Kenosha Engine

Operated| 1902; 123 years ago (1902) to
October 2010; 14 years ago (2010-10)
Location| Kenosha, Wisconsin
Coordinates| 42°35′03″N 87°50′33″W﻿ / ﻿42.5842°N 87.8424°W﻿ / 42.5842; -87.8424
Industry| Automotive
Products| Engines
Area| 107 acres (43.3 ha)
Volume| 1,870,000 sq ft (174,000 m2)
Address| 5555 30th Ave
Owner(s)|

* Thomas B. Jeffery Co.
(1902–1954)
* American Motors
(1954–1987)
* Chrysler
(1987–2010)

Defunct| October 2010; 14 years ago (2010-10)

Kenosha Engine was an automobile and engine factory in Kenosha, Wisconsin. It was first opened for automobile production in 1902 by the Thomas B. Jeffery Company and later operated by American Motors. The Kenosha Engine Plant saw all operations halted by Chrysler.[1] It was permanently closed in October 2010[1] and demolished between December 2012 and April 2013.

## History

[edit]

The factory was opened in 1902 by the Thomas B. Jeffery Company, which evolved into Nash Motors in 1916, American Motors Corporation (AMC) in 1954, and was acquired by Chrysler in 1987.

Passenger vehicle production at the Lakefront and Kenosha Main plants was discontinued on 23 December 1988 (or mid-model year 1989). These were the L-Body Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon FWD models, as well as the M-body RWD sedans, Chrysler Fifth Avenue, Dodge Diplomat, and Plymouth Fury. The facility was downsized and continued to manufacture engines .[2]

Kenosha Engine assembly on 19 October 1997

The opening of the 3.5-liter engine line in 2002 came after the company invested $624 million in a 450,000-square-foot (42,000 m2) plant expansion.[3]

In 2006, the Kenosha Engine factory employed 1,300 people.[3]

Chrysler Group announced in 2007 its plan to invest $450 million to retool the Kenosha engine plant to build a new V6 engine, code-named "Phoenix".[4]

Kenosha Engine was one of Chrysler Group's Powertrain plants that scored at the top of their segment, according to the 2007 Harbour Report North America report, a broadly accepted measure of productivity in the automotive industry.[5]

Significantly, Chrysler excluded employees of the Kenosha plant from its 2 February 2009 buyout offer for hourly workers. In May 2009, approximately 800 workers were employed at the plant.

On 1 May 2009, Chrysler announced that the Kenosha Engine plant was to close by the end of 2010 due to Chrysler's bankruptcy and restructuring plan.[6]

In response to news about closing the Kenosha Engine plant, hundreds of auto workers held a rally in May 2009. They appealed to Obama administration officials and to executives at both Fiat and Chrysler to reverse the decision to shut down the facility.[7] After Chrysler assets were transferred to a new corporation operated by Fiat as part of emerging from Chrysler Chapter 11 reorganization on 10 June 2009, the Kenosha Engine plant was restarted.[8]

By August 2010, Chrysler announced the closure of the facility and its remaining 575 jobs.[9] The end of 108 years of automaking in Kenosha arrived when the last engine was produced on 22 October 2010. At that time, the future of the engine plant site in the city's center remained unknown, and Kenosha city officials were worried.[2] The Old Carco Liquidation Trust, the owner of assets formerly held by Chrysler LLC, unsuccessfully tried to market the site to other industrial users.[10] By October 2011, an agreement was reached to transfer ownership of the property to either the city or the state, with $10 million in federal Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) money available to help clean up environmental problems at the site.[11] An auction was held in December 2011, for the machines and equipment in the Kenosha Engine plant under order of the United States Bankruptcy Court.[12] It took three days to sell tools, ranging from drill bits to machine tools bigger than trucks, inside the plant.[13][14]

Demolition of the plant complex began in late 2012.[15] Cleanup was completed by the week of 27 April 2013. In February 2014, Old Carco Liquidation Trust abandoned the former Kenosha Engine Plant, and the city of Kenosha accepted title to the property.[1] The city of Kenosha, Wisconsin Department of Health Services, United States Environmental Protection Agency, and Kenosha County Division of Health collaborated on environmental assessment, remediation, and preparation of the property for redevelopment.[16]

## Products

[edit]

* AMC straight-6 engines
* AMC V8 engines
* 1997–2010 PowerTech 2.7 L V6
* 2003–2010 3.5 L V6

## References

[edit]

* "Kenosha Engine Plant - official site". daimlerchrysler. July 2007. Archived from the original on 6 June 2008. Retrieved 24 November 2017.

1. ^ a b c "Kenosha Engine Plant Investigation & Cleanup (RR-894)" (PDF). Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. February 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 November 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
2. ^ a b Taschler, Joe; Barrett, Rick (22 October 2010). "End of the line for Chrysler engine plant in Kenosha". Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
3. ^ a b Content, Thomas (10 April 2006). "Kenosha Chrysler plant eases closer to new production line". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on 13 May 2007. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
4. ^ "Chrysler Group plans to invest $450 mln in Kenosha engine plant". wardsauto.com. 13 June 2007. Retrieved 29 April 2024 - via Reuters.
5. ^ "Chrysler Group Maintains Greatest Productivity Improvement Over Six Years, According to Harbour Report". prnewswire.com (Press release). 31 May 2007. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
6. ^ Content, Thomas (1 May 2009). "Chrysler won't keep Kenosha engine plant". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
7. ^ Content, Thomas (4 May 2009). "Auto workers rally to save Kenosha plant". Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on 7 May 2009. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
8. ^ "Chrysler to restart Kenosha engine plant". The Business Journal. 18 June 2009. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
9. ^ Conley, Chris (7 August 2010). "Chrysler to close Kenosha engine plant". WASU talk news. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
10. ^ Gentner, Margie (1 November 2011). "Possible uses for the old Kenosha Engine Plant site". KenoWi and 2Hill Media. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
11. ^ Barrett, Rick (19 October 2011). "Deal reached for Kenosha Chrysler plant site". Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
12. ^ "Hilco and Maynards: Chrysler Kenosha Engine Plant Onsite Auction with Webcast" (PDF). Hilco Industrial. 2011. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
13. ^ Olson, Jon (8 December 2011). "Buyers bid on Chrysler Engine Plant tools and equipment". Kenosha News. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
14. ^ "Chrysler Kenosha Engine Plant - Photographs from 12/2011 before the public auction to liquidate assets". imgur.com. 21 December 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
15. ^ "Demolition begins on Chrysler engine plant in Kenosha". Associated Press. 8 December 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
16. ^ "Kenosha Engine Plant investigation & cleanup". Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. 18 September 2014. Archived from the original on 8 November 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2017.

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42°35′03″N 87°50′33″W﻿ / ﻿42.5842°N 87.8424°W﻿ / 42.5842; -87.8424
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