Kenworth Truck Company announced Monday its truck assembly plant in Chillicothe, Ohio is celebrating 50 years of building the World’s Best trucks. The plant officially opened on March 4, 1974, and the plant’s first truck – a Kenworth W900 – rolled off the assembly line a day later.
Since then, Kenworth Chillicothe plant employees have produced more than 782,000 trucks in alignment with the company’s core values of quality, innovation and state-of-the-art technology. The plant employs approximately 2,500 people, one of the largest employers in Ross County (where Chillicothe resides), and is Kenworth’s largest manufacturing facility, the company says.
“Chillicothe is a great place for Kenworth to build trucks because it is close to our customers, suppliers and, of course, a community of highly skilled employees we are fortunate to call our Kenworth family,” says Jim Walenczak, Kenworth general manager and Paccar vice president. “Today we celebrate 50 years of innovation in Chillicothe, community involvement in Ross County and The World’s Best employees. This milestone is a testament to the dedication of our incredible workforce – both past and present – and Kenworth’s commitment to continued growth in Chillicothe.”
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The Kenworth Chillicothe plant is located on a 120-acre site 50 miles south of Columbus, Ohio. Since 2018, Kenworth has invested $300 million in the 622,000-sq.-ft., facility that features advanced manufacturing technologies, including robotic assembly, and a state-of-the-art paint facility that utilizes the latest technology in the industry.
According to Doug VanZuiden, Kenworth Chillicothe plant manager, nearly 40% of its employees have worked at the plant for more than 15 years. “Our highly experienced, dedicated and long-term workforce is the secret to building a customer-oriented product and custom-engineered vehicle, and this team excels at building quality, pride and passion into The World’s Best trucks every day,” says VanZuiden.
Jeff Hougland, one of Kenworth Chillicothe’s longest-tenured employees, having joined the plant as a parts welder in 1975 said Kenworth’s decision to open a plant in Chillicothe positively impacted the community.
“When I first started working with Kenworth, the economy was in a recession and the unemployment rate was high. The opening of the Kenworth Chillicothe plant in ’74 served as a lifeline for many in our community seeking employment opportunities,” says Hougland. “Over the years as the plant has increased its operational footprint to meet demand through expansion projects, like our new paint facility, additional well-paying job opportunities have followed. I’ve worked with a lot of great people throughout my career here and am proud to help build the best trucks out there.”
