Nardelli apologizes for mistakenly saying plant will remain open
There are some things about which you never want to misspeak. Your wife's birthday, your child's age and we can now add plant closings to that list. On the day Chrysler LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, CEO Robert Nardelli was on the phone with Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle and the state's congressional delegates. During the call, Nardelli was asked if the state's plant in Kenosha that employs 800 people would remain open. The outgoing Chrysler CEO (as soon as this whole bankruptcy thing gets cleared up) replied in the affirmative, which unfortunately is not the case. Kenosha is one of eight plants that Chrysler will close in the U.S. as outlined in its restructuring plan. Nardelli has sent a letter apologizing for the mistake, claiming he mistook the Kenosha plant for one that's going to be built in Trenton, MI to assemble the automaker's next line of engines. While it was probably an honest mistake made by a man who is under more stress right now than the average executive, his gaff is tantamount to telling your in-laws that little Jimmy is four when he's really six, except in this case 800 people lose their jobs, so maybe it's worse.[Source: jsonline.com | Photo by Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jake B 5:08PM (5/08/2009)
Mistakes happen. Oh well.
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Vincenzo 5:10PM (5/08/2009)
Go back to home depo!
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Taglane 5:19PM (5/08/2009)
You go back too.
Taglane 5:20PM (5/08/2009)
Then maybe you'll learn Depot has a 'T'.
thomas 5:45PM (5/08/2009)
pwn'd.
mikecanada 5:10PM (5/08/2009)
While I honestly hope Chrysler is liquidated, it's hard to imagine the stress that all of the Chrysler people are under.
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VWBajaBugGuy 5:21PM (5/08/2009)
That would be one of the old AMC factories they acquired back in 88'. Kinda surprised to hear they were still using it....
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inline6 5:26PM (5/08/2009)
Yeah, they closed and demolished most of the old AMC plants in Kenosha in '89-90, after the last M-bodies and Omnirizons were built there, except the engine plant, where they kept making the AMC 2.5L and 4.0L engines well into this decade. I thought they were making the 3.8L V6 now, too.
But apparently, it's being replaced with a Phoenix engine...and apparently, they're going to the expense of building a whole new plant instead of simply retooling an old one.
That sucks. As big of an AMC fan as I am, I was hoping Kenosha's engine plant would stay open. Oh well...Bramalea will soon be the lone-running AMC holdout, building the only Chrysler passenger cars that are worth a damn.
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Erik 5:36PM (5/08/2009)
Why are they building a brand new plant when they are closing so many old ones? Wouldn't it make more sense to just retool one of those old plants?
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thomas 5:47PM (5/08/2009)
cost? it may be cheaper to build a new one that to maintain an old one. no way to tell for sure....
tankd0g 6:26PM (5/08/2009)
No tax incentives for re-tooling...
michwake 12:04PM (5/15/2009)
Hi,
They are building the new plant right next to the old engine plant in Trenton (same property). I live in Trenton myself and have a lot of family and friends who also work for Chrysler. It is a small town and without Chrysler we would probably be hurting pretty bad. Anyway, it is on the same land next to the existing plant and they are still running the existing plant. I don't know all the details, but appearantly they were not about to shut that plant down to retool it, or maybe they couldn't retool it. I'm not the expert.
I feel bad for the people in WI, especially if they are moving the jobs to Mexico. Understand that the people in Trenton need the plant as much as anyone else does. It is our major employer in a quiet town. MI is probably hurting worse then any other state as far as unemployment. I know it could it could have been us just like the people in WI and I really feel for them. My exhusband just lost his job at the airport (been there 20 yrs). So, we are all hurting right now.
jpm100 6:18PM (5/08/2009)
Now, we're concerned about jobs?
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70Barracuda 8:07PM (5/08/2009)
What bothers me is...
All the damn factories that they close.. why dont they just build the damn engines.. in N EXISTING PLANT!!!
Stop closing factories... and utilize them on other ways!
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Mike 10:40AM (5/09/2009)
As for that lying leech of a CEO..
He should be told he has a job and a coupla HUNDRED MIL in the bank...
Oooops, he doesnt. Be nice to give that POS a good swift kick in the ass. Let that POS know what pain he's caused hundreds of thousands of people.
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mr.ed 2:57PM (5/09/2009)
The Twinsburg OH plant got the up-and-down, too. Hard to believe they were ready to strike because the place was working 24/7 when minivans were hot.
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DJ 3:34PM (5/09/2009)
I seem to recall he pulled similar sh*t at Home Depot. Demand concessions from the community or employees and then close the store anyway. The guy is a major POS
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