Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) recently commemorated the production of the 750,000th vehicle built at its truck manufacturing plant in Cleveland, North Carolina. Keys to the milestone vehicle – a Freightliner Cascadia – were presented to representatives from United Parcel Service (UPS) during a ceremony at the facility.
“Over the past 30 years, our Cleveland plant has served as the foundation for our North American manufacturing operations and has been an integral part of our growth, innovation and leadership,” said Roger Nielsen, president and CEO of Daimler Trucks North America. “This production landmark demonstrates both customer acceptance of our solutions and the strength of our team. As we continue to evolve our product offerings and technologies, the Cleveland facility will remain a critical part of our strategy and success.”
Freightliner Trucks acquired the plant in 1989 and started producing the Freightliner Medium Conventional, a day cab truck model based on a Mercedes-Benz cabin mounted on an American chassis. Over the years, the plant’s product lineup has evolved as DTNA’s newest innovations entered the marketplace.
Today, in addition to the new Cascadia, the Cleveland plant also produces the Western Star 4700, 4900 and 5700XE truck models, as well as the Freightliner Coronado and Columbia for the right-hand drive Australian and New Zealand markets.
Since the first truck rolled off the line at the Cleveland plant, DTNA has invested more than $350 million in the facility, including a recent $27 million investment to add a new logistics center to support the company’s lean supply-chain practices. More than 2,200 people are employed at the Cleveland facility, which is DTNA’s largest U.S. manufacturing plant.
For more information, visit www.daimler-trucksnorthamerica.com.
