Thursday, February 08, 2007
DCx Trademark Update: HORNET
Mark
(words only): HORNET
Standard Character claim: Yes
Current Status: Application has been published for opposition.
Date of Status: 2007-02-06
Filing Date: 2005-12-23
The Information will be/was published in the Official Gazette on 2007-02-06
Transformed into a National Application: No
Registration Date: (DATE NOT AVAILABLE)
Register: Principal
Law Office Assigned: LAW OFFICE 110
Attorney Assigned:
THOMAS SARA NICOLE Employee Location
Current Location: 650 -Publication And Issue Section
Date In Location: 2007-01-02
1. DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATION
Address:
DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATION
CIMS 483-02-19 1000 CHRYSLER DRIVE
AUBURN HILLS, MI 48326
United States
Legal Entity Type: Corporation
State or Country of Incorporation: Delaware
Phone Number: 248-944-6527
Fax Number: 248-944-6537
International Class: 012
Class Status: Active
MOTOR VEHICLES, NAMELY PASSENGER CARS
Basis: 1(b)
First Use Date: (DATE NOT AVAILABLE)
First Use in Commerce Date: (DATE NOT AVAILABLE)
(NOT AVAILABLE)
(NOT AVAILABLE)
2007-02-06 - Published for opposition
This Day in Auto History: 08 FEBRUARY
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 | Source: Automobile History Day By Day, by Douglas A. Wick |
Chrysler to axe 20% of Canadian work force
Industry's woes deepen as sources say firm will cut 2,000 Canadian jobs
The Chrysler Group will eliminate as many as 2,000 jobs in Canada in a restructuring announcement next week that will deepen the massive job cuts and plant closings that are reshaping the auto industry in North America.
The cuts in Canada represent about 20 per cent of the 10,000 jobs the Chrysler division of DaimlerChrysler AG is wiping out as it undergoes a downsizing similar to those already undertaken by Detroit rivals Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp., industry sources said.
The last of the Detroit Three to take an axe to its North American operations will cut jobs in the Ontario cities of Windsor and Brampton as part of a plan to restore profit and reduce capacity.
Chrysler employs about 11,500 people at those plants, its Etobicoke Casting Plant in Toronto and a head office in Windsor that overlooks the Detroit River and the Motor City.
Related to this article
Daimler Chrysler’s Brampton, Ont., assembly plant. (Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail)
Chrysler Group has refrained from discussing the plan, which is scheduled to be presented by its Canadian-born chief executive officer, Tom LaSorda. Mr. LaSorda grew up four blocks from the Windsor Assembly Plant and is the son of a former head of the union local at the plant.
It's not clear precisely where the Canadian cuts will be made, but industry sources said they likely will be a combination of reductions in vehicle output at the two assembly plants, closing or further downsizing of the Etobicoke plant, contracting out of jobs now done by unionized employees at DaimlerChrysler Canada Inc. and cuts in the salaried ranks. Chrysler has about 1,500 salaried employees in Canada.
About 5,500 people assemble Caravan and Town and Country minivans and Pacifica crossover utility vehicles in Windsor. Another 4,200 Canadian Auto Workers union members put together Chrysler 300 and Dodge Magnum and Charger cars in Brampton. About 450 people work at the Etobicoke plant making pistons and other engine components for various Chrysler engine plants in the United States.
There are about 280 CAW members in the firm's transportation unit, which is expected to be outsourced.
CAW officials who attended a meeting with two senior Chrysler executives earlier in the week refused yesterday to give any details of what they were told about the plan.
Buzz Hargrove, CAW president, said after the meeting on Tuesday that the information Chrysler provided about the cuts was worse than he had anticipated, but he would not provide details.
The moves by Chrysler follow those by Ford and GM, which are shutting dozens of factories and shedding tens of thousands of jobs as they adjust to years of declining market share and soaring health-care and other costs.
Chrysler is expected to shut its Newark, Del., and St. Louis North plants permanently, close an engine plant in Detroit, and sell or close components plants in the Detroit area as well as cut salaried jobs at head office in Auburn Hills, Mich., said Sean McAlinden of the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Mich.
The smallest of the Detroit Three appeared to be healthiest until it got sideswiped last year when a sudden and steep rise in U.S. gas prices sent sales of sport utility vehicles and full-sized pickup trucks skidding. Those vehicles represent almost three-quarters of its sales.
The company needs to better integrate its operations with those of sister company Mercedes-Benz and develop some successful cars to reduce its dependence on mid-sized SUVs, Mr. McAlinden said.
“That market in 2010 will be zero,” Mr. McAlinden said. “Everybody's running from that market.”
Sales of the Durango mid-sized SUV, one of two models made at the Newark plant, plunged 39 per cent last year in the U.S. market. U.S. sales of the cars made in Brampton rose 23 per cent, while minivan sales fell 9 per cent.
Chrysler's two Canadian plants produced 606,000 vehicles last year, or about 25 per cent of the 2.5 million vehicles the auto maker cranked out in North America.
Less Drag And Better Visibility: New Mercedes C-Class Adds Two New Patented Technologies To Improve Aerodynamics
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Chrysler strategy awaited
Chrysler Group CEO Tom LaSorda will release details of a turnaround plan on Wednesday.
Analysts say U.S. suppliers too weak to bear more cutsFebruary 8, 2007 | BY TIM HIGGINS | FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER - -The last time the Chrysler Group unveiled a major turnaround plan, suppliers shouldered a major role when the company required large cost reductions.
This time around, industry analysts don't expect such drastic demands, in large part because the U.S. supplier community probably could not meet them.
"One of our themes is: Does the supply base have anything left to give?" Robert Schulz, an analyst with Standard and Poor's Corp., a leading credit-rating agency, asked rhetorically. "It's not clear that any of these turnarounds, Ford, GM or changes at Chrysler, can be done largely on the back of suppliers. It seems like that isn't the most viable way to move forward on improving the U.S. operations."
That doesn't mean suppliers will avoid an impact from the plan, experts predict. "One of the ways they are always going to look for improving their position is figuring out is there a way to take costs out of their supply base," said Kim Korth, president of IRN Inc. "If you look at Chrysler, who has historically relied more on their supply base for their content than General Motors or Ford, it's a bigger issue."
Chrysler had a rough 2006. It built too many vehicles and racked up a $1.5-billion loss in the third quarter. Chrysler Group is expected to announce its plan to return to profitability next Wednesday. A stated goal is to find $1,000 savings from each vehicle. Analysts believe 10,000 jobs could be cut, and they say several plants appear vulnerable, most notably the assembly plant in Newark, Del.
Furthermore, analysts believe the plan could include greater platform sharing between Mercedes and Jeep Grand Cherokee. Such sharing could mean that fewer suppliers are needed, said Dave Gleditsch, chief technology officer at Pelion Systems, a company that works with suppliers to be more flexible and lean.
"Are some suppliers going to be eliminated from the equation?" he asked. "That's a serious concern in the supply base."
Chrysler Group officials are not talking about the plan's specifics but comments by Chief Operating Officer Eric Ridenour last month to analysts provide insight.
He said the company wants to take greater advantage of component sharing among the group's vehicles, noting that a $4 part carried over six platforms could reduce costs by about half.
By 2011, the company hopes to have 70% of the parts shared on more than one vehicle family.
Ridenour also said the company will be looking to expand its supplier base beyond North America in search of optimizing cost and quality.
"There's going to be a necessity on the part of the suppliers to seriously be able to show that if it is still being made in traditional North American locations that it is ... 'competitive' in an apples-to-apples comparison with global sourcing," Korth said.
The News Journal in Delaware reported Wednesday that two businesses that supply the Newark plant -- Collins & Aikman Corp. and Caliber Auto Transfers -- have warned state officials of potential layoffs as early as next month.
Collins & Aikman spokesman David Youngman told the Free Press that notice of possible layoffs comes as the bankrupt firm sells assets.
Mexican plant stokes worry
The plant will make the same trucks as in St. Thomas.
By NORMAN DE BONO, FREE PRESS BUSINESS REPORTERSterling Truck workers in St. Thomas are worried by plans by Freightliner to build a new truck plant in Mexico.
The company has announced it will break ground this year on a US$300-million assembly plant in Saltillo, Mexico, and begin production in 2009, making the same trucks as those assembled in St. Thomas, Richard Laverty, chairperson of Canadian Auto Workers Local 1001 said yesterday.
"It is never easy to watch your boss invest money somewhere you are not. We would have liked to see that investment in St. Thomas," said Laverty. "Given the magnitude of the Mexico plant, I am nervous."
The union will meet today with Freightliner executives to discuss plant issues and the Mexican facility is at the top of the agenda, added Laverty.
"We will raise in our discussions their commitment to the Mexico development. We will see what they have to say about it," said Laverty. "We want to know what their plans are and what the impact will be here."
Freightliner officials could not be reached for comment yesterday.
The news comes as Freightliner has issued layoff notices to 640 CAW workers at Sterling, bracing for an anticipated slowdown in truck orders this year. Sterling employs about 2,000.
The union will stress the St. Thomas plant is efficient, has high production quality and is close to the market where these trucks are sold, primarily the Great Lakes region, Laverty added.
Freightliner, which is owned by DaimlerChrysler, also has a plant in Santiago, Mexico. Its workers make about US$150 weekly, Laverty said.
The one-million-square-foot Mexican plant will produce about 30,000 trucks a year, including three trucks now made in St. Thomas, and employ about 1,600. It will assemble two medium-duty trucks and one class eight model -- an 18-wheeler.
It will be located near a DaimlerChrysler automotive plant that produces the half-ton and three-quarter-ton Dodge Ram pickup trucks.
"The class six and seven are our bread and butter," said Laverty, adding it is about 30 per cent of the production.
The medium-duty truck is often used by municipalities as garbage trucks, highway departments or for construction and is not as affected by a downturn in the commercial trucking market, Laverty said.
Sterling now has about 11,000 trucks on order. The truck market is expected to slip this year. New truck engine emission standards have driven up the cost of a truck, so many firms bought vehicles last year to save money, meaning demand will drop this year.
Industry officials, however, believe the market will rebound in 2008.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
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| Jim Madison stands by his 1965 Plymouth Fury, the model that was voted the winner of Belvidere’s Best, a contest to judge the best vehicle to ever roll out of the Belvidere assembly plant. Madison bought his Fury seven years ago for $400 and plans to restore the car to its original condition. |
Business: Manufacturing
The Fury, featured in the move “Christine” and on TV shows including “Hill Street Blues,” was cited for its classic styling in an era of nostalgic automobiles.
“(The Fury) was one of last of the great American automobiles; it spanned the era of 35-cent gas and the good times found on old Route 66,” was one of the more than 400 comments included with the online votes.
Neon voters focused on the car’s surprising power and durability in an economical package.
“You can do anything with a Neon — good mileage, comfortable grandma car, 10-second dragster, road racer — anything.”
Supporters of the Plymouth Horizon and Dodge Omni cited its historical importance to Chrysler — it’s been called by some analysts the cars that saved the company in the 1970s — as well as its toughness.
“They ran like lions and purred like kittens.”
And good news for Chrysler’s 3,600 workers today, the Dodge Caliber and Jeep Patriot, two of the three models now being assembled in Belvidere, finished fourth and sixth on the list despite their young life spans. The Caliber’s reach, apparently, already is worldwide.
“OUTSTANDING CAR! Even here — in Moscow, Russia — I am waiting for my Dodge coming from your great country!”
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| JON GIFFIN | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Jim Madison stands by his 1965 Plymouth Fury which was voted the winner of Belvidere's Best a contest to judge the best vehicle to ever roll out of the Belvidere assembly plant. Madison bought his Fury for $400 seven years ago and plans to restore the car to its original state. |
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| JON GIFFIN | ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR Jim Madison stands by his 1965 Plymouth Fury which was voted the winner of Belvidere's Best a contest to judge the best vehicle to ever roll out of the Belvidere assembly plant. Madison bought his Fury for $400 seven years ago and plans to restore the car to its original state. |
Future Truck: 2009 Dodge Ram
Future Truck: 2009 Dodge Ram
By: Mike Levine 
Artwork: Mark StehrenbergerPosted: 02-03-07 20:31 PT
© 2007 PickupTruck.com
Page: [1]
The story of the 1994 Dodge Ram is the Hail Mary of American pickups.
While the Chrysler Group isn't facing the same life or death situation that Chrysler survived in the early nineties, the 2009 Dodge Ram is so important that TCG has tapped its hottest designer, Ralph Gilles, to head this redo. Gilles (pronounced 'jeels') is the man responsible for penning the retro-gangsta style Chrysler 300C that's reinvented the American full size sedan.
There's two design directions the next Ram may take - continue to evolve the current big rig looks or move forward with an all new theme, likely based on last year's sleek Dodge Rampage concept.
Gilles has stated that improving aerodynamics is one of his top objectives, lending weight to a Rampage-based path, but we're placing our bet that the instantly recognizable snout of the current Ram is going to continue to set this pickup apart from its five full size competitors.
Inspiration for our speculation about the '09 Ram's sheetmetal comes from the new 2007 Dodge Nitro SUV (Gilles also worked on this program), and 2002 Dodge M80 and 1999 Dodge Power Wagon concept pickups.
What other changes can we expect to find?
An improved HEMI V8 with a six-speed transmission is a virtual certainty but it's the alternative powertrains where the 2009 Dodge Ram will truly innovate over the current Ram.
Chrysler Group CEO Tom LaSorda recently promised that after 2009 1500 series half-ton Rams will be powered by an optional Cummins diesel engine - the first time a manufacturer has announced such an offering in the light duty segment. With high fuel prices, and increased scrutiny around CO2 emissions, we expect compression ignition engines to be a popular choice with buyers.
Fuel economy concerns are also likely to find the future Ram powered by a dual mode hybrid V8. DaimlerChrysler has partnered with General Motors and BMW on the technology, which offers up to 25% improvements in mpg on the highway over single mode hybrids like the Toyota Prius. Even better, dual mode hybrid technology will work with the current 5.7-liter HEMI's Multi-Displacement System (MDS) that can switch off half the cylinders during off-load running.
Inside the Ram, Gilles promises a renewed focus on the interior components, so expect a spiffed up cabin to support the contractor on the go when it comes to work and luxury touches to take the missus out on the town.
2009 is looking kind of far out right now after the introduction of the new Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, and Toyota Tundra pickups, but If Dodge can deliver distinctively stylish looks with innovative powertrain and interior improvements, it will continue to score touchdowns with buyers.
this Day in Auto History: 07 FEBRUARY
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| Source: Automobile History Day By Day, by Douglas A. Wick |
Future of Del. Chrysler plant dims
Supplier, subcontractor dependent on Newark facility issue layoff notices
Posted Wednesday, February 7, 2007
In another ominous sign for the future of DaimlerChrysler's Newark assembly plant, two Delaware businesses that depend entirely on the plant issued warnings to workers of layoffs that could come as early as next month.
Collins & Aikman, a Chrysler supplier, and Caliber Auto Transfers, a subcontractor that loads Durangos and Aspens onto rail cars, have filed separate layoff notices with the Delaware Department of Labor, state labor officials said Tuesday.
The notices come as Chrysler's 2,100 assembly-line workers and 395 employees of eight local suppliers brace for news of the plant's fate. Next week, Chrysler executives are expected to outline the company's restructuring plans that are aimed at helping the company recover from a $1.5 billion loss in the third quarter in 2006.
Analysts have speculated that the Newark plant, with its slow-selling sport utility vehicles, will shut down as part of the cost-cutting strategy. As many as 10,000 Chrysler workers could lose their jobs nationwide, analysts say. Some predict the plant will close in 2009, when the Durango is scheduled for a major redesign. Chrysler may transfer production to one of several plants in the Midwest where the Durango can be built along with other trucks.
"If the plant closes, the suppliers will probably have to close up as well," said Erich Merkle, director of auto forecasting for IRN in Michigan.
But Merkle said auto suppliers in Delaware, which are reliant on Chrysler, likely already are suffering the consequences of weakened demand for the Durango.
"The suppliers already have been adversely impacted by the sharp decline in volume," Merkle said.
Any time the Newark plant reduces production, suppliers have to adjust their work force. Production of the Durango dropped 40 percent last year, to 65,954, from 109,866 a year earlier.
Collins & Aikman, which organizes instrument panels for assembly in the Durango and Aspen, said it may lay off all 40 of its workers in Newark and halt operation by March 3. The Southfield, Mich.-based auto-parts maker is in the middle of reorganization through bankruptcy, largely because it has been losing money from cutbacks in production by its largest customers: Chrysler, General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co.
But last year, Collins & Aikman's creditors decided they have a better chance of recovering their assets by liquidating the company's facilities than by trying to recover business. The company notified Chrysler in January that it may be forced to shutter its Newark plant if it is unable to find a buyer.
Finding a potential buyer at a time when the fate of Chrysler's plant is uncertain is a challenge, said David Youngman, spokesman for Collins & Aikman.
Collins & Aikman already has closed five factories and cut more than 1,100 jobs after liquidating assets in several states. The company's operation in Havre de Grace, Md., which employs 225 workers and supplies Newark, is also in danger of closure, Youngman said. Chrysler is currently subsidizing the operations of both these sites.
"The timing of the closure will be dependent on our customers' production needs," Youngman said.
Meanwhile, Caliber Auto Transfer, a Detroit-based company that operates in Newark, also has told its estimated 15 employees they may lose their jobs by March 4. Caliber is one of several contractors that works with Norfolk Southern, helping the railroad company load Durangos onto rail cars for shipment.
The company is in the process of negotiating its contract with the railroad and may have to lay off its workers.
"Whenever that contract is up, there is a chance that there may be another person that is going to come in and do the job," said Boyd Dickens, operations officer at Caliber Auto.
Dickens said the notice to the state was not directly tied to Chrysler's expected Feb. 14 announcement. But he said the Newark plant's future will have a direct impact on his business.
2008 Dodge Trucks Have Commercial Competitors in Crosshairs
CHICAGO — Dodge made some serious inroads into the commercial trucking market on Wednesday with the unveiling of its all-new "big rig" 2008 Ram 4500 and 5500 chassis cabs.
One of the most show-stopping features of the new Dodge big rig trucks is the oversize crosshair grille that is so familiar on the midsize Ram trucks. And it's clear that size does matter in this segment. Dodge took pains to point out the superlatives in the new trucks, from the largest standard fuel tank, which holds 52 gallons, to the largest brake rotors, at 15.3 inches.The 2008 Dodge Ram 4500 and 5500 Chassis Cabs will be outfitted with a standard 6.7-liter Cummins High Output turbodiesel that delivers 305 horsepower and 610 pound-feet of torque. The engine has B5 biodiesel compatibility. The powertrain package includes a six-speed automatic transmission or a six-speed manual.
The cabins can be decked out with upscale features including bucket seats with leather trim and an optional floor section under the backseat that folds open to form a flat load floor, with additional storage in the footwells.
The big-rig Dodge trucks will be built at Chrysler Group's Saltillo plant in Coahuila, Mexico. Dodge says they are "targeted at small-business tradesmen, fleet customers and traditional chassis cab users."
2009 Mercedes E-Class Preview
2009 Mercedes E-Class Preview
Mercedes is going to unveil a completely new E-Class in 2009 code-named W212. The design will be inspired from the new C-Class, S-Class and a few cues from the CLS-Class. It will come as a main competitor for BMW 5-Series and the Audi A6. The car will be unveiled at 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show.
Mercedes unveiled the E-Class for the first time back in the 1977 (W123). Since then the E-Class got several body shapes and different engines and power. The last facelift was unveiled in 2006. Comparing to this one, the 2009 E-Class will be exactly as long as the old one, but the wheelbase will gain 20 mm.
The 2009 E-Class will have a more aggressive look as a result of the design cues taken from the CLS-Class. The glass surfaces will get smaller and the flank of the car will suffers from the usual creeping up of sheet metal. The wheels will be at least 18". An important change will be the shape of the 4 headlights: no more will they be round, they will be shaped like squarish teardrops.
From the S-Class will get the wheel-arch extensions, rising character line below the door handles, massive bumpers, and greenhouse. The 2009 E-Class will have a more sportier look due to a more sculpted wide-frame grille, the more geometric nasal air intakes, and the wedge-shaped profile.
Mercedes S-Class
The interior will also get a facelift. The cockpit will be roomier, with the electronics mostly inherited from the new S-Class, except for some "treats" that will be reserved for the bigger model, to preserve its exclusivity.
The basic power plant will consist of four-cylinder engines with the horsepower rating starting at 175 bhp. The V6 and V8 engine will also be available delivering from 136 hp to 514 hp. The W212 will be electronically limited to 155 mph and will make the 0 to 60 mph sprint in 6.5 seconds. An E63 AMG model will be also unveiled powered by a normally aspirated, 500-plus-bhp 6.3-litre V8 engine.
All the models will come standard with six-speed manual transmission and the 7-speed automatic will come as an option. Mercedes will abandon SBC in favor of conventional brakes, although they will boast features such as wet-weather disc wiping and wheel-selective cornering brake control. Optional ceramic-composite discs could be introduced top-down, starting with the AMG models.
A major theme for the W212 will be driver assistance. It will feature lane-departure warnings, an eye-movement monitor, traffic-sign identification, road-condition sensors, and stability control that accounts for crosswinds, camber changes, and tire wear.
All-new 2008 Dodge Avenger Production Launched
All-new 2008 Dodge Avenger Production
Source: Chrysler Group
02-07-2007
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New Dodge Avenger is second vehicle to be manufactured at Chrysler Group’s Sterling Heights facility
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Dodge Avenger expands Chrysler Group's Flexible Manufacturing Strategy, allowing multiple products to be produced at one plant
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Dodge Avenger combines bold, aggressive Dodge styling making a powerful statement in the mid-size segment at an affordable price
The Chrysler Group today announced the production launch of the all-new 2008 Dodge Avenger at its Sterling Heights (Mich.) Assembly Plant (SHAP). The Dodge Avenger was recently unveiled at the 2007 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, Mich.
The manufacturing launch of the Dodge Avenger represents the next stage of Chrysler Group's expanding Flexible Manufacturing Strategy (FMS) which allows the Company to bring new vehicles to market more quickly and gives assembly plants the ability to manufacture multiple products on one assembly line. The all-new 2008 Dodge Avenger will be built alongside the Chrysler Sebring Sedan, which began production in September 2006.
Production of the Dodge Avenger follows an extensive plant retooling which included multiple upgrades improving quality, productivity and worker ergonomics. SHAP is now able to vary the production mix between three products and pilot a fourth.
"We are now seeing the success of our $500 million investment in SHAP and Sterling (Heights) Stamping Plant," said Fred Goedtel, Vice President – Small/Premium/Family Vehicle Assembly.
"The plant enhancements have made the facility both more flexible and efficient. The assembly operation now has the capability to build multiple upper bodies and multiple vehicle families or architectures, which will allow for the flexibility to add new models or models from other plants in order to better meet the dynamics of the market."
Since the rollout of Chrysler Group's Flexible Manufacturing Strategy in 2000, it has been the template for Chrysler Group's rolling plant modernization activities. Sterling Heights Assembly Plant and Sterling Stamping, along with Belvidere Assembly Plant, represent the current archetypes of Chrysler Group's flexible capabilities.
"In addition, the Sterling Stamping Plant can weld and assemble more than one product on the same line. These new capabilities will support the company's pursuit of product leadership by providing flexibility to efficiently manage increased distinction between the Chrysler, Jeep® and Dodge brands," said Goedtel.
$278 million was invested at Sterling Heights Assembly Plant to overhaul the body shop and improve the paint shop and assembly areas, including new tooling and about 620 new welding and material-handling robots. The Trim, Chassis and Final (TCF) areas received a new glass-installation cell, windshield decking, chassis-insertion loop system, fluid-fill equipment and rolls-test machines. Each of these improved processes has contributed favorably to the plant's overall productivity and efficiency efforts.
Chrysler Group's Flexible Manufacturing Strategy allows the company to produce a higher quality product faster, and for a lower cost. In order to balance production with demand, the FMS approach allows the company to efficiently build lower-volume vehicles that take advantage of market niche, and to quickly shift production volumes between different models within a single plant or among multiple plants.
FMS is being implemented product by product and plant by plant across the Chrysler Group. New investment is introducing state-of-the-art technology to Chrysler Group plants allowing the company to produce more than one vehicle on a production line and conduct rolling launches of new models. Additionally, Chrysler Group's workforce is becoming more flexible with the implementation of team concepts and an increased emphasis on supporting assembly line operators.
Robotics
At the core of the new manufacturing process is a body shop comprised of 620 new robots instead of the vehicle-specific heavy tooling that was previously used, for a total of 784 robots in the Body Shop. Only the robots' end effectors, or "hands," need to change in order to build the different models. That tool change is done automatically, within the time it takes to cycle from one vehicle to the next. A fourth model can also be piloted – or test-built – at the same time, helping reduce the time needed to make new-model changeovers.
Smart Manufacturing
A new Workplace Organizational Model, coined "Smart Manufacturing'" is increasing the flexibility of the SHAP workforce, while fostering greater creativity and innovation from plant employees. This model is being implemented throughout the Chrysler Group's Manufacturing organization in conjunction with the UAW. In addition to extensive training, the new workplace model promotes employee involvement in all facets in the design and processing of the work stations. These changes provide a better work environment for employees and give increased support to assembly line team members while improving the Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and Morale (SQDCM) principles.
The all-new Dodge Avenger has plenty of Dodge Charger DNA, and with aggressive Dodge styling that makes a powerful statement in the mid-size segment at an affordable price. Muscular rear shoulders, sleek rear spoiler and modern, yet menacing, quad headlamps embody the Dodge brand attributes of bold, powerful and capable.
The new Dodge Avenger rivals the quickest mid-size sedans in the segment based on 0-60 mph tests. The Dodge Avenger offers class-leading performance with an available 3.5-liter engine coupled with a six-speed automatic. It will produce approximately 235 horsepower and 232 lb.-ft. of torque. The 2.4-liter all-aluminum four-cylinder World Engine provides a 15 percent increase in horsepower (173-horsepower vs. 150 horsepower) and 8 percent improvement in fuel economy over the 2.4-liter engine it replaces. An enhanced flexible-fuel 2.7-liter V6 produces 189 horsepower and 191 lb.-ft. of torque, providing more low-end torque (at 850 rpm lower) compared with the 2.7-liter engine it replaces.
The 2008 Dodge Avenger will be available in U.S. dealerships in the first quarter of 2007 and in global volume markets later in the year.
Chrysler Group is the city of Sterling Heights second-largest employer and has more than 4,800 employees working in two plants. The three million square-foot Sterling Heights Assembly Plant occupies 286 acres. In total, the Chrysler Group provides $150 million in annual wages and more than $5 million in taxable income to the state of Michigan.
Sterling Heights Assembly Plant opened in 1953 as a jet engine factory. The plant was purchased by Chrysler Group in 1983. SHAP is home to United Auto Workers Locals 1700, 889 and 412.
Sterling Stamping is 2.7 million square feet and employs 2,300. The plant is home to UAW Locals 1264, 889 and 412. The plant investment is just the latest in a long, cooperative partnership with the City of Sterling Heights.
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All-new 2008 Dodge Avenger Production La
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
DaimlerChrysler Trademark Updates - 6 February
| Serial Number | Reg. Number | Word Mark | Check Status | Live/Dead | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 78715463 | | SLR SAFETY & SPEED ACADEMY | TARR | LIVE |
| 2 | 78779119 | | NUCELLSYS | TARR | LIVE |
| 3 | 78765258 | | TITLENOW | TARR | LIVE |
| 4 | 78972570 | | EXTRA CREDIT | TARR | LIVE |
| 5 | 78971401 | | COMPLETERENTAL | TARR | LIVE |
| 6 | 78965298 | | X-TAINMENT | TARR | LIVE |
| 7 | 78965290 | | XTAINMENT | TARR | LIVE |
| 8 | 78876554 | | BREEZE | TARR | LIVE |
DCx Trademark Update: RACETIMER
ark
(words only): RACETIMER
Standard Character claim: Yes
Current Status: Applicant's response to a non-FINAL office action has been entered in application.
Date of Status: 2007-01-31
Filing Date: 2005-09-13
Transformed into a National Application: No
Registration Date: (DATE NOT AVAILABLE)
Register: Principal
Law Office Assigned: LAW OFFICE 107
Attorney Assigned:
PALADINO ALYSSA L Employee Location
Current Location: M50 -TMO Law Office 114
Date In Location: 2007-01-31
1. DaimlerChrysler AG
Address:
DaimlerChrysler AG
Epplestrasse 225
Stuttgart D-70567
Fed Rep Germany
Legal Entity Type: Corporation
State or Country of Incorporation: Fed Rep Germany
International Class: 009
Class Status: Active
ELECTRIC AND ELECTRONIC DEVICES USED TO MEASURE AND RECORD SPEED AND LAP TIMES IN AUTOMOBILES; ANTENNAS; ELECTRIC AND ELECTRONIC SENSORS FOR MEASURING SPEED; CONTROLLING AND REGULATING MAGNETIC AND OPTICAL DATA CARRIERS; DATA PROCESSORS AND COMPUTER HARDWARE; PROGRAMMED MACHINE READABLE DATA CARRIERS, NAMELY, PRERECORDED DATA CARRIERS FEATURING MEMORY CHIPS STORING INFORMATION TO TIME AUTOMOBILE SPEED; COMPUTER SOFTWARE TO MEASURE, RECORD AND DISPLAY SPEED AND LAP TIMES IN AUTOMOBILES
Basis: 1(b), 44(d)
First Use Date: (DATE NOT AVAILABLE)
First Use in Commerce Date: (DATE NOT AVAILABLE)
Foreign Application Number: 30540390.7
Country: Fed Rep Germany
Foreign Filing Date: 2005-07-08
(NOT AVAILABLE)
2007-01-31 - Amendment From Applicant Entered
This Day in Auto History: 06 FEBRUARY
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| Source: Automobile History Day By Day, by Douglas A. Wick |
Dealers tell Chrysler executives: We really need more Calibers
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| New cars sit awaiting transport in the Cassens Transport lot across the road from the DaimlerChrysler assembly plant in Belvidere. Dealers at a recent meeting told company officials they want more popular cars delivered faster, including the Belvidere-assembled Caliber. |
Business: Manufacturing
| LAS VEGAS — The Belvidere-assembled Caliber was a hot topic at this weekend’s gathering of Chrysler dealers and company officials.
In short, dealers say they want more of the crossover.
At Chrysler’s gathering at the National Automobile Dealers Association annual convention in Las Vegas, dealers jumped on Chief Executive Tom LaSorda about the company’s making them take unwanted inventory and a slow supply of popular cars, including the Caliber.Some Chrysler dealers walked away from the Sunday meeting still grumbling. Many said they were optimistic that LaSorda would earn back their trust and that the company is headed in the right direction.
At the Chrysler meeting, things got a little testy with dealers complaining about the company’s producing more trucks than the market would bear last year and forcing dealers to take them.
Dealer Steve Miller of Vestal, N.Y., said he was happy with the response on inventory and the direction of the company given by LaSorda and other managers on the stage. But there were some issues that weren’t fully addressed, he said.
“There’s a couple of glitches in the armor of the people on stage,” he said. “They still don’t kind of get it.”
Miller said the executives gave their opinions on what customers think of warranties, rather than asking dealers what they hear from customers.
He also said dealers are having trouble getting the Dodge Caliber and have been told the small SUV has been selling well in other countries.
“That’s not the answer that you wanted to hear. It doesn’t help us much,” Miller said.
Mike Manley, vice president for sales and dealer operations at DaimlerChrysler AG’s Chrysler Group, said LaSorda has told managers to try to speed up Caliber production.
Manley said the popularity of the car overseas is a good problem for Chrysler. “Not that I want demand to drop off, but hopefully we’ll see the supply improve to our dealers.”
Belvidere builds the Caliber, the Jeep Compass and the Jeep Patriot, which went into production in December.
The company sold 175 Patriots in January. Many Jeep dealers didn’t receive their first Patriots, which style-wise are based closely on the old Jeep Cherokee, until the last week of January.
The sales of the Belvidere-built models were up nearly 283 percent from last January’s total, when dealers sold 3,347 Dodge Neons, which went out of production in October 2005.
DaimlerChrysler employs about 3,600 at the Belvidere plant, making it the second-largest employer in
New car may not save shift at Chrysler
The Chrysler Group is expected to dole out a gift to its Canadian operations next week, but may couple it with grim news in a restructuring plan for its North American operations that could wipe out as many as 10,000 jobs.
The unit of DaimlerChrysler AG is expected to announce that its Brampton, Ont., plant will build the Dodge Challenger muscle car — but that may not be enough to maintain the third shift of production at the plant, sources said Monday.
The Challenger will come on stream in April, 2008, the sources said, but its small volume of about 30,000 vehicles a year is not enough to offset a slump in demand for the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger and Dodge Magnum made in Brampton.
“They could probably get away with two shifts right now,” said one source familiar with the Brampton plant, which employs about 4,200 people. Eliminating the third shift would wipe out about 900 jobs.
New car may not save shift at Chrysler
The Chrysler Group is expected to dole out a gift to its Canadian operations next week, but may couple it with grim news in a restructuring plan for its North American operations that could wipe out as many as 10,000 jobs.
The unit of DaimlerChrysler AG is expected to announce that its Brampton, Ont., plant will build the Dodge Challenger muscle car — but that may not be enough to maintain the third shift of production at the plant, sources said Monday.
The Challenger will come on stream in April, 2008, the sources said, but its small volume of about 30,000 vehicles a year is not enough to offset a slump in demand for the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger and Dodge Magnum made in Brampton.
“They could probably get away with two shifts right now,” said one source familiar with the Brampton plant, which employs about 4,200 people. Eliminating the third shift would wipe out about 900 jobs.
Detroit plant: Mold for the future
David Coates / The Detroit News
DaimlerChrysler's Jefferson North plant in Detroit once turned the automaker's fortunes around with its Jeep Grand Cherokees.
Project X: Chrysler's secret comeback plan
Josee Valcourt / The Detroit News
History of Jefferson North
January 1989: Then-Chrysler exec Bob Lutz reveals the Grand Cherokee concept at the Detroit auto show.October 1991: The first pre-production Grand Cherokee is assembled at new $1 billion Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit that employs 2,100. The 1.75-million-square-foot plant replaced the old Jefferson North South Assembly plant. Critics question Chrysler's decision to build in the inner city.
January 1992: Grand Cherokee is introduced at the 1992 North American International Auto Show in Detroit and is driven through a glass wall at into Cobo Center.
March 1994: Amid booming Jeep sales, Chrysler announces it will add a third shift at Jefferson North and spend $120 million to expand the plant.
April 1996: Chrysler produces 1.millionth Grand Cherokee at Jefferson North.
April 1997: Chrysler says it will spend $750 million to expand Jefferson North and build a new body and paint shop.
May 1998: Chrysler Corp. announced plans to merge with Daimler-Benz AG.
July 1998: Following a three-year, $750 million expansion process, production of all-new 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee begins at Jefferson North. Plant now employs 4,300.
March 2001: Chrysler eliminates third shift at Jefferson North in companywide restructuring, cutting 1,000 jobs.
August 2004: Chrysler launches production of new 2005 Grand Cherokee and confirms it will build the larger Jeep Commander at Jefferson North. The plant, which now employs 2,700 workers, gets a multimillion dollar overhaul.
June 2006: Chrysler announces plans to build diesel-powered Grand Cherokee at Jefferson North.
January 2007: Detroit News reports that Jeep Commander may be killed after the 2009 model year due to disappointing sales.
Source: Detroit News research
DETROIT -- The story of Chrysler's Jefferson North Assembly Plant mirrors the triumphs and travails of the Motor City itself.
Lee Iacocca reluctantly opened the $1 billion factory on Detroit's east side in 1992, despite warnings from experts who said it was folly to build an assembly plant in the inner city with an aging work force.
But Jefferson North and the red-hot Jeep Grand Cherokee it produced exceeded expectations, pumping billions of dollars and new life into a company again on the financial ropes after near-bankruptcy a decade earlier.
In recent years, intense new competition, high gas prices and the end of the SUV boom waylaid Jefferson North and the rest of Detroit's auto industry. With production falling, Jefferson North seems a likely target for closure as Chrysler prepares to announce a restructuring Feb. 14.
Instead, the last major auto assembly plant entirely within Detroit's city limits is poised for an unlikely resurgence. While it may face more work force and production cuts in the near term, Jefferson North is in line for a rebirth as a new Chrysler unfolds in the coming years.
A key piece of Chrysler's restructuring calls for the Auburn Hills automaker to jointly develop more vehicles with Mercedes-Benz, its sibling within Germany-based DaimlerChrysler AG, according to people familiar with the plan.
The next-generation Grand Cherokee will be built off a vehicle architecture designed for the Mercedes M-Class SUV and go into production about 2010 at Jefferson North, these people said.
And that's only the start. The next Dodge Durango SUV will be built off the same architecture -- code-named W164 -- and also will be made at Jefferson North, analysts say. Other vehicles such as a future version of the Chrysler Aspen and other Jeep vehicles based on W164 could be built at the Detroit factory as well. The Newark, Del., Chrysler plant that builds the Durango and Aspen is likely to close as part of the restructuring.
If Chrysler's plan comes to fruition, Jefferson North -- once dubbed "the plant that never should have been built" -- could get a multimillion dollar investment and play a huge role in yet another comeback in the boom and bust history of Chrysler.
"It's a pretty significant deal for the plant itself," said Jeff Schuster, global forecasting analyst for J.D. Power and Associates in Troy. "(DaimlerChrysler) putting faith in the plant by bringing in Mercedes says a lot. It's giving the plant a vote of confidence."
Plant fought from start
Jefferson North was almost killed on the drawing board in the late 1980s. The average age of potential workers at the plant was 51 and the prevailing wisdom was new auto plants should be built on undeveloped rural sites, not in poverty-stricken urban areas. Chrysler had just closed the old Jefferson assembly plant, a wood-floored relic that produced the poor-selling Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon.
"Iaccoca said he didn't think it was feasible building a plant in the city with a bunch of grandfathers building cars," said Aaron Taylor, the former president of United Auto Workers Local 7 from 1987 to 1992. Taylor now works for the UAW International as a service representative for Region 1. "We begged to differ."
After a year of negotiations, the UAW agreed to sharply reduce job classifications to make the plant cheaper to operate.
"I had to convince the membership to drop about 144 classifications down to about 10," Taylor said. "I told them that our survival hinges on this agreement and that if we could not get this, the plant would not be built."
That was only part of the challenge. More than 1,100 homes were bought and businesses relocated to make way for the factory.
Chrysler also wrangled a 12-year, 50-percent property tax break from the city of Detroit.
At the same time, Chrysler desperately needed a vehicle that could compete with the hugely popular Ford Explorer midsize SUV. Its answer was the Grand Cherokee, a more luxurious version of its successful Cherokee.
When the first Grand Cherokee rolled off the line at Jefferson North, everyone at Chrysler was holding their breath.
The plant opened with much fanfare. Taylor sat in the back seat as then-Chrysler president Bob Lutz, with former Detroit Mayor Coleman A. Young along for the ride, drove a Grand Cherokee from the factory onto Jefferson Avenue and to Cobo Center for the 1992 Detroit auto show. "It was the beginning of a new era," Taylor said.
Grand Cherokee: A big hit
The Grand Cherokee was a smash hit from Job 1. America embraced SUVs and the Jeep was a perfect blend of rugged looks and interior refinement.
"The product took the market by storm," said Frank Ewasyshyn, Chrysler's executive vice president of manufacturing. "There was nothing like it."
Chrysler expanded Jefferson North twice and added a third shift. More than 4,000 workers punched in daily in the late 1990s.
"We were making $13,000 to $15,000 a pop on every Grand Cherokee coming off the line," said Dennis Pawley, former Chrysler executive vice president of manufacturing.
The right factory with the right vehicle at the right time, Jefferson North was a once-in-a-generation success story.
The once-squalid area surrounding the massive white plant off Conner Avenue took off. New businesses and housing popped up around the factory.
"As I go through there, I don't recognize the area because of the revitalization and new mall and marts and businesses that have come up around that plant," Taylor said.
Fortunes changed fast
But when Jefferson North's fortunes changed, they changed in a hurry. A flurry of new competitors such as the Lexus RX 300 hit the market, chipping away at sales.
And Americans gradually started to cool on SUVs. In early 2001, Jefferson North cut its third shift and 1,000 workers.
In the past couple of years, the decline accelerated. Grand Cherokee sales fell 35 percent last year and another 23 percent in January, according to figures from Autodata Corp. Employment is down to 2,700 workers.
The seven-seater Jeep Commander, the first vehicle to be added to Jefferson North's line since the plant opened, was supposed to boost Jefferson North's output when it was introduced more than a year ago.
Instead, the newer Jeep cannibalized Grand Cherokee sales, which fell by 74,000 units last year, nearly equal to the Commander's 88,497 unit sales.
The Commander likely will be discontinued in 2009 because of disappointing sales, analysts say.
"The world is different now," said Tom Libby, senior director of industry analysis at J.D. Power's Power Information Network. "In the '90s, the midsize utility segment was flourishing -- the (Ford) Explorer, the Grand Cherokee -- that market was thriving. That has changed."
In truth, Jefferson North's success was never about work rules and factory efficiency, although those things certainly helped.
"It wasn't so much the plant," said Laurie Felax, president of Harbour-Felax Group in Royal Oak. "It was never their lowest cost plant. It wasn't their best in productivity and quality. It was the product that in the '90s was so hot."
And product is the only thing that will help Jefferson North rebound.
"Chrysler has to continue to put out products that customers want and that plant has to have flexible equipment to be able to produce other models," Felax said.
That's where Chrysler's new restructuring plan comes in.
A new Grand Cherokee that shares a basic architecture and certain parts with the Mercedes M-Class -- built in Alabama -- could be a breakthrough. It's almost certain to move upscale with a more car-like ride and handling.
A new Durango off the W164 architecture would reap similar benefits.
"The Dodge Durango will definitely share the next-generation platform with the Grand Cherokee," said J.D. Power's Schuster. Grand Rapids-based auto research firm IRN Inc. is also projecting that the vehicles will share platforms.
A union official, who spoke to The Detroit News on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that Dodge Durango production will begin at Jefferson North in 2009 and the next-generation Grand Cherokee will arrive in 2010.
Chrysler's Ewasyshyn declined comment on future vehicles.
Sharing is key
The key for Chrysler and Mercedes will be to share engineering and parts while making the vehicles separate and distinct.
"The synergies are there if you can break the brand barriers," Pawley said. "There really is no choice. It's absolutely the thing to do."
Since the 1998 merger between Daimler Benz and Chrysler Corp., it's been considered taboo to mingle Mercedes and Chrysler, for fear it would dilute the German luxury brand.
Immediately after the merger, the Grand Cherokee and the M-Class were assembled in the same plant in Graz, Austria, but there was no parts sharing and the vehicles were deliberately kept apart.
"They (Mercedes) insisted on keeping it separate from the M-Class on the final lines and final inspections," Pawley said. "That was pretty tough to swallow."
A company official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, explained that specifications for the next-generation Grand Cherokee and Mercedes may share parts but will have different specifications and characteristics to maintain unique brand identities.
Analysts see the wisdom in more sharing. "It has to be a focus of DaimlerChrysler as a whole," said Chuck Moore, managing director of Conway, MacKenzie & Dunleavy, a restructuring firm based in Birmingham. "The only way to compete effectively as a global (automaker) right now is for that sharing. That is really the wave of the future."
Art Spinella, president of CNW Marketing Research, an automotive research firm in Oregon, said the next Grand Cherokee needs to be a vast improvement over the current version.
"The Grand Cherokee is a lost soul, which is unfortunate because it was the linchpin product besides the Wrangler for Jeep," Spinella said. "It should have been a more upscale product. It should have been a competitor to the Range Rover, but Chrysler never did that."
He doesn't see risk in cooperation between luxury Mercedes and Chrysler's Jeep, the quintessential American off-road brand.
"Most consumers don't care if the architecture is similar or the same," Spinella said.
And such sharing is not unprecedented. Consider Bentley and Audi, both part of Volkswagen AG. "They have an Audi engine and Bentley customers don't have a problem," said Juergen Pieper, an auto analyst with Metzler Bank. "Bentley has an even higher luxury image than Mercedes."
For the workers at Jefferson North, who have been through its highs and lows, any debate about parts sharing takes a back seat to worries about what the plant's next chapter will be.
"We try to think positive," said Robert Ledgerwood, a nine-year veteran at Jefferson North. "Hopefully, Chrysler can continue to make some quality vehicles that people want to buy. That's the most important thing."