Belvidere Assembly Plant Explained

Belvidere Assembly Plant
Built:1964–65
Operated:July 1965
Location:Belvidere, Illinois, United States
Coordinates:42.236°N -88.871°W
Industry:Automotive
Products:Automobiles
Employees:1,258 (2022) [1]
Volume:5300000square feet
Address:3000 West Chrysler Drive
Owner:

The Belvidere Assembly Plant (BVAP) is an idled automobile production facility owned and operated by Stellantis North America. The factory opened in 1965 in Belvidere, Illinois, United States, and last assembled the Jeep Cherokee.

History

The factory was built in 1964 and 1965 in the south part of Belvidere, Illinois, adjacent to U.S. Route 20. The first production line vehicle was made on July 7, 1965, assembling the new Chrysler C platform vehicles.[2]

The Belvidere Assembly Plant is adjacent to the Chrysler-operated Belvidere Satellite Stamping Plant. The stamping plant produces sheet metal parts for the production line.[3] The factory has 5300000square feet of floor space over of land, and had produced 5.9 million vehicles by the end of the 1993 model year.[4]

In 2006, the factory became the first Chrysler plant to use a body shop consisting entirely of robotics. The 780 robots in the body shop could make necessary tool changes automatically, within a 47-second cycle time. The factory is capable of building three models of vehicles as well as test-building a fourth vehicle.[5]

The Simulation (SIM) Room comprises 38000square feet of the factory and is used to create a miniature production process and to test the layout of job stations, and creating standard work instructions. A two-foot grid is painted on the floor to measure dimensions and employee walk-time during simulated production and efficiency modeling.[6]

In October 2010, it was announced that $600 million were to be invested into the Belvidere Assembly Plant in preparation for 2012 model year vehicles to be built there.[7] The Dodge Dart (PF) was announced in December 2011 to be built at the plant.

On December 9, 2022, Stellantis announced that Belvidere Assembly would be placed into an "indefinite closure" effective February 28, 2023.[8] [9] The Belvidere site was a point of contention in 2023 United Auto Workers strike, with the United Auto Workers and Stellantis negotiating a future use for the site.[10] The resulting contract, announced on October 28, 2023, includes the reopening of the plant in early 2025,[11] reportedly to assemble a new mid-size Ram pickup truck.[12] A planned expansion would also add an electric vehicle battery plant, creating 1,100 new jobs at the facility.[13]

On November 9, 2023, President Joe Biden visited Belvidere and held a speech with local UAW leaders on the reopening of the plant.[14]

Labor

In 1985, there were around 4,000 employees working at the plant.[15] At the start of the Neon car production, there were 3,250 hourly and 250 salaried employees working as of 10 November 1993.

2,650 employees were working at the factory at the start of 2007 model year Jeep Compass production,[5] up from 1,700 in 2005 when one shift of employees was in place. However, the third shift, which was first instituted in 2006, was discontinued in 2008.[16] The plant was idled during the Chrysler bankruptcy filing and became a one-shift operation from July 2009.[17] A "temporary" second shift was added by October 2009.[18] In May 2019, Chrysler laid off 1,403 employees after the "C" shift was eliminated.[19]

Production of vehicles dropped from 263,521 in 2008 to 84,609 in 2009.[20]

The workforce is represented by the United Auto Workers, Local 1268 and 1761. There have been two UAW-ordered strikes in the plant's history. In 1973, there was a nine-day strike over the right to turn down overtime, pension funding, and health and safety measures. In 1981, there was a nine-day strike to receive pay parity with Ford and GM workers. Chrysler proposed eliminating several job classifications so workers could be required to perform more than one task.[15]

In 2009, the future of the plant was uncertain.[21] Haig Stoddard, a Global Insight analyst, cited the plant as one of three plants that had been considered in a plan to close one plant.[22]

Awards

In 2005, the factory was the recipient of Plant Engineering's Top Plant Award for efficient turnover in the changeover from Neon production to Caliber production.[23]

The Chrysler Group has been awarded the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine's (ACOEM) Corporate Health Achievement Award after a tour of the plant.

The plant received a Green Cross for Safety award from the National Safety Council for 2004.

The J.D. Power Award for Manufacturing Quality (Bronze rating) was given to the plant in 2020.[24]

Vehicles produced

Future

According to the 2023 UAW contract with Stellantis, a mid-size Ram pickup has been planned for production at this assembly plant in 2027.

Past

Some of the past models made at the plant included:

Notes and References

  1. https://media.stellantisnorthamerica.com/newsrelease.do?id=323&mid= Belvidere Assembly Plant and Belvidere Satellite Stamping Plant
  2. Web site: Belvidere Assembly & Stamping Plant . American Auto Worker . 6 April 2015.
  3. Web site: Chrysler Group Plant Fact Sheet . Plant Union Data . https://web.archive.org/web/20130824203513/http://chryslerlabortalks07.com/Plant_Union_Data.rtf . 24 August 2013 . dead . 2 September 2016 .
  4. Web site: Chrysler factories, offices, and testing grounds, 1925-2015 . Allpar . 10 March 2015.
  5. Gov. Blagojevich Celebrates Launch of the Dodge Caliber at the Chrysler Group's Newly Retooled Belvidere Assembly Plant . State of Illinois . 1 February 2006 . 10 March 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150402092244/http://www3.illinois.gov/PressReleases/ShowPressRelease.cfm?RecNum=4622&SubjectID=15 . 2 April 2015 . dmy .
  6. Smith, Jack, Building cars, building teams (page 10), Plant Engineering, 1 December 2005. Retrieved 1 February 2009.
  7. Chrysler Group LLC Announces $600 million Investment in its Belvidere (Ill.) Assembly Plant. 28 October 2010. Chrysler Group. 10 March 2015.
  8. News: Boudette . Neal E. . Chiarito . Robert . 2022-12-23 . Jeep Plant Shutdown Imperils Illinois Town and 1,350 Workers . en-US . The New York Times . 2022-12-24 . 0362-4331.
  9. Web site: History and Facts about Belvidere, IL. dead. Ci.belvidere.il.us. 2 October 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20080211175721/http://www.ci.belvidere.il.us/cityinfo.htm. 11 February 2008.
  10. Web site: Wayland . Michael . 2023-09-18 . Stellantis could close 18 facilities under UAW deal — here are the full details of its latest offer . 2023-09-18 . CNBC . en.
  11. Web site: Ferretti . Anthony . 2023-10-28 . AP: Belvidere Stellantis Plant to reopen with new model following UAW agreement . 2023-10-31 . www.wifr.com . en.
  12. Web site: Stellantis-UAW agreement brings new midsize truck to Illinois . 2023-10-31 . Autoblog . en.
  13. Web site: Tracy . David . 2023-10-29 . 'We Have Saved Belvidere' Assembly Plant: Here Are The Pay Increases And Jobs Saved By The UAW's Record Deal With Stellantis . 2023-10-31 . The Autopian . en-US.
  14. News: Friedman . Lisa . Boudette . Neal E. . 2023-11-09 . Biden Bolsters Union Support in Illinois . en-US . The New York Times . 2023-11-10 . 0362-4331.
  15. http://www.businessrockford.com/archive/x287392624 Belvidere workers not part of short-lived UAW strike
  16. News: Chrysler cuts ‘will be a big letdown’ . 9 September 2012 . https://archive.today/20120909171719/http://www.rrstar.com/archive/x469067536 . Rockford Register Star . 3 January 2008 . 15 December 2020.
  17. Web site: Belvidere Chrysler plant staying open, but cutting jobs . 27 May 2009 . WREX - Channel 13 . 10 March 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150402091349/http://www.wrex.com/Global/story.asp?S=10394254 . 2 April 2015 . dead .
  18. News: Second Shift Returning to Belvidere Chrysler . Alice . Barr . 4 September 2009 . WIFR - Channel 23 . 10 March 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150402090950/http://www.wifr.com/news/headlines/57069962.html . 2 April 2015 . dmy .
  19. More layoffs coming at Belvidere Chrysler after 'C' shift eliminated (Ill.) Assembly Plant. 6 May 2019. Wifir. 23 February 2020.
  20. News: Belvidere-built Chrysler products need global buying spree . https://archive.today/20120914140532/http://www.rrstar.com/carousel/x1328937235/Sales-of-Belvidere-built-Chrysler-products-need-to-improve . 14 September 2012 . Alex . Gary . 12 February 2010 . Rockford Register Star . 15 December 2020.
  21. News: Merrick . Amy . Thurow . Roger . Mayor of Illinois City Hopes Against Hope for U.S. Funds . The Wall Street Journal . 7 February 2009 . 6 April 2015.
  22. News: Terlep . Sharon . Linebaugh . Kate . Bennett . Jeff . More Car Plants at Risk . The Wall Street Journal . 7 February 2009 . 6 April 2015.
  23. Smith, Jack. "Building cars, building teams". Plant Engineering, 1 December 2005. Retrieved 1 February 2009.
  24. Web site: FCA’s Toluca and Belvidere assembly plants earn J.D. Power Awards. 2021-08-11. www.thefabricator.com. en.
  25. News: It's official: Patriot coming to Belvidere . 9 April 2006 . Jim . Mateja . Chicago Tribune . 6 April 2015.