Chrysler’s Detroit Axle Plant

Photos by Carolyn Allmacher

The first photo shows Detroit Axle in 2008: perhaps somewhat neglected, but still proudly showing its identity, with an intact “Wall of Honor” celebrating plant veterans out front. The second photo shows the plant as it stood in 2011: with its name painted out, the wall of honor stripped, and the word “Chrysler” painted out wherever it appeared on any signage, but a new coat of paint on the walls, presumably to help it sell to a new owner.

Detroit Axle Plant

Detroit Axle

The Detroit Axle Plant is on 6700 Lynch Road in Detroit and Hamtramck, Michigan, near the Forest Lawn Cemetary and Coleman Young Airport. Built in 1917 to build munitions for World War I, it was purchased by Chrysler in 1928.

Chrysler factory

The plant was opened in 1917, but Chrysler did not buy it until 1928; the plant was expanded numerous times from 1956 onwards, the final expansion occuring in 2001, resulting in a 1.2 million square foot facility on 48 acres of land. In 2009, it made front and rear drive axles for the Dakota, Ram, Grand Cherokee, and Commander; differentials for the LX cars; and trailing axles for minivans. It also made Durango/Aspen axles while those vehicles were made.

In 1998, Detroit Axle had 1,800 employees who produced 3,400 rear-wheel drive axles per day (to increase to 4,000 by 1999.) The plant later made differentials and independent front suspensions.

factory

The plant was represented by the UAW locals 961, 889, and 412, with 643 hourly workers, 100 salaried workers. The plant was switched to team-based manufacturing with positive effects on quality. Fred Goedtel used Detroit Axle as an example of how team-based manufacturing worked; when people had problems installing a harness; the team leader called the supplier, had them come see the problem, and told the supplier how to change the harness to make it easier to put in without damage and in less time. The problem was fixed in two days. Fred Goedtel said that problem would have taken quite a bit of paperwork and time to fix using traditional methods, and could have gone on for weeks or months.

Detroit Axle offices

In 1998, Chrysler noted that “The $300 million modernization project is part of Chrysler's $1.3 billion investment in facilities throughout Detroit.”

The plant was closed in or around 2010.

Detroit Axle plant pipes

The plant borders Mt. Elliott Street, which lent its name to a tool and die plant, and Mound Road, which once hosted Plymouth’s engine plant; it is across the street from the old and similarly unused Lynch Road Plant (Detroit Chassis).

Chrysler plant

The Marysville Axle Plant was to be a joint venture, with ZF running the plant using Chrysler UAW people and having Chrysler as their primary customer. We were told in February 2009:

The plans (currently) are for the Core Launch Team to return to MAP (Marysville Axle Plant) by the beginning of summer. There was a discrepancy as to who was going to pay for the MAP hourly people, and since ZF wouldn't commit just yet they had to come back as Chrysler was going to continue footing the bill. Currently the story is that 200 hourly people will be hired from Chrysler as the volume committment is not there as originally planned.

wall of honr