Western Star Trucks has Invested $16 Million to Relocate to Oregon

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources; Houston, Texas). Western Star Trucks (Willoughby, Ohio) has invested $16 million to revamp the Portland truck manufacturing plant owned by parent company Freightliner LLC (Portland, Oregon), a DaimlerChyrsler company (NYSE: DCX).

Western Star Trucks, headquartered in Willoughby, Ohio has permanently closed down their 27 trucks per day Kelowna, British Columbia plant and has relocated production to a 15,000 square foot building in Portland to consolidate operations. The investment included a new building plus relocation of assembly lines, and was completed late 2002.

The Portland truck manufacturing plant opened in 1969 and produces heavy-duty trucks, such as: American La France, Freightliner, SelecTrucks, Sterling Trucks, Thomas Built Buses, Unimog Trucks, and Western Star Trucks. The Freightliner Group is the leading North American truck and specialty vehicle manufacturer, and exceeded 111,000 vehicles in 2002 and its products were shipped to 30 countries. DaimlerChrysler is one of the world's leading automotive companies. Its passenger car brands include Maybach, Mercedes-Benz, Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and smart. Commercial vehicle brands include Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner, Sterling, Western Star and Setra.