Re: One Story Assembly Plant What If?

Posted by Steve203 On 2014/6/21 19:13:18

Since looking over the Packard side of the proposition, I have been looking at the Kaiser side, and got a surprise.

We have been working on the assumption that Willow Run had a significant stamping capacity. It did not.

I was reading "Kaiser-Frazer, The Last Onslaught on Detroit" and noticed a diagram of the plant layout after it was reorganized to accommodate C-119 production. I noticed how small ths area designated as the stamping plant was, and how large the area designated "stamping storage" was.

I figured there were only two reasons for having a lot of stampings in inventory: either they would set up the presses for a couple of parts and run off a couple week's supply, then change the dies and run off a couple week's supply of different parts, or they were still outsourcing many stampings. They were outsourcing.

In 50, Kaiser wanted to bring more stamping in house, but they didn't bring it into W-R. Kaiser built a stamping plant in Shadyside Ohio, equipping it with a mix of presses from government wartime stockpiles, and presses moved from W-R. In 52-53, the big presses that were producing the Kaiser floorpans and firewalls, among other parts, were in Shadyside. Shadyside stayed open until 57, supplying Kaiser construction after it moved to Toledo, then shipping to IKA until that company could find local stamping plants to support it.

W-R had a body assembly area, paint booths and ovens, but an insignificant stamping capacity by June 53. The plant had 1,000,000 sqft of free and clear space, where the C-119 line had been, in the high bay area of the plant, which could take as large a press as you could find. Problem is, Walter Grant's numbers said buying presses would not be cost effective unless production exceeded 200,000/yr. How much are we talking about? In "Last Onslaught" there were comments about presses costing $600,000 each. Then there is the cost to excavate below the floor of the plant and install footings to support the presses. How many presses to make everything in house? In a 1939 film about the Nash Milwaukee body plant, they mention that plant having 185 presses.

So even after coughing up $26M+ for W-R, Packard would still be outsourcing stampings. As Hudson production on Jefferson ended with the 54 model year, their body plant on Conner should have been available, but apparently when Packard approched AMC about supplying bodies, AMC was quoting producting and shipping from Milwaukee, which was prohibitively expensive. The Hudson body plant was sold to Cadillac in 56, and Caddy used it until Poletown opened.

So stamping supply would be a choice of Budd, if they had capacity available in the heat of the Chevy/Ford overproduction price war, or renting Conner from Chrysler.

Even if Nance and Co had thought about jumping on W-R in July 53, they would have rejected it as it still would not, in spite of the cost, solve their impending body supply problem.