Chrysler Upgrading Michigan Plant
Recent reports have stated that automaker Chrysler Group is planning to invest $43 million in new tooling and other equipment it needs to expand its operations in the United States city of Kokomo, Indiana. Through the expansion, nearly 400 new jobs will be created and of those, 379 will be for laid off employees at the plant while 20 will be for new management positions. My increasing the capabilities of the Group’s Kokomo Transmission plant and Kokomo Casting facility, Chrysler hopes to adjust them so that they can support the production of the new World Engine and raise the process quality of the 62TE transmission program. According to the senior vice president and head of manufacturing at Chrysler, Scott Garberding, the plan is a robust one that was first laid out in November of 2009 and designed to help the Kokomo facilities play a stronger role in achieving Chrysler’s current goals.
Keeping their plant on the bleeding edge of hi tech innovations has been a recent Chrysler commitment, say experts in the auto industry, and the Kokomo facility upgrades bear that out. Kokomo’s city government has responded to the news by offering a tax abatement program to help make the local economic boom easier to pull off. After nearly a $1 billion invested by Chrysler Group for the power train operations over the past 3 years, the company has been a major player in the local economy. This comes after Chrysler has already invested a full $179 million in the Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance plant it maintains in Dundee, Michigan which produces the 16 valve 1.4 liter Fully Integrated Robotized Engine, a landmark product for the automaker.