outside the plant.
Automotive Manufacturing Career Paths in Arlington
- Assembly and the production line - Automotive Assembler, Automotive Production Technician and Materials Handler. The entry points that build the vehicle and keep parts moving to the line.
- Skilled trades and equipment - Stamping Press Operator, Automotive Paint Technician, Robotics Maintenance Technician and Tool and Die Maker. Higher-paid roles that run, maintain and build the equipment.
- Quality - Quality Control Inspector. The role that checks parts and finished work against spec, and a common step toward supervision.
How to Start an Automotive Manufacturing Career in Arlington
- Forklift certification - OSHA requires employers to train and certify powered industrial truck operators on their own equipment, so handlers are usually certified after hire.
- TCC welding - Tarrant County College teaches welding at its Northwest and South campuses in Fort Worth, and TCC South offers a Welding Technology AAS.
- TCC South Campus collision and refinishing - an Automotive Collision Repair AAS plus Level 1 certificates in Automotive Refinishing and Automotive Metal Repair, the classroom route into paint work.
- Dan Dipert Career and Technical Center - Arlington ISD's center on Browning Drive teaches manufacturing and robotics clusters to high school students.
- UT Arlington College of Engineering - the local route into process, quality and manufacturing engineering.
Texas has no state license for automotive manufacturing work. Forklift certification is a federal workplace rule handled by the employer; welding certificates, degrees and I-CAR refinish training are employer preferences.
Automotive Manufacturing Salaries in Arlington
- Entry - about $16 to $21 an hour. IAC posts production assembly at $16 or more and forklift material handlers at $18 to $19 or more, and Siemens posts $18.11 to $21.74 plus a 5% shift differential.
- Mid - about $22 to $31 an hour. Quality control inspectors earn a national median of $23.35 and painting and coating workers $23.10, close to the Dallas-Fort Worth production average of $23.83.
- Senior - about $64,000 to $94,000 a year. Tool and die makers earn a national median of $64,050 with the top tenth above $92,680, and industrial machinery mechanics a median of $64,520 with the top tenth above $94,530.
These are estimates from local postings and federal wage data, not guarantees. Shift, equipment and certifications move pay most: third-shift and cherry picker work posts higher at IAC, and maintenance and tooling roles out-earn line work. GM's hourly pay is set by its union contract rather than the local market.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a degree for an automotive manufacturing job in Arlington?
No. Assembler, handler and production jobs are learned on the job, usually with a diploma or GED. Skilled trades such as tool and die and robotics maintenance call for a certificate, an associate degree or years of experience, and engineering roles need a bachelor's.
Is GM Arlington a union plant?
Yes. Hourly workers at GM Arlington Assembly are represented by UAW Local 276. Supplier plants around it set their own pay and terms.
How much do material handlers make at Arlington auto plants?
IAC posts forklift material handler pay of $18 to $19 or more an hour depending on shift, with sequencing and cherry picker work posted higher. Siemens in Fort Worth posts $18.11 to $21.74 plus a shift differential.
What does GM build in Arlington?
The Arlington plant on East Abram Street, open since 1954, builds the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, the GMC Yukon and the Cadillac Escalade.
Do you need a forklift license in Texas?
There is no state forklift license. OSHA requires each employer to train and certify operators on the equipment they will run, so most Arlington plants certify new handlers after hire.
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