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Chrysler Picks Manufacturing Locations For Town & Country, Grand Caravan(2)

Chrysler has announced the assembly locations for two 2008 model minivans.

Chrysler announced Monday that the 2008 Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans will be built at DaimlerChrysler's Windsor (Ontario) Assembly Plant and St. Louis South Assembly Plant located in Fenton, Mo.

The two minivans were introduced this past weekend at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The Windsor location currently manufactures the Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country minivans and the Chrysler Pacifica. It is capable of building two different vehicle platforms and piloting a third simultaneously on the same production line.

The Windsor location recently made a $508 million investment for a new paint facility capable of accommodating the dimensions of 11 different body styles. The facility is scheduled to be operational in the first quarter of 2007.

Originally built in 1928, the Windsor plant is the largest of the Chrysler Group's 14 assembly plants. In 2003, Windsor Assembly became one of the first Chrysler Group plants to implement the flexible manufacturing strategy. The plant currently employs approximately 4,800 people.

The two St. Louis-area manufacturing plants, located in Fenton, Mo., manufacture the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans and Dodge Ram Standard and Quad Cab Pickup. These plants also utilize flexible manufacturing practices to manufacture multiple types of vehicles on one line. St. Louis South will be the third Chrysler Group assembly plant to implement a fully robotic body shop, giving it the ability to automatically adjust to build multiple models within cycle time.

The 2.64 million square-foot St. Louis South Plant was constructed in 1959. The plant employs 3,200 people.

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