AUBURN HILLS, Mich.,
Sept. 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --
- Milestone achieved in 28 months
- Nine-speed joins the TorqueFlite family of automatic
transmissions
- More than 3,400 employees produce advanced transmission;
nearly 800 new jobs added in Tipton
- More than $1 billion invested
in Indiana facilities for
nine-speed production
Just two months after producing the one millionth TorqueFlite
eight-speed automatic transmission, FCA
US facilities in Indiana
celebrated another milestone – production of the one millionth
948TE nine-speed automatic – and officially welcomed it into the
TorqueFlite transmission family.
FCA North America Vice President of Manufacturing Brian Harlow, joined by the Company's Vice
President of Transmission Powertrain Jeffrey Lux, acknowledged the achievement during
employee events today at both the Indiana Transmission Plant I
(ITPI) and the Tipton Transmission Plant, where the nine-speed has
been built since May 2013.
"Five years ago, when Chrysler Group announced that it would
build the nine-speed automatic transmission in Indiana, it was a huge vote of confidence in
the skills, knowledge and expertise of our local workforce,
especially because ITPI would be the first plant ever to build the
nine-speed," said Harlow. "This was a significant challenge, but an
even greater opportunity. There was a lot riding on our employees'
ability to deliver.
"Today, as we celebrate the one millionth nine-speed produced, I
can honestly say that everyone involved rose to the challenge and
exceeded expectations," Harlow continued. "You have proven that our
decision to invest here was a wise one and demonstrated what makes
this workforce one of the best in the business."
Along with recognizing the dedication of its employees, the
Company chose this opportunity to also introduce the nine-speed
automatic transmission as the newest member of the TorqueFlite
family. The TorqueFlite automatic transmission has a long history,
dating back to 1956. First introduced in Imperial models,
TorqueFlite transmissions were known for having superior
performance while also being extremely tough and reliable. The new
nine-speed embodies those same characteristics, but in a modern day
package, deserving of the TorqueFlite name.
"Our TorqueFlite nine-speed transmissions deliver superior
performance in a broad range of driving environments both on road
and off road," said Lux. "We're extremely proud to hit the first
milestone and look forward to engineering and building millions
more for our customers."
Plans for nine-speed automatic transmission production were
confirmed in November 2010.
FCA US, then known as Chrysler
Group, announced that it was partnering with Friedrichshafen,
Germany-based ZF Group, which was
making its nine-speed designs and technology available to the
Company and its Kokomo plants. The
Company also announced that it would invest nearly $850 million in its existing transmission
manufacturing facilities in Kokomo
to produce the new advanced front-wheel drive automatic
transmission.
Not quite three years later, the Company announced that it would
invest $162 million to open a new
facility to produce the nine-speed in Tipton, Ind., creating up to 850 new
jobs.
The first nine-speed automatic transmission rolled off the line
28 months ago at ITPI. In May 2014,
production moved to the new Tipton Transmission Plant, establishing
it as the global hub for nine-speeds and bringing additional work
to three of the Company's facilities in Kokomo. Kokomo Casting produces castings for
the new transmission; Kokomo Transmission machines the prismatic
parts – housings, blocks and heads; and ITPI produces the rotating
parts – gears and cranks. All components are then shipped to
Tipton for final assembly.
When it reaches full capacity, Tipton will ship about 800,000 finished
transmissions a year in all-wheel, four-wheel and two-wheel drive
configurations. The Tipton-built
nine-speeds are sent to Toledo,
Ohio, for use in the Jeep Cherokee and to Sterling Heights, Mich., for the Chrysler 200,
as well as to FIAT plants in Melfi, Italy and Pernambuco, Brazil for the Jeep Renegade; the TOFAS plant
in Bursa, Turkey for the Ram
ProMaster; and China. The
potential exists to expand production to other international
facilities as needed.
In addition to the nine-speed automatic, ITPI also produces the
six-speed automatic for Ram Trucks, Cummins Diesel and Heavy Duty.
The plant employs more than 2,600 people. The Tipton Transmission
Plant was dedicated in May 2014 and
currently employs nearly 800 people.
On July 17, the Kokomo
Transmission Plant marked the one millionth TorqueFlite 845RE
eight-speed automatic transmission to roll off the assembly
line.
About FCA US LLC
FCA US LLC is a North American automaker with a new name and a
long history. Headquartered in Auburn
Hills, Michigan, FCA US is a
member of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA) family of
companies. FCA US designs,
engineers, manufactures and sells vehicles under the Chrysler,
Jeep, Dodge, Ram and FIAT brands as well as the SRT performance
vehicle designation. The company also distributes the Alfa Romeo 4C
model and Mopar products. FCA US is
building upon the historic foundations of Chrysler, the innovative
American automaker first established by Walter P. Chrysler in 1925; and Fiat, founded in
Italy in 1899 by pioneering
entrepreneurs, including Giovanni
Agnelli.
FCA, the seventh-largest automaker in the world based on total
annual vehicle sales, is an international automotive group. FCA is
listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "FCAU" and
on the Mercato Telematico Azionario under the symbol "FCA."
Follow FCA US news and video
on:
FCA Content On Demand (COD): www.fcacod.com
Company blog: blog.fcanorthamerica.com
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SOURCE FCA US LLC