Top Plant means more than just a place where things are manufactured well. A true Top Plant takes all of the innovation available today — mechanical and human — and brings it together to build products efficiently, productively and safely. It brings together the best of man and machine to support not just its workers, but the community in which they live and work.

DaimlerChrysler’s Belvidere, IL facility is an outstanding example of how manufacturing can continue to grow and thrive even in a time of change. Belvidere has traditionally been the place where Chrysler takes some of its most important automotive challenges — from the Plymouth Fury in the 1960s to the Dodge Neon in the 1990s — and next, the Dodge Caliber although introduced in early 2006, the Caliber is for the 2007 model year.

In implementing a team-based culture, the workers at Belvidere began to write a whole new history about how their plant was to work together, and the responsibilities of each employee in that process. The result? Belvidere is ready to get the first Caliber off the assembly line just eight weeks after stopping production of the Neon.

Their approach to building a team environment where great things can happen in the midst of change, is just one reason why the Belvidere facility was selected this year’s PLANT ENGINEERING Top Plant recipient. The corporate commitment to safety is demonstrated in Chrysler receiving the National Safety Council’s Green Cross for Safety award in 2004. The workers have a strong community spirit, giving back to Belvidere and the surrounding region in many important ways.

Chrysler hopes the Caliber is its next success story. For more than 40 years, Belvidere has been the place where success begins, and continues to this day. Congratulations to the workers at DaimlerChrysler’s Belvidere facility — the 2005 Top Plant. They will be honored at a dinner on Monday, March 20 at the Doubletree Hotel in Rosemont, IL at an event sponsored by PLANT ENGINEERING magazine.

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