Canadian superhero heads to Chrysler plant

Windsor’s hometown superhero, The Incredible Conduit, is taking his fight against crime to Chrysler’s minivan plant. The Conduit (aka Raymond Cole) is the creation of Tony Gray, a Windsor-based comic artist and writer who created the character that runs in the Windsor Star newspaper.

Gray says the latest storyline revolves around a bad guy who plans to use high-tech robots to create problems at the Chrysler Windsor Assembly Plant. The players will include some actual Chrysler employees in major roles. Gray worked with Mary Gauthier at Chrysler Group to get approvals to use the plant, corporate logos and employee likenesses for The Conduit’s latest adventure.

Inspiration for the story came from correspondence between Gray and workers at the Chrysler facility who suggested that, since it is Windsor’s largest employer, the plant would be an excellent site for a new series.

You can read more in today’s edition of the Windsor Star.

310 workers return to Kokomo plant

Hundreds of workers have been recalled from layoffs to resume work at the Kokomo Transmission Plant and Indiana Transmission Plant 1.

According to Rich Boruff, president of UAW Local 685, 175 employees were back on the job Monday and another group will report for work on March 22. Boruff said a total of 257 non-skilled workers and 53 skilled-trades workers are being recalled.

The recalls are due to increased demand for six-speed transmissions and changes being made under Fiat’s direction. If sales meet expectations, most of the workers laid off from the Kokomo plants could be back at work this summer.

(From the Kokomo Tribune. Thanks, KCP Worker.)

Wrangler hard-tops on their way

Jeep Wranglers with hardtops have been constrained by the loss of the former supplier, and difficulties by the current supplier in producing the fairly complex tops in a high enough quantity. This has been a problem for sales, as the Wrangler hard tops, despite the considerable expense, outsell the soft tops by around three to one. Chrysler has just told dealers that the production issues should be resolved with the supplier ramping up over the next two months; starting with the May production month, the ordinary 75/25 allocation of hard tops to soft tops should be possible.

Toledo plant might get more work, three shifts

Larry P. Vellequette wrote that Ohio officials and UAW workers have confirmed Chrysler’s negotiations to expand the Toledo plant’s operations, possibly adding up over a thousand new jobs if two new shifts are added. While 220 workers are currently laid off, the expansion and extra shifts could result in 1,700 new workers being hired, most at around $14 per hour.

The expansion would probably take place at Toledo North, where the Jeep Liberty and Dodge Nitro are currently made. The plant employs about 950 hourly workers on one shift, but it is one of Chrysler’s most flexible manufacturing facilities.

Next door, another plant builds the Jeep Wrangler, using two shifts and 1,300 people; the body-on-frame Wrangler cannot be made alongside a unit-body SUV or car.

According to Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne, the key to Chrysler’s future is using a common platform under numerous cars and SUVs; determining the needs and desired outcomes for shared platforms was a goal of Project D under Cerberus. Due to its flexibility, Toledo North could build numerous apparently completely different cars and trucks at once using the same key dimensions. If one type of vehicle, such as a small pickup or SUV, started doing very well, they could boost production of that one and cut production of, say, a slow-selling sports coupe.

The next Jeep Liberty, due in the 2013 model year, is to use a Fiat platform (set of dimensions) along with at least seven products cars and crossovers. The Liberty, crossovers, and cars are being engineered by Chrysler in Michigan, using the Fiat dimensions; there is some sharing of components and electrical architectures, but the cars will be almost completely different from existing Fiats. They will use Chrysler engines and transmissions, aside from a Fiat dual-clutch automatic.

Marchionne, along with many analysts, said that the company would be more profitable if it had fewer, more flexible plants, running around the clock.

Chrysler to buy Sterling Heights plant

The current Chrysler Group LLC has reached an agreement with the “Old Carco” to buy the Sterling Heights assembly plant, where the Dodge Avenger and Chrysler Sebring are made. The selling price is $20 million, at the high end of estimates of the plant’s worth, with the sellers likely taking advantage of Chrysler’s need for the plant. The city had threatened to eliminate heavy tax incentives negotiated with “the old Chrysler” if the new Chrysler did not purchase the plant.

Around 1,200 people work at Sterling Heights, but if new products were brought there, that number could double as it went to two or three shifts. Sergio Marchionne had said that Chrysler would need an additional plant going forward, assuming Sterling Heights was closing. He said the plant would need considerable investment in the paint shop and other areas.

The original Marchionne plan was to lease the plant until completely new replacements for the current mid-sized cars were ready. He has stressed the importance of mid-sized cars, given that is a very large market in North America with much higher profit margins than smaller cars; some of the biggest sellers in North America, notably the Toyota Camry, are mid-sized.

The bankrupt company has not received any written offers; estimates of the value of the property were as low as $8.5 million and as high as $21 million.

The sale requires court approval which is likely to occur on March 11. The sale document submitted to the bankruptcy court is 125 pages long. There has been no commitment to new product, but a union official wrote, “having SHAP back under the new company is a great step forward.”

Read more: Sterling Heights Assembly Plant

Belvidere plant to reopen today

The Chrysler’s Belvidere, Illinois, assembly plant is scheduled to reopen today. A parts shortage caused the plant, which makes the Dodge Caliber, Jeep Compass and Jeep Patriot, to suspend production Tuesday, idling 2,300 workers.

Supply chain issues have become a significant problem during the massive upheaval the industry has experienced over the last 18 months and even minor hiccups can have a big effect. Last month, a shortage of a plastic key fob caused the shutdown of the minivan production lines at Chrysler’s plant in Windsor, Ontario.

Dan Knott, Chrysler Group’s purchasing chief, is working with suppliers and production planners to minimize the impact and Mike Keegan is handling supply chain management. Knott says there has been a 70% reduction in supply glitches since the end of 2009 but some problems will remain for the foreseeable future.