TheToledo Assembly Complexis a 3,640,000 sq ft (338,000 m2)automotivefactory complex inToledo, Ohio.Now owned byStellantis North America,sections of the facility have operated as an automobile assembly plant since 1910, initially forWillys-Overland.The Toledo complex has assembledJeepssince the 1940s and comprises two factories, Toledo North and Toledo South. The latter includes the Stickney Plant and the Parkway Annex.
Toledo Assembly Complex | |
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![]() The plant has been home to theJeepbrand since the 1940s. | |
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Operated | 1910–present |
Location | Toledo, Ohio |
Coordinates | 41°41′N83°32′W/ 41.69°N 83.53°W |
Industry | Automotive |
Products | Off-road vehicles |
Employees | 6,093 (2022)[1] |
Area | 312 acres (1.26 km2)[1] |
Volume | 3,640,000 sq ft (338,000 m2)[1] |
Address | 4400 Chrysler Drive |
Owner(s) |
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In 2018,Fiat Chrysler AutomobilesFCA, the predecessor of Stellantis NA, announced that the Toledo Machining Plant would assemble the power electronics module and components for theJeep WranglerPlug-in Hybrid launched in 2020.[2]
Toledo South
editThe "Toledo South Assembly Plant" is the originalJeep CJassembly factory. It was rebuilt to manufacture theJK Wranglerfor Jeep, starting in August 2006. The plant consists of two interconnected units, the "Stickney Plant" (4000 Stickney Ave) and the "Parkway Annex" (1000 Jeep Parkway). In recent years, the Parkway facility has done basic assembly and painting of the Jeep Wrangler.
The antiquated arrangement of the old operation included operations spread through a disorganized array of buildings, which required that vehicles and components be moved through multiple building levels. The final assembly of cars occurred at Stickney, but facility constraints required that bodies be painted at Parkway and then moved through tunnels and across bridges to reach the assembly line. Both the Stickney and Parkway sites were replaced by Toledo Supplier Park in 2007.
Stickney
editThe Stickney Plant (41°41′40″N83°31′31″W/ 41.69444°N 83.52528°W) was opened in 1942 byAutoliteand sold toKaiser-Jeepin 1964. It was a machining and engine plant until 1981 whenAmerican Motors Corporation(AMC) converted it for vehicle production. The originalJeep Grand Wagoneerwas made there from 1981 until the SJ model was discontinued in 1991. After that, Chrysler moved the final assembly of the Wrangler to this facility there.
Chrysler renamed this facility to Toledo Assembly Plant after the automaker acquired AMC in 1987.[3]
Parkway
editThe Parkway Annex (41°40′57″N83°33′55″W/ 41.68250°N 83.56528°W) was opened in 1904 as a bicycle factory. Its use as an automobile assembly plant dates from 1910 whenWillys-Overlandpurchased it. The plant began producing Jeep vehicles in the 1940s.
Chrysler also renamed this factory to the Toledo Assembly Plant after acquiring AMC in 1987. Basic assembly and painting of the Jeep Cherokee (1983 through 2000) and building bodies and painting of the Jeep Wrangler by Chrysler were at the Parkway plant until 2006, when it was closed. Jeep Wrangler assembly was completed at the Stickney plant from 1993 until the Toledo Supplier Park opened in 2006 for the 2007 model year vehicles.
The Parkway plant included landmark smokestacks spelling out "Overland" in bricks. It was home to military Jeep production and the Jeep museum. One-third of the plant was demolished in 2002, including the former museum, and the remainder was later razed to the ground. Two of the three "Overland" smokestacks, a Toledo landmark since 1915, were demolished in June 2007.[4]
In 2010, the site was acquired by theToledo–Lucas County Port Authority.The agency redeveloped the property as an industrial park. It includes a newDanafacility producing Jeep axles and a Detroit Manufacturing Systems plant producing instrument clusters.[5]The remaining stack, left alone by Chrysler, was dedicated in August 2013, with a plaque honoring the former plants' numerous workers.[6]
Toledo Supplier Park
editToledo Supplier Park was opened in 2007 byDaimlerChryslerto produce the newJeep Wrangler.The name comes from the two on-site suppliers who make different parts for the Wrangler. There is Mobis North America (formerly OMMC) owned byHyundai Mobis,which assembles the chassis, axles, and power train, and KUKA Toledo Production Operations (KTPO), a wholly owned subsidiary of KUKA Systems North America, which operates the body shop. Both employ their employees and control their operations. While the suppliers may make most of the parts, Chrysler does the final assembly.[7][8]The Toledo Supplier Park is on the same site as the Stickney Plant. TheJeep Wrangler JKwas produced at this plant until it was retooled to build the 2019 Jeep Gladiator (JT).
Toledo North
editThe "Toledo North Assembly Plant" (41°41′46″N83°31′10″W/ 41.69611°N 83.51944°W) was opened in 2001, building theunibodyJeep Liberty.The 2,140,000 sq ft (199,000 m2) building is on 200 acres (81 ha) at 4400 Chrysler Drive. Construction began in 1997.[9]The plant employs almost 7,000.[9]Production of the all-new 2014Jeep Cherokee (KL)started at the plant in 2013. In 2017, Chrysler moved production of the Cherokee KL to theBelvidere Assembly PlantinIllinois.The Toledo North Assembly Plant retooled to begin producing the 2018Jeep Wrangler (JL)Series.
Vehicles produced
editCurrent
edit- Jeep Wrangler(1993–present)
- Jeep Gladiator(2019–present)
Past
edit- 1945–1986:Jeep CJ[10]
- 1946–1965:Willys Jeep Station Wagon
- 1962–1988:Jeep Gladiator
- 1963–1991:Jeep Grand Wagoneer
- 1974–1983:Jeep Cherokee
- 1984–2001:Jeep Cherokee/Wagoneer
- 1985–1992:Jeep Comanche
- 1994–1996:Dodge Dakota
- 2002–2012:Jeep Liberty/Cherokee
- 2007–2011:Dodge Nitro
- 2013–2017:Jeep Cherokee
References
edit- ^abc"Toledo Assembly Complex".Stellantis North America.December 2022.RetrievedApril 13,2023.
- ^Schoenberger, Robert (August 12, 2018)."FCA taps Toledo Machining for plug-in hybrid Jeep Wrangler components".todaysmotorvehicles.Archived fromthe originalon March 4, 2021.RetrievedJuly 15,2024.
- ^"Toledo Supplier Park".American Auto Worker.RetrievedJuly 15,2024.
- ^"Part of Toledo's Automotive History Falling".Toledo Blade.October 20, 2006.RetrievedJuly 15,2024.
- ^McNabb, Mark (August 25, 2016)."Former Toledo Jeep Plant Site Now Home To Instrument Cluster Supplier".Top Speed.RetrievedJuly 14,2024.
- ^Linkhorn, Tyrel (August 29, 2013)."Smokestack dedicated to Jeep workers".The Toledo Blade.RetrievedJuly 15,2024.
- ^McKinnon, Julie M. (February 11, 2007)."Bumpy at first, assembly smooths out for Wrangler".The Toledo Blade.RetrievedJuly 15,2024.
- ^"Chrysler Group's Toledo Supplier Park Opens the Doors to Production of All-New 2007 Jeep Wrangler".The Auto Channel.2006.RetrievedJuly 15,2024.
- ^ab"Toledo North Assembly Plant".daimlerchrysler.2008. Archived fromthe originalon June 6, 2008.RetrievedJuly 15,2024.
- ^McKinnon, Julie."Nation's longest-operating auto plant faces final days".Offroaders.RetrievedJuly 7,2014.
External links
editMedia related toToledo Complexat Wikimedia Commons
- Official website
- "Toledo Assembly Plants and Supplier Park: Jeep and Dodge".Allpar.November 16, 2020.RetrievedJuly 15,2024.