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First Motor Home Chassis for Ford Rolls Off the TruMack Line

10 November 1999

TruMack Assembly Opens, First Motor Home Chassis for Ford Rolls Off the Line

    DETROIT, Nov. 9 -- TruMack Assembly rolled its first motor
home chassis off its new line today in a ceremony attended by local, city and
state officials.   The chassis, built for Ford Motor Company ,
launches the new minority-controlled joint venture that has created 100 jobs
in the Renaissance Zone in Detroit.
    A contract was awarded last year to TruMack Assembly by Ford to assemble a
complete chassis -- frame, suspension, motor, transmission, and wheels and
tires -- from components supplied by Ford and other companies.   In less than
one year, a 218,000 square-foot building was erected on a 32-acre site on
Lynch Road to house assembly of the chassis.  Ford Motor Land Development
Corporation oversaw development of the facility from ground breaking to
opening day ribbon cutting.
    "Our organizations have expended extraordinary effort to ready the
facility for production and to launch a state of the art, lean manufacturing
process, said Mike Guthrie, President of TruMack Assembly, "It reflects true
cooperation between TruMack Assembly, Mackie Automotive and Ford."
    TruMack Assembly is a joint venture between Michael and Carlton Guthrie,
owners of Trumark, Inc., and Mackie Automotive Systems.  Trumark Inc., a
Lansing, Mich.-based minority-owned supplier of automotive stampings and
assemblies, a steel processing and distribution center, and a design and
engineering service for automotive manufacturing systems.
    Mackie Automotive Systems, an Oshawa, Canada-based company that is the
leading international supplier of "Tier Zero" sequencing, subassembly and
logistical support systems for the automotive industry.
    "We are looking forward to working with TruMack Assembly to manufacture
industry-leading products that motor home customers will value and demand,"
said Carlos Mazzorin, Ford Group Vice President of Purchasing and Ford of
Mexico.
    TruMack assembly's workforce received pre-employment assessment and
training from CareerWorks, along with other providers.  The skills highlighted
at the facility include problem-solving, workplace organization, diversity,
team building and communication.  TruMack currently has 100 employees -- 78
are hourly and 22 are salaried.
    The state has provided about $8 million in Michigan Economic Growth
Authority credits for this project.  The City of Detroit has approved more
than $3 million in tax abatements.
    The Super Duty F-Series chassis will support Class A motor homes with
three gross vehicle weight ratings: 15,700, 18,000 and 20,500 pounds.
    Class A motor homes are the largest of recreational vehicles.  Ford holds
nearly half of the market for motor home chassis.  Ford also makes chassis for
smaller recreational vehicles - Class C motor homes -- built on van cutaway
chassis.  The Ford Econoline van cutaway is the leading chassis for Class C
applications.
    TruMack will supply the chassis to Ford, which will ship to its customers,
such as Winnebago, Fleetwood, Monaco Coach Corporation (Holiday Rambler) and
Coachman.