[Allpar News System]

Chrysler will invest another $19.6 million in its Toledo Machining Plant in Perrysburg, Ohio, to increase the number of torque converters it can machine for nine-speed transmissions. Chrysler’s investments in U.S. operations since June 2009 will, with this increase, stand at $5.2 billion. The nine-speed front-wheel drive transmission, whose use is being pioneered by Chrysler, will be made at Chrysler’s Kokomo, Indiana Transmission Plant I, and will debut in the 2014 Jeep® Cherokee. Land Rover is set to use a similar automatic, made by ZF, in the same timeframe. The new equipment is expected to be installed by the end of 2014. An earlier $72 million investment in the machining plant, to support eight and nine speed torque converters and new steering columns, will be finished by the third quarter of 2013. Toledo Machining makes torque converters and steering columns for plants in the United States, Mexico, Canada, Venezuela, and..

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[MoparNorm]

Does that mean a delay in getting 9 speed cars, or are there other, current sources, for the torque converters???

Oops! Never mind, upon reading further, I see this is an expansion of the previous torque converter manufacturing capacity for 9 speeds.

 

[superduckie5000]

Mo Parts!

The Corporate PR Release:

http://media.chrysler.com/newsrelease.do;jsessionid=59C80C96AB4184FD6FBA501D71DCB308?&id=14171&mid=2

A Note on the PR Releases, You Need to READ Carefully them Many, Many Times There is Real Good
and Very Accurate Info. Down Inside Them!

TMD

 

[Erik Latranyi]

... and a new steering column for the Dodge Dart and Jeep Cherokee. These installations will be complete in the third quarter this year.

So, the Cherokee is getting a new steering column in its first year?!

 

[Dave Z]

It would be in its second year. In their second year, that is.

I didn’t emphasize this partly because I didn’t know whether it was a revision (for whatever reason, e.g. crash safety) or because they are in-sourcing or transferring from another plant

 

[MoparNorm]

It would be in its second year. In their second year, that is.

I didn’t emphasize this partly because I didn’t know whether it was a revision (for whatever reason, e.g. crash safety) or because they are in-sourcing or transferring from another plant

If they are in-sourcing, that's a good sign.
Under Daimler, Chrysler lost a lot of engineering power. New Process, Air Temp, Detroit Axle and others.

 

[superduckie5000]

Wow!

I Know Where there is Another 2M Sq. Ft. of Unused Plant Floor Available!

TMD :thumbsup:

 

[TrailDuster45]

Airtemp? That was sold to Fedders years ago, long before the Dimlit era.

 

[MoparNorm]

Airtemp? That was sold to Fedders years ago, long before the Dimlit era.

Yes it was and it's still an example of outsourcing.
Most of those folks in Ohio lost their jobs to the chinese.
Chrysler hasn't had a quality A/C unit since.

 

[TrailDuster45]

FYI, that Airtemp plant that was the auto A/C plant in Ohio is still operating, It's owned by I believe Behr now and was not part of the Airtemp sale.

 

[MoparNorm]

FYI, that Airtemp plant that was the auto A/C plant in Ohio is still operating, It's owned by I believe Behr now and was not part of the Airtemp sale.

I have a few friends who worked there. It was never the same after Chrysler left. I don't know if it still operates, but it's a fraction of it's former size and many jobs were lost.

 

[SouthPawXJ]

I have a few friends who worked there. It was never the same after Chrysler left. I don't know if it still operates, but it's a fraction of it's former size and many jobs were lost.

It still does operate as Behr Thermal Products here in Dayton.

 

[djsamuel]

According to this article: http://www.bizjournals.com/dayton/print-edition/2011/06/17/top-employers-add-jobs-in-10.html?page=2

1022 employees (in 2011 anyway)

 

[TrailDuster45]

They had an Airtemp plant they built not long before they sold off the division around 1976 or so that was never finished in Bowling Green KY that is now the Corvette plant.