Kenworth Chillicothe Plant Initiates $140 Million, 120,000 Square-Foot Expansion
Construction Begins on New Paint Facility
Kenworth Truck Company held a groundbreaking ceremony today to officially announce the start of construction on a state-of-the-art $140 million, 120,000 square-foot paint facility addition to its Class 8 truck assembly plant in Chillicothe, Ohio.
Kenworth Chillicothe Paint Facility Rendering
Kenworth will construct the new, environmentally friendly facility, expected to open in 2021, adjacent to the current plant. The expansion represents a nearly 25% increase to the current 502,000 square-foot plant, which is located on a 120-acre site 50 miles south of Columbus, Ohio. The facility will utilize the latest technologies to increase paint capacity by 50%, while also enhancing the plant’s industry-leading product quality, and award-winning environmental stewardship programs. Advanced technologies integrated into the new facility include state-of-the-art robotic paint application systems and the latest in emissions control systems.
The ceremony featured Harrie Schippers, PACCAR president and chief financial officer; Mike Dozier, Kenworth general manager and PACCAR vice president; and Jay Timmons, president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), as well as Judy McTigue, Kenworth assistant general manager of operations; and Rod Spencer, Kenworth Chillicothe plant manager. Federal, state, county and local officials from Ohio also participated in the groundbreaking.
From left are Karen Logan, Kenworth Truck Company controller; Lex Tisdale, Kenworth Chillicothe director of engineering manufacturing; Jack Schmitt, Kenworth Chillicothe assistant plant manager; Judy McTigue, Kenworth assistant general manager for operations; Jay Timmons, president and CEO, National Association of Manufacturers (NAM); Harrie Schippers, PACCAR president and chief financial officer; Mike Dozier, Kenworth general manager and PACCAR vice president; and Rod Spencer, Kenworth Chillicothe plant manager.
“Our investment in this outstanding new facility highlights Kenworth’s focus on leveraging technology to continually enhance the quality of the products we provide our customers, while also reinforcing Kenworth’s commitment to the production of industry-leading Class 8 trucks by the more than 2,000 outstanding employees at our Chillicothe plant,” said Kenworth’s Dozier.
Complementing the investment in the new Chillicothe paint facility, and scheduled for completion this summer, is the installation of a new $33 million robotic cab assembly cell. The cell will occupy 40,000 square feet on the existing production floor and will support the continued market share growth of Kenworth’s innovative T680, T880, and W990 models. All three models deliver industry-leading performance, driver comfort and total cost of ownership to its on-highway and vocational customers.
Earlier this year, the Kenworth Chillicothe assembly plant received a 2019 Manufacturing Leadership Award from the Manufacturing Leadership Council of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). The award recognized the Chillicothe team’s development of innovative material handling systems that protect paint quality throughout the assembly process.
The plant also earned the 2018 Encouraging Environmental Excellence “E3” Gold Award from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. The award recognizes businesses, nonprofits and government agencies in Ohio that demonstrate the commitment to exceed regulatory compliance and deliver exceptional achievements in environmental stewardship.
Kenworth’s plants in Chillicothe, Ohio, and Renton, Washington, hold the prestigious International Standards Organization (ISO) 14001:2015 certification for effective environmental management systems established to help build Class 8 trucks in an environmentally sustainable manner. Kenworth’s medium duty trucks are produced at the PACCAR Ste. Thérèse, Quebec, assembly facility, which also achieved ISO 14001:2015 certification.
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Kenworth Truck Company is the manufacturer of The World’s Best® heavy and medium duty trucks. Kenworth’s Internet home page is at www.kenworth.com. Kenworth is a PACCAR company.