Johnson Controls Adds Innovation to New Minivans
5 October 2000
Johnson Controls Adds Innovation to New Minivans From Ceiling to Floor and Front to Back
For the all-new, 2001 minivans from DaimlerChrysler Corporation,
supplier delivers unique overhead consoles, storage systems
PLYMOUTH, Mich., Oct. 5 Automotive interior supplier
Johnson Controls is providing versatile storage solutions and integrated
overhead systems for the latest generation of DaimlerChrysler Corporation's
popular minivans.
A pop-up rear cargo organizer -- designed and manufactured by Johnson
Controls -- will be available as optional equipment on 2001 Dodge Grand
Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country models.
Full-featured overhead systems from the supplier also will be featured on
all 2001 Dodge Caravan, Chrysler Town & Country and Plymouth Voyager minivans
as standard equipment.
"We're proud to add consumer-focused innovation and value for
DaimlerChrysler as it gears up to extend its industry leadership in the
minivan market," said Jeff Williams, vice president of the DaimlerChrysler
business unit of Johnson Controls.
The pop-up rear cargo organizer is the first system of its kind to be
offered in a minivan, and by DaimlerChrysler. It can be used to safely haul
and store everything from groceries and baby strollers to sports gear and
plywood sheets.
Johnson Controls' overhead system for the new minivan also represents an
industry "first." It is the first system of its kind for DaimlerChrysler
minivans that is installed on the assembly line in one step, as a fully
integrated module. Previous overhead systems required separate installation
processes for a variety of individual components.
The rear cargo organizer -- located behind the third-row seat -- offers an
innovative, height-adjustable storage shelf. It can be set up to provide a
storage bin with two folding dividers, and has the capacity to hold six
grocery bags, along with other cargo. The system can be positioned at floor
level, or raised to a mid-level setting, where it becomes a load-bearing shelf
with ample room underneath for strollers and golf clubs. When aligned with
fold-down seat backs, the device creates a continuous load floor that can
accommodate larger items, including 4-by-8-foot plywood sheets.
Johnson Controls is the industry's leading supplier of overhead consoles
and systems, and the overhead system for DaimlerChrysler's new minivans
reflects the company's outstanding design and engineering capabilities. It
includes a headliner with an integrated overhead console, along with sun
visors, grab handles, lighting and a storage area for small electronic devices
or sunglasses. The overhead system also features controls for the minivan's
power sliding doors; an overhead rear climate-control module with separate
temperature controls for rear passengers; and the HomeLink(R) Universal
Transceiver from Johnson Controls.
HomeLink -- one of Johnson Controls' most successful brand-name products
-- can be used to remotely operate garage doors, estate gates, locks, home
security and lighting systems, and other convenience and safety devices.
To support DaimlerChrysler's newest generation of minivans, Johnson
Controls is adding production and service capacity in both Canada and the
United States. Johnson Controls is ramping up for production launches at two
new manufacturing plants -- a 177,000-square-foot facility in Tecumseh,
Ontario, Canada -- and a 50,000-square-foot operation in Earth City, Missouri.
The supplier also is opening a 36,000-square-foot "sequencing" facility in
Fenton, Missouri, where workers will place products -- prior to being shipped
to DaimlerChrysler -- in the exact order in which they will be used on the
automaker's assembly lines.
Several Johnson Controls facilities in Holland, Michigan are serving as
sub-suppliers of components for the minivan overhead systems.
At the official launch of production in early October, the Tecumseh plant
will employ 200 people, the Earth City site will have 100 workers, and
15 employees will work at the Fenton site. Tecumseh has the capacity to supply
interior systems for approximately 350,000 minivans annually. The Earth City
plant is expected to supply overhead systems and rear cargo organizers for
250,000 minivans annually.
The three new facilities are located near the DaimlerChrysler assembly
plants that handle minivan production. The automaker builds its minivans for
North America at plants in St. Louis, Missouri and Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
Early next year, Johnson Controls will begin producing interior systems at
its Graz, Austria plant for DaimlerChrysler minivans assembled in that nation
for the European market.
The Plymouth, Michigan-based automotive business of Johnson Controls --
which employs more than 65,000 people at 275 facilities worldwide -- achieved
US$12.1 billion in sales for the 1999 fiscal year. In model-year 2000, it will
supply interior products for more than 23 million vehicles.