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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Chrysler Group Adds 800 To Its Sterling Heights, Michigan, Assembly Plant Workforce

03/14/2014
Chrysler Group will add another 800 jobs at its Sterling Heights, Michigan, Assembly Plant to support production of the all-new 2015 Chrysler 200.

The automaker’s Group Chairman/CEO Sergio Marchionne confirmed the hiring during a plant event celebrating production of the new mid-size vehicle. Marchionne told the audience that the plant is an example of how far the Company has come since June 2009.

With the two new facilities the plant is now one of the most flexible and state-of-the-art in the Company, with nearly five million square feet of manufacturing space. As a result, SHAP is now capable of building multiple vehicles on two unique architectures.

Company officials said with “the launch of the Chrysler 200, the Sterling Heights Plant has been able to add another 800 jobs as a result of in-sourcing of several critical processes, the additional content of the all-new 200 and the implementation of World Class Manufacturing. Total employment at SHAP has grown to nearly 2,800, more than double what it was in 2009.”

"The revitalization of SHAP is an apt symbol of how far Chrysler has come because of the courage and resilience of our people," said Marchionne. "This plant was scheduled to close by the end of 2010. But the workers and the leaders of this community refused to accept this verdict as final."

SHAP's story is one of rags to riches, company officials said. “In June 2009, as a new company emerged, it was announced that the plant would close in December 2010. Community leaders and employees rallied together to rewrite the plant's fate. Those efforts were rewarded with a decision in March 2010 to repurchase the plant, thereby extending production through 2012. An announcement in July 2010 that SHAP would remain open indefinitely and add a second shift of production, about 900 jobs in the first quarter of 2011, gave new life to the facility and its employees. “

Later that year, Chrysler Group confirmed that with continued growing demand and new product on the horizon, it would invest nearly $850 million to construct an all-new, state-of-the-art paint shop, as well as install new machinery, tooling and material-handling equipment. A second investment of $165 million for a new body shop was announced in October 2011.

"This celebration has been a long time coming for the workforce here at Sterling Heights," said UAW President Bob King. "They have proven that American autoworkers lead the world in building quality products. What has been achieved here is a testament to the collaborative spirit that exists between the UAW and Chrysler."

"We are here today because so many of you believed that the only difference between the possible and the impossible is that the impossible has never been done before," Marchionne told the employees. "At the end of the day, our decision to invest in SHAP came down to the level of commitment shown by each of you that works here. You have demonstrated a passion to deliver great products for our customers."

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