Chrysler will use cutting-edge powerplants as a major part of their "Recovery and Transformation" plan. The automaker has just invested $730 million dollars in Trenton, Michigan for a new engine plant which will go into production in 2009. A groundbreaking ceremony was held at the site last week.
The new plant will be located adjacent to the existing Trenton Engine Plant, between Fort Street and Jefferson. The 822,000-square-foot facility will have an annual manufacturing capacity of 400,000 to 440,000 engines, and once fully operational will employ 485 full-time workers.
A new family of fuel-efficient V6 engines known within the group as Phoenix powerplants, will be produced there. Over the long term, the Phoenix family of V-6 engines will reduce manufacturing complexity by paring the company's four current V-6 engine architectures to one. The new engines are part of a $3 billion "Powertrain Offensive" announced by the carmaker in February. It focuses on creating more fuel-efficient engines, transmissions and axles to support some 20 new vehicles to be launched in the next three years.
On hand for the groundbreaking ceremony were Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano, and Trenton Mayor Gerald Brown. UAW Vice President General Holiefield was also present, and told the media "We appreciate the confidence Chrysler Group has shown in its workforce by this continuing investment in powertrain operations, which will help preserve good-paying manufacturing jobs. UAW members at Trenton are 100 percent dedicated to quality, and we're excited to participate in building the next generation of fuel-efficient engines for Chrysler's great lineup of vehicles."
The new fuel-efficient engines will be built using several "smart" manufacturing technologies including flexible CNC-based machining, volume-bundled purchasing and standardized tooling.
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The new plant will be located adjacent to the existing Trenton Engine Plant, between Fort Street and Jefferson. The 822,000-square-foot facility will have an annual manufacturing capacity of 400,000 to 440,000 engines, and once fully operational will employ 485 full-time workers.
A new family of fuel-efficient V6 engines known within the group as Phoenix powerplants, will be produced there. Over the long term, the Phoenix family of V-6 engines will reduce manufacturing complexity by paring the company's four current V-6 engine architectures to one. The new engines are part of a $3 billion "Powertrain Offensive" announced by the carmaker in February. It focuses on creating more fuel-efficient engines, transmissions and axles to support some 20 new vehicles to be launched in the next three years.
On hand for the groundbreaking ceremony were Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano, and Trenton Mayor Gerald Brown. UAW Vice President General Holiefield was also present, and told the media "We appreciate the confidence Chrysler Group has shown in its workforce by this continuing investment in powertrain operations, which will help preserve good-paying manufacturing jobs. UAW members at Trenton are 100 percent dedicated to quality, and we're excited to participate in building the next generation of fuel-efficient engines for Chrysler's great lineup of vehicles."
The new fuel-efficient engines will be built using several "smart" manufacturing technologies including flexible CNC-based machining, volume-bundled purchasing and standardized tooling.