What's Happening in Brampton, ON…

In a province battered by layoffs and shutdowns, Chrysler has announced the launch of the 2011 Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger at the Brampton, Ontario assembly plant, signaling renewed vigor and optimism in the auto industry sector.

With the launch of these vehicles and the resurrection of the Dodge Challenger, Chrysler shifts into high gear in 2012, rejuvenating other business in Brampton that support the industry such as Brampton catalog printing services, which are closely aligned with the Canadian auto industry and are often called upon to produce material to promote new vehicles.

The launch this week was attended by Chrysler senior management from the U.S. and Canada and provincial finance minister Dwight Duncan. Susan Fennell, mayor of Brampton and other senior figures also attended. Each took turns publicly recognizing the contributions of the Brampton facility and its impact on the local economy.

As part of the preparation for this month’s launch, employees at the Brampton facility transformed the plant and implemented many improvements, such as the installation of high-efficiency lighting, an improved cafeteria, new bathrooms and new paint. The improvements have significantly improved the morale of all 3,000 employees working two shifts in the three million square foot Brampton plant.

The Brampton plant takes up 269 acres at the site, located one and a half hours north of Niagara Falls. It has 33 miles or 57 kilometres of conveyors and 80 shipping docks, with the astonishing capacity to build 1,500 vehicles a day.

Since 2008, Chrysler has invested approximately $1 billion U.S. during the launch of its 300 model and the refreshed Charger and Challenger, for assembly, tooling and material handling.