Jeep Toledo Parkway Plant to Close; City's Manufacturing Skyline Gets New Look
June 30 2006 - 2:25PM
PR Newswire (US)
* The oldest automotive manufacturing facility in North America
closes, making way for new $2.1 billion Jeep(R) Wrangler program *
Production of Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Wrangler Unlimited to move to
Supplier Park facility in Toledo * $3.9 billion in DaimlerChrysler
investments broadens Toledo's manufacturing base, protects jobs
AUBURN HILLS, Mich., June 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Friday, June
30, will mark the last day of production at Chrysler's Toledo
Parkway Assembly Plant. After 64 years of manufacturing Jeep
products at the Parkway facility, the Chrysler Group will relocate
production of the Jeep(R) Wrangler to the new, $2.1 billion
state-of-the-art Toledo Supplier Park and add a new, four- door
Unlimited version of the Wrangler to Toledo's manufacturing mix.
The Toledo Supplier Park -- part of an unprecedented expansion by
DaimlerChrysler in this urban, Midwest operation -- will become the
new home of the legendary Jeep Wrangler. The plant, adjacent to
DaimlerChrysler's Toledo North Assembly Plant, is operated by the
Chrysler Group and three supplier partners: Magna International's
Magna Steyr, Kuka Group and Hyundai Mobis-owned Ohio Module
Manufacturing Corp. (OMMC). The innovative supplier park is the
first North American operation to have three major vehicle-
building operations (body shop, paint shop and chassis assembly)
owned or operated by suppliers. The Jeep Wrangler was formerly
built at the Toledo Assembly Plant comprised of the Parkway and
Stickney locations. "The closing of Toledo Parkway clearly marks
the end of an important era in our history," said Frank Ewasyshyn,
Executive Vice President - Manufacturing, Chrysler Group. "But it
also opens the door for us to modernize our facilities while
ensuring that our Toledo employees have a stronger future. Today,
you see the oldest auto plant in the U.S. producing its last
vehicle. Tomorrow, in its place will stand one of the most
innovative manufacturing complexes in automotive history." Toledo's
modern, four-vehicle manufacturing portfolio -- with the capability
to add even more models -- stands in stark contrast to the one-
product town that characterized Toledo less than a decade ago. By
summer 2006, the two plants will be building Jeep Wrangler
(two-door), Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (four-door), Jeep Liberty and
Dodge Nitro. "Keeping companies like Chrysler Group in Toledo and
providing an opportunity to grow and expand its operations is a
major step toward stimulating growth in the Toledo area," said
Carty Finkbeiner, Toledo Mayor. "While the Parkway facility has
been a part of the Toledo landscape many years, this new plant
structure is clearly the future of manufacturing and we're proud to
be at the center of it. The Jeep Wrangler is a part of our history
and we love that it's built here in Toledo." The Supplier Park
brings enhanced manufacturing technology to Toledo, Ohio, and gives
the plant the flexibility to build multiple vehicles on the same
production line. At the Supplier Park, paint operations will be
coordinated by Magna Steyer, Kuka Group will operate the body shop,
while Ohio Module Manufacturing Corp. will assemble the chassis.
Chrysler Group has the responsibility for the final trim and
assembly operations at the plant. All four facilities were
completed earlier this year and have been working together to
produce pilot vehicles since May. After an initial investment of
$1.2 billion to build the first of the two modern Toledo Plants --
Toledo North Assembly Plant -- DaimlerChrysler last year announced
that it would invest an additional $600 million at Toledo North,
giving the plant the flexibility to add Dodge Nitro assembly to the
line that has been producing the Jeep Liberty since 2001. That
investment also led to a third manufacturing shift, added more than
160,000 square feet, new equipment, new conveyors, as well as
important new processes that will contribute to the plant's
productivity and quality. The 2.1 million square-foot Toledo North
Assembly Plant occupies 200 acres and has more than 2,700 employees
working two shifts, with the third shift of approximately 750
employees to begin in the third quarter. Groundbreaking of Toledo
North began in fall 1997. A third DaimlerChrysler plant is located
in nearby Perrysburg, Ohio. The Toledo Machining Plant opened in
1967 and produces steering columns and torque converters. New
Plants Ensure Future of Carmaker in Toledo The Toledo Parkway
facility has served as a local manufacturing landmark and has been
a manufacturing site of the Jeep brand since 1942. Jeep Parkway is
North America's oldest manufacturing facility -- originally opening
in 1910 -- and the original Jeep assembly plant. The facility -- a
familiar Toledo sight with its two brick smokestacks bearing the
name "Overland" -- traces its history back to the Pope Motor Car
Co., before it was purchased by John North Willys and combined with
the Overland Automotive Division to form the Willys- Overland Motor
Company in 1912. Parkway began producing Jeep military vehicles in
the early 1940s before switching over to the Civilian Jeep (CJ) in
1945. It was renamed the Toledo Assembly Plant after Chrysler
purchased American Motors in 1987. The plant actually consists of
two interconnected units, the Stickney Plant and the Parkway Annex.
In recent years, basic assembly and painting of the Jeep Wrangler
has been done in the Parkway facility. The less-than-ideal setup at
the old operation included operations spread through a warren of
buildings and required that vehicles and components be moved
through multiple building levels. Final assembly of vehicles took
place at Stickney, but facility constraints required that bodies
first be painted at Parkway and then moved through tunnels and
across bridges to reach the assembly line. About a third of the
Jeep Parkway annex was demolished in 2002. The date of the final
Parkway demolition will be determined at a later date. The Stickney
Plant was built in 1942 by Autolite and sold to Kaiser-Jeep in
1964. It was used as a machining and engine plant until 1981 when
it was converted for vehicle production. It began producing the
Jeep Grand Wagoneer that year through 1991 when final assembly of
the Jeep Wrangler moved there. Commitment to the Community
DaimlerChrysler has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to
invest in existing facilities and provide good-paying jobs in urban
environments. By renovating many of its existing facilities,
DaimlerChrysler was a leading corporate investor in urban America
during the 1990s. This decade, the company is continuing the trend
in cities such as Toledo, St. Louis, Detroit and Warren, Mich. In
total, DaimlerChrysler has a significant impact on Toledo and the
state of Ohio, with 7,941 employees statewide generating $465
million in annual wages and providing more than $26 million in
taxable income to the state. Chrysler Group, a good neighbor good
citizen, sponsors various community events through its
philanthropic arm, the DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund, including
the Art Tatum Jazz Heritage Festival, Toledo Urban League, City's
Youth Entrepreneur Program, Toledo Opera, the Toledo Museum of Art,
Valentine Theatre and the Diamante Awards. DATASOURCE: Chrysler
Group CONTACT: Michele Tinson, +1-248-512-0366, , or David Elshoff,
+1-248-512-2690, , both of Chrysler Group Web site:
http://www.media.daimlerchrysler.com/
http://www.daimlerchrysler.com/
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