Chrysler’s Belvidere Assembly and Stamping Plant
Chrysler's Belvidere Assembly and Stamping Plant
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This plant, which is right off Route 90 and Route 20 in Illinois, built nearly a million Neons from through to February 1998. Its first product, starting in 1965, was the full-sized Plymouth Fury and Dodge Monaco station https://www.allpar.com/model/fury.htmlwagons. After the Neon, it made the Dodge Caliber, Jeep Patriot, Jeep Compass, Dodge Dart, and (currently) the Jeep Cherokee.
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The plant was named after the city it was in, with no relation to the Belvidere car, which was reportedly named after the hotel. It made rear wheel drive cars until 1977; after that, it switched to making L-body cars, including the Horizon, Omni, O24, TC3, Charger, Turismo, and Duster. A single year after Chrysler's cheapest models left the plant, the corporation's priciest cars moved in: the Imperial, Fifth Avenue, New Yorker, and Dynasty. They were succeeded again by the corporation's least expensive car, the Neon, which was replaced by the entry-level Caliber, Compass, and Patriot.
When making Omnis and Horizons, the Belvidere plant used Simca engines (designed while under Chrysler ownership); these were built in Poissy, France, tested in Paris, and shipped to Belvidere, where they were "dressed" with a carburetor and accessories and installed in the L-bodies.
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Employees from the Belvidere Assembly Plant took part in a 90-day, one-million mile Neon ride-and-drive verification program that began in September 1993. One hundred volunteer assembly workers rotated through 50 cars every day - in two eight-hour shifts - over a variety of road conditions. The goal was to put at least 12,000 miles on most of the cars, up to 36,000 miles on as many as possible and 100,000 miles on at least two of them, and to find what would fail.
In late 1993, Belvidere had 3.3 million square feet of floor space covering 280 acres. The plant began Neon production on November 10, 1993, with numerous manufacturing firsts. 3,250 hourly and 250 salaried employees were on staff, with an average age of 48 years and 23 years average length of service; their combined payroll was $231 million in 1992, when they built 125,000 cars. At the time, 380 robots were used; the plant had built 5.9 million vehicles before starting on the Neon.
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Production of the Dodge, Plymouth and internationally-sold Chrysler Neons began in November 1993. The plant employed 3,480 people and produced approximately 1,064 Neons daily. Neons were also made in Toluca, Mexico.
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With the Neon, Chrysler's Belvidere satellite fascia plant was designed and supported by the Davidson division of Textron. Numerous supplier suggestions resulted in savings of millions of dollars in Neon production; these are detailed in our SCORE page.
Before the Neon went into production, a team of manufacturing, engineering,
and procurement people visited key suppliers to make sure they were ready to launch. A materials management work team was set up; they replaced the cardboard boxes originally used to receive parts with reusable plastic containers that were shipped back to suppliers when emptied. Overall, the plant eliminated 95% of the waste materials, reducing environmental impact and saving the plant hundreds of thousands of dollars over time. Parts were also less likely to be damaged in transit.
![Automobile repair shop Vehicle Transport Car Industry]()
The "Checkerboard Square" set up at Belvidere let the manufacturing engineers figure out the ergonomics and technical issues surrounding construction of new cars in advance, at a much lower cost than planning it out on computer models, building, and then moving things around as needed. Chrysler can get over manufacturing hurdles before ordering tooling, and before shutting down a factory for changeover to a new model.
In December 1997, a new $45 million Verson Type A+ stamping press began operation at the satellite stamping facility which adjoins the main assembly plant. In summer 1997, a new $45 million Powder Anti-Chip paint system was added.
![Vehicle Machine Crew]()
The Verson Type A+ stamping press was the largest manufactured in the United States. Installing the press, which was the size of 12 locomotives, required an additional 60,000 square feet to the plant at a cost of $10 million. Initially, the new press was used for stamping front and rear Neon doors; it was to be used later for stamping full side-aperatures and fenders for a different model.
![]()
The Powder Anti-Chip paint system allowed for improved chip resistance, durability, and overall quality and finish on all vehicles produced at the Belvidere plant. A building addition of 72,000 square feet was required for the $45 million investment that upgraded Belvidere's paint system to state-of-the-art paint technology. This process, coupled with the water-borne base coat system already in place, made Belvidere one of the most environmentally-friendly automobile plants in the nation, at the time. These new paint processes have greatly reduced the VOC (volatile organic compounds) emissions and waste by-products associated with earlier paint systems.
Note: production does not equal sales, because of the lag between producing cars and selling them to end users, and because of international sales, chiefly Canada and Mexico.
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Chrysler Belvidere Assembly Plant: Environmental Impact Reduction
To reduce its environmental impact, the 2000 Neon used waterborne paint, molded-in color fascias, asbestos-free brakes, and door water shields made from recycled plastic. Pollution prevention was incorporated into Neon's planning process, and included steps such as:
The Rockford Register Star reported in July 2010 that Chrysler has confirmed a 500,000 square foot addition to the Belvidere, Ohio assembly plant, to hold a larger body shop.
The Caliber, Compass, and Patriot are being replaced by new cars engineered by Chrysler, using an altered set of dimensions and architectures created by Fiat. The midsize and compact cars (Dodge Dart) were engineered to be built in the same plant, on the same lines, thanks to certain common dimensions. As a result, Belvidere and possibly other plants - Toledo and possibly Sterling Heights - would all be able to make the same sets of cars, increasing Chrysler's ability to respond quickly to market shifts. If the Dodge Dart became a runaway hit, it could conceivably be made in two or three factories at once, at the same time as other models were made (this could also reduce the need to change colors as frequently - the company could make Belvidere the "red and white" plant for all models, Toledo the "red and black" plant, etc., saving money on paint and washes and reducing the environmental impact.)
In 2012,
Chrysler announced today that it would add about 1,800 jobs at its Belvidere Assembly Plant, including a third crew and hundreds of jobs for production of the Dodge Dart.
In addition to the jobs announcement, Marchionne acknowledged that the previously announced $600 million investment in a new 638,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art body shop had grown to nearly $700 million. The investment also included the installation of new machinery, tooling and material handling equipment exclusively for the production of the Dart.
2014 energy saving
Nicor Gas gave Chrysler's Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois a rebate check for $1.3 million, the result of savings from three projects and the largest incentive ever awarded by Nicor for energy efficiency. Chrysler's Head of Assembly Operations, Zachary Leroux, and Belvidere Plant Manager Eric Schimmel accepted the check.
The Nicor Gas Energy Efficiency Program gives rebates to customers who install qualifying natural-gas-saving products, and to pre-approved customers who develop customized natural gas reduction projects.
Belvidere's three energy conservation projects will save nearly 2.5 million therms - roughly the energy used in 1,000 homes - per year. They are:
Cascade Air, which reuses heated air rather than using natural gas to continually heat cold outside air. The rebate for this project was $400,000. Installing 34 variable frequency drive motors on direct gas-fired air handling units; rather than being off or fully on, these motors can operate at whatever speed is needed, to reduce the volume of heated air used by the plant. This project generated a $323,000 rebate.
Finally, Chrysler used the $500,000 incentive from Nicor towards a $1.3 million project to upgrade hardware and install new software to connect and control 25 air supply units and various exhaust fans, to create an integrated control system which provides a plant-wide air balance, along with non-production heating setbacks.
Nicor provided a 30% bonus on two projects that were identified in a Nicor assessment.
Belvidere Assembly also cut water use by 13%, reduced waste by 6%, and cut total energy consumption (including electricity) by 9.5%. The plant makes the Dodge Dart, Jeep Compass, and Jeep Patriot; in 2013, the plant built more than 325,000 vehicles with nearly 4,500 employees, working two 10-hour shifts, six days per week.
Also see: Making the Patriot, Caliber, and Compass at Belvidere and
Making the Dodge Dart at Belvidere
Current assembly plants
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Support plants
Other facilities
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Historical plants (including adopted companies)
Related pages
Also see... Factory photos: 2009 Dodge Ram - 1995 Neon - Chrysler LeBaron Convertible - Newark Assembly Plant
Working at the plant: <a name="factory"></a>Dave Tyjeski (2009), Bill Wetherholt (2009), Matt Wetherholt (2009), Views (2002), Teamwork (1998)
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This plant, which is right off Route 90 and Route 20 in Illinois, built nearly a million Neons from through to February 1998. Its first product, starting in 1965, was the full-sized Plymouth Fury and Dodge Monaco station https://www.allpar.com/model/fury.htmlwagons. After the Neon, it made the Dodge Caliber, Jeep Patriot, Jeep Compass, Dodge Dart, and (currently) the Jeep Cherokee.
The plant was named after the city it was in, with no relation to the Belvidere car, which was reportedly named after the hotel. It made rear wheel drive cars until 1977; after that, it switched to making L-body cars, including the Horizon, Omni, O24, TC3, Charger, Turismo, and Duster. A single year after Chrysler's cheapest models left the plant, the corporation's priciest cars moved in: the Imperial, Fifth Avenue, New Yorker, and Dynasty. They were succeeded again by the corporation's least expensive car, the Neon, which was replaced by the entry-level Caliber, Compass, and Patriot.
When making Omnis and Horizons, the Belvidere plant used Simca engines (designed while under Chrysler ownership); these were built in Poissy, France, tested in Paris, and shipped to Belvidere, where they were "dressed" with a carburetor and accessories and installed in the L-bodies.
Employees from the Belvidere Assembly Plant took part in a 90-day, one-million mile Neon ride-and-drive verification program that began in September 1993. One hundred volunteer assembly workers rotated through 50 cars every day - in two eight-hour shifts - over a variety of road conditions. The goal was to put at least 12,000 miles on most of the cars, up to 36,000 miles on as many as possible and 100,000 miles on at least two of them, and to find what would fail.
| Plymouth, Dodge | 1965-77 |
| Chrysler | 1973-77 |
| Horizon / Omni | 1977-87 |
| O24, TC3, Charger, Turismo, Duster | 1979-1987 |
| Dynasty/New Yorker/Imperial/Fifth Avenue | 1988-1993 |
| Neon | 1994-2005 |
| Caliber, Compass, Patriot | 2006-?? |
In late 1993, Belvidere had 3.3 million square feet of floor space covering 280 acres. The plant began Neon production on November 10, 1993, with numerous manufacturing firsts. 3,250 hourly and 250 salaried employees were on staff, with an average age of 48 years and 23 years average length of service; their combined payroll was $231 million in 1992, when they built 125,000 cars. At the time, 380 robots were used; the plant had built 5.9 million vehicles before starting on the Neon.
Production of the Dodge, Plymouth and internationally-sold Chrysler Neons began in November 1993. The plant employed 3,480 people and produced approximately 1,064 Neons daily. Neons were also made in Toluca, Mexico.
With the Neon, Chrysler's Belvidere satellite fascia plant was designed and supported by the Davidson division of Textron. Numerous supplier suggestions resulted in savings of millions of dollars in Neon production; these are detailed in our SCORE page.
Before the Neon went into production, a team of manufacturing, engineering,
and procurement people visited key suppliers to make sure they were ready to launch. A materials management work team was set up; they replaced the cardboard boxes originally used to receive parts with reusable plastic containers that were shipped back to suppliers when emptied. Overall, the plant eliminated 95% of the waste materials, reducing environmental impact and saving the plant hundreds of thousands of dollars over time. Parts were also less likely to be damaged in transit.
The "Checkerboard Square" set up at Belvidere let the manufacturing engineers figure out the ergonomics and technical issues surrounding construction of new cars in advance, at a much lower cost than planning it out on computer models, building, and then moving things around as needed. Chrysler can get over manufacturing hurdles before ordering tooling, and before shutting down a factory for changeover to a new model.
In December 1997, a new $45 million Verson Type A+ stamping press began operation at the satellite stamping facility which adjoins the main assembly plant. In summer 1997, a new $45 million Powder Anti-Chip paint system was added.
The Verson Type A+ stamping press was the largest manufactured in the United States. Installing the press, which was the size of 12 locomotives, required an additional 60,000 square feet to the plant at a cost of $10 million. Initially, the new press was used for stamping front and rear Neon doors; it was to be used later for stamping full side-aperatures and fenders for a different model.
The Powder Anti-Chip paint system allowed for improved chip resistance, durability, and overall quality and finish on all vehicles produced at the Belvidere plant. A building addition of 72,000 square feet was required for the $45 million investment that upgraded Belvidere's paint system to state-of-the-art paint technology. This process, coupled with the water-borne base coat system already in place, made Belvidere one of the most environmentally-friendly automobile plants in the nation, at the time. These new paint processes have greatly reduced the VOC (volatile organic compounds) emissions and waste by-products associated with earlier paint systems.
| U.S. Neon Sales | Belvidere Production | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dodge | Plymouth | Dodge | Plymouth | ||
| 1995 | 142,853 | 114,311 | ? | ? | |
| 1996 | 131,343 | 103,813 | 133,936 | 105,565 | |
| 1997 | 115,110 | 82,881 | 124,831 | 86,656 | |
| 1998 | 129,875 | 87,066 | 117,964 | 78,533 | |
| 1999 | 112,236 | 71,561 | 165,229 | 66,905 | |
| 2000 | 113,381 | 49,951 | 179,039 | 49,623 | |
| 2001 | 107,299 | 30,054 | 145,718 | 10,756 | |
| 2002 | 126,118 | 156,988 | 12,054 | ||
| 2003 | 120,101 | 150,957 | 1,859 | ||
| 2004 | 113,476 | 139,004 | 1,844 |
Note: production does not equal sales, because of the lag between producing cars and selling them to end users, and because of international sales, chiefly Canada and Mexico.
Chrysler Belvidere Assembly Plant: Environmental Impact Reduction
To reduce its environmental impact, the 2000 Neon used waterborne paint, molded-in color fascias, asbestos-free brakes, and door water shields made from recycled plastic. Pollution prevention was incorporated into Neon's planning process, and included steps such as:
- Sheet metal "home" scrap was recycled from the plant; plastic fascia scrap was recycled back to the materials supplier as regrind, saving 36 tons annually in landfill waste; and the instrument panel and door panels were designed to facilitate dismantling and recycling.
- The steering wheel rim was molded vinyl which requires no CFC agents; using other molded-in-color plastics eliminated CFC agents. Belvidere manufacturing operations were CFC-free.
- Groups of vehicles were painted the same color to minimize the use of color-change purge solvents.
- Warm-water base coat purge replaces solvent-based material, eliminating 20 tons of VOC emissions per year; water-based sound deadener eliminated another 170 tons of VOC emissions per year.
- All main process waste lines, sumps and manholes were lined to prevent contamination of the soil.
- An innovative paint sludge handling system reduced paint overspray sludge volume by more than 90%.
- Paint applicators were equipped with in-line point flowmeters tied into the plant's computer tracking system to monitor usage continuously, quickly alerting plant personnel when usage increases.
- The headliner silencer is recycled polyethylene terepthalate (PET) soft drink bottles; some sound deadeners used reclaimed PVC.
- The wastewater treatment plant used ultra- filtration technology to remove, concentrate and recycle emulsified oils from the on-site stamping plant.
- Internal plastics were coded to aid recycling.
- Brake linings were asbestos free and clearcoat paints were lead-free.
- Hazardous constituents were reduced to prevent their emission into the atmosphere or waste water.
The Rockford Register Star reported in July 2010 that Chrysler has confirmed a 500,000 square foot addition to the Belvidere, Ohio assembly plant, to hold a larger body shop.
The Caliber, Compass, and Patriot are being replaced by new cars engineered by Chrysler, using an altered set of dimensions and architectures created by Fiat. The midsize and compact cars (Dodge Dart) were engineered to be built in the same plant, on the same lines, thanks to certain common dimensions. As a result, Belvidere and possibly other plants - Toledo and possibly Sterling Heights - would all be able to make the same sets of cars, increasing Chrysler's ability to respond quickly to market shifts. If the Dodge Dart became a runaway hit, it could conceivably be made in two or three factories at once, at the same time as other models were made (this could also reduce the need to change colors as frequently - the company could make Belvidere the "red and white" plant for all models, Toledo the "red and black" plant, etc., saving money on paint and washes and reducing the environmental impact.)
In 2012,
Chrysler announced today that it would add about 1,800 jobs at its Belvidere Assembly Plant, including a third crew and hundreds of jobs for production of the Dodge Dart.
In addition to the jobs announcement, Marchionne acknowledged that the previously announced $600 million investment in a new 638,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art body shop had grown to nearly $700 million. The investment also included the installation of new machinery, tooling and material handling equipment exclusively for the production of the Dart.
2014 energy saving
Nicor Gas gave Chrysler's Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois a rebate check for $1.3 million, the result of savings from three projects and the largest incentive ever awarded by Nicor for energy efficiency. Chrysler's Head of Assembly Operations, Zachary Leroux, and Belvidere Plant Manager Eric Schimmel accepted the check.
The Nicor Gas Energy Efficiency Program gives rebates to customers who install qualifying natural-gas-saving products, and to pre-approved customers who develop customized natural gas reduction projects.
Belvidere's three energy conservation projects will save nearly 2.5 million therms - roughly the energy used in 1,000 homes - per year. They are:
Cascade Air, which reuses heated air rather than using natural gas to continually heat cold outside air. The rebate for this project was $400,000. Installing 34 variable frequency drive motors on direct gas-fired air handling units; rather than being off or fully on, these motors can operate at whatever speed is needed, to reduce the volume of heated air used by the plant. This project generated a $323,000 rebate.
Finally, Chrysler used the $500,000 incentive from Nicor towards a $1.3 million project to upgrade hardware and install new software to connect and control 25 air supply units and various exhaust fans, to create an integrated control system which provides a plant-wide air balance, along with non-production heating setbacks.
Nicor provided a 30% bonus on two projects that were identified in a Nicor assessment.
Belvidere Assembly also cut water use by 13%, reduced waste by 6%, and cut total energy consumption (including electricity) by 9.5%. The plant makes the Dodge Dart, Jeep Compass, and Jeep Patriot; in 2013, the plant built more than 325,000 vehicles with nearly 4,500 employees, working two 10-hour shifts, six days per week.
Also see: Making the Patriot, Caliber, and Compass at Belvidere and
Making the Dodge Dart at Belvidere
Current assembly plants
- Where it's made
- Windsor, Ontario complex
- Toledo, Ohio (Jeep), including various plant tours
- https://www.allpar.com/corporate/factories/jefferson-avenue.htmlBelvidere (also: Neon • Caliber, Patriot • Dart, Patriot)
- Jefferson Avenue/North
- Brampton / Bramalea
- Warren Truck
- Sterling Heights
- Conner Avenue (Viper, Prowler)
Support plants
- Mt. Elliott Tool & Die / Outer Drive Stamping
- Detroit Axle
- Sterling Heights Assembly and Stamping plants
- Twinsburg stamping plant
- Trenton Engine South
- Trenton Engine North
- Dundee Engine
- Mack Avenue
Other facilities
- Chrysler Technical Center
- Highland Park headquarters
- Chelsea Proving Grounds
- Plymouth Road / Jeep-Truck Engineering (PROC)
- Office and Display Building, Jefferson Ave.
- Arizona Proving Grounds - Wittman and Yucca
- ARDC - Canadian labs
- Various laboratories
Historical plants (including adopted companies)
- Dodge Main and Making the 1955 cars at Dodge Main
- AMC / Nash at El Segundo
- Lynch Road Plymouth-DeSoto (1928-1980)
- https://www.allpar.com/world/switzerland.htmlNew Castle parts: Maxwell-Chrysler-Metaldyne
- Michoud, Louisiana (tanks and moon rockets)
- DeSoto Warren Avenue Plant (Graham-Paige / B29 / Helldiver)
- St. Louis North and South
- Pillette Road / Windsor Plant Six (building B-vans)
- Rotterdam (the Netherlands)
- Los Angeles (1929-1971)
- Evansville, Indiana (1919-1959)
- Switzerland (AMAG, MOWAG)
- Chicago (aircraft, Tuckers)
- Wyoming Avenue, McGraw Glass
- Briggs body plants
Related pages
- All facilities, 2005-2015 • 1924-2010
- 1966 Chrysler factories (including Space and Defense)
- Road tour of Chrysler plants
- Daimler/Cerberus closings
Also see... Factory photos: 2009 Dodge Ram - 1995 Neon - Chrysler LeBaron Convertible - Newark Assembly Plant
Working at the plant: <a name="factory"></a>Dave Tyjeski (2009), Bill Wetherholt (2009), Matt Wetherholt (2009), Views (2002), Teamwork (1998)
Chrysler Plants
CTC (HQ)
Proving Grounds
All Facilities
Flex
Labs
Techs and Workers
Allpar Home
Home •
Engines •
Reviews •
Chrysler 1904-2018 •
Upcoming •
Trucks •
Cars
Spread the word via <!--Tweet or--> Facebook!
We make no guarantees regarding validity or accuracy of information, predictions, or advice - .
Copyright © VerticalScope Inc. All rights reserved. Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler, Ram, and Mopar are trademarks of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
