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Freightliner To Invest $40 Million In Gastonia Plant

28 September 1998

Freightliner To Invest $40 Million In Gastonia Plant

          Parts Plant to Benefit from Expansion and New Technology

    PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 28 -- Freightliner, North America's
leading heavy truck manufacturer, announced plans to invest $40 million in its
Gastonia Parts Manufacturing Plant (PMP) over the next three years.  The plant
produces parts for four Freightliner truck and chassis manufacturing plants,
American LaFrance fire trucks, the Mercedes-Benz Mexico truck plant in Mexico,
and distribution centers throughout North America.  It was the first
Freightliner plant to open in the Carolinas 20 years ago.
    "As we head into the 21st century, this investment will fuel the growth
and capabilities of our plant," said Gastonia Parts Manufacturing Plant
Manager Buddy Kircus.  "It will provide us with the revolutionary equipment
and additional space necessary to keep pace with ever-increasing production
and quality standards."
    As part of the $40 million investment, there will be a 9,000-square-foot
plant expansion and increase in the capacity of Gastonia's power plant.
The addition is underway and scheduled for completion early next year.
    Increased power capacity will support new and expanded technology that is
being added to the plant including eight presses, three lasers and a second
E-Kote system.

    Laser Welding System - Gastonia Previews the First of a New Technology

    The plant is installing a new $1.6 million laser welding system that was
designed and developed by Freightliner and parent company Daimler-Benz AG.
The first of its kind in the world, it will allow aluminum to be laser-welded
for the first time in the automotive industry.
    "The new laser technology has amazing potential," said Kircus.  "We will
not only use the laser to produce decks for Freightliner's new Argosy trucks,
but we'll also evaluate how it can perfect our existing assemblies."
    With 4,000 watts of laser power, the machine can weld a 110-inch Argosy
deck in three minutes.  The laser beam is directed through a fiber optic cable
to the work point.  The process is completed by touching only one side of the
deck and replaces the time consuming job of riveting by hand.
    "This is the only laser system like this in the world," said Mark
Biederbeck, Freightliner Corp. engineer and project manager.  "Gastonia is the
launch project for the technology.  It is a powerful, exact system that, in
the future, can be incorporated into many areas of production."  In fact,
based on the results Freightliner's Gastonia parts plant has with the
technology, Daimler-Benz may put the technology to use in its future car
production processes.
    Freightliner Corporation, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, is the
leading heavy truck manufacturer in North America.  Freightliner produces and
markets Class 3-8 trucks and is a member of the Daimler-Benz AG group, the
world's leading commercial vehicle manufacturer (http://www.freightliner.com).
Freightliner has nearly 12,000 employees worldwide.