Behind The Scenes: Jeep Wrangler (JL) Production:
A Look At The Toledo North Assembly Plant, Home Of The Jeep Wrangler & Wrangler Unlimited (JL)...
The Toledo Assembly Complex is made up of two assembly plants. There is the Toledo South section of the complex, which built the 2007 to 2018 Jeep Wrangler and Wrangler Unlimited (JK). That portion of the complex is currently being retooled and updated to produce the all-new 2020 Jeep Gladiator (JT) pickup truck that will make it’s official debut later this month at the L.A. Auto Show. The Toledo North section of the complex, currently produces the Jeep Wrangler and Wrangler Unlimited (JL) for the entire global market.
The history of the Toledo Assembly Complex dates back to 1942. The Stickney Plant was built in 1942 and acquired from Autolite in 1964 for use as a machining and engine plant. In 1981, it was converted for vehicle production, building the legendary Jeep Grand Wagoneer until the summer of 1991. The facility became the Toledo Assembly Plant when Chrysler Corporation acquired American Motors Corporation (AMC) in August 1987. In the fall of 1997, Toledo North Assembly Plant was built for the production of the Jeep Liberty (KJ), which launched in April 2001. The 2007 Dodge Nitro (KA) launched in August 2006 and the 2008 Jeep Liberty (KK) launched in July 2007. The last Dodge Nitro rolled off the line on Friday, December 16, 2011. Production of the Jeep Liberty (KK) ended on August 16, 2012. The all-new 2014 Jeep Cherokee (KL) began production on June 24, 2013.
In November 2011, the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) announced that it would invest $500 million in the Toledo North Plant. A 260,000-square-foot expansion was added to the existing body shop and upgrades were made to all other areas of the assembly plant. In addition, a state-of-the-art, 26,000-square-foot Metrology Center was built to help improve vehicle quality by verifying key measurements to ensure accurate fit and finish.
FCA US also announced that it would add a second shift of production or about 1,100 jobs at Toledo North in the third quarter of 2013. The second shift began on August 19, 2013.
The Toledo Supplier Park was built in 2005 for the production of the Jeep Wrangler and Wrangler Unlimited (JK). The complex includes body and chassis operations in partnership with Kuka and OMMC, respectively, in buildings on the same site as Toledo North Assembly and the former Stickney Assembly. The paint shop was originally run in partnership with Magna, but in the first quarter of 2011, FCA US assumed responsibility for paint operations. Production of the 2011 Jeep Wrangler began in August 2010. The last Wrangler JK rolled off the line on April 27, 2018, after building 2,165,678 of the iconic Jeep model.
FCA US announced on July 14, 2016, that it would invest $700 million in Toledo’s North plant to produce the next generation Jeep Wrangler (JL). Approximately 700 new jobs would be added. To make room for the new Wrangler, production of the Jeep Cherokee (KL) ended on April 6, 2017. Since its introduction in 2013, 949,151 Cherokees rolled off the Toledo assembly line. Production of the 2018 Jeep Wrangler began in December 2017.
On January 8, 2017, FCA US confirmed that it would invest another $1 billion to retool and modernize Toledo’s South plant to build an all-new 2020 Jeep Gladiator (JT) pickup as well as the Warren Truck Assembly Plant to produce the all-new Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer (WS) in 2020 for the 2021 model year. More than 2,000 jobs will be added to support production of these models.
Let’s take a look some behind the scenes of the current Toledo North Assembly Plant, at how at the Jeep Wrangler and Wrangler Unlimited are produced…
