Union City - Workhorse Factory Tour

DriVer · 06-08-2005, 02:12 PM

Welcome to the Union City, IN & OH

This past Monday the 6th of June was a promising to be one of the warmest days since 1993 I understand and it did not disappoint with temperatures up in the 90s. Humidity being low to moderate on that day made it tolerable. Going on into the afternoon however was a different thing altogether we got to witness first hand what the weathermen call a severe thunderstorm as a cold front swung through the area. Traveling on the Stateline Road south out of Union City we were following the torrents and dark clouds quite clearly over the farmlands of Darke County. The interesting part about this event is that it was very short lived. It was something like flash, bang, pour, done! The entire storm only dumped 3/8s of an inch of rain over the area. Not much to make a difference since this area is really dry; they need a lot more rain than that.

I arrived at the plant at 9:00am and met my contact person there and we each took a pair of the required safety glasses and made out way out to the chassis plant building. Workhorse begins their Virtual Tour presentation with this paragraph.

The Home of Union City Body Company & Workhorse Custom Chassis

Let's begin our tour with a brief overview. The Union City facility is a 200,000 square foot building devoted to the assembly of Workhorse Custom Chassis. Both the commercial and motor home chassis move through the assembly stages hanging from a monorail system in the shape of an elongated "S". As the chassis move along the monorail they pass by sub-assembly stations for axles, steering, engines and radiators.

I have enclosed a few photographs that I took outside of the production area since cameras are not allowed in on the production floor. WCC is no different that any other OEM, they just don't like photo graphs of current production lines and or techniques.

As I walked over to the station where the rails come into the plant the very first thing that impressed me was how quiet the plant is for this size of operation. There isn't a lot of banging, machinery noise or other noises that would grab your attention. Throughout the tour I was able to understand the plant manager without yelling back and forth.

Follow this Sign to the Main Gate

The rails come in from what is called the "Rivet Shop" . This is where the frame pieces and cross members come together to make up the basic shape of the frame. The frame pieces are set in a device that locates and holds all the components as they are being assembled assuring that the rails are perfectly square. When the rails leave the shop they are stacked upside down about 4 rails high. One thing that you can immediately relate to is the upward facing neoprene bumpers that you would normally see between your frame and the top of the leaf spring.

2 chains front and rear hold the chassis through its initial phase of assembly and it now begins moving non-stop on its journey to completion. Fittings are slid into place and other sub assemblies are mated to the chassis while in this configuration. Both front and rear axle assemblies with all the brake and steering components are installed on the chassis. The Stabil-Ride springs, Bilstein shock absorbers and the 2 ½" roll bars are also installed. A four head power wrench is slipped over the spring u-bolts and the nuts are torqued down to spec all in one quiet operation. The nuts are not zoomed into place but slowly are tightened down with each socket on the tool being able to determine its own torque so the end result is all the nuts are properly torqued in place in a single process.

The Foreground Picture is the plant Office. The Assembly Plant is Directly Behind the Office. (Taller Building)

Most of the drive shaft components and the exhaust system are installed and we begin to see the addition of electrical harnesses, hydraulic lines and fuel lines. Most of the sub assemblies come from next door from a company called PCI, Productive Concepts. The plumbing sub-assemblies and electrical bundles come preassembled and tested and ready for installation. As I said earlier the line is continuously moving so all these types of components are continuously brought in my tow motor on wheeled racks.

At this point there has been quite a lot of work accomplished and I took note of how clean the assembly floor was and that there weren't any waste bins or garbage cans full of stuff. Controlling every part of the manufacturing process including waste management adds both safety and efficiency for the workers on the line. The folks I met on the line were genuinely nice people and you can tell this right away by a firm handshake, and friendly greeting and a genuine look of pride in their face. The shift schedule at the plant is based on a 40 hour week 10 hours a day. It's great having 3 day weekends; I wish I had a job like that during my working years.

Next Door is Productive Concepts, Inc.

As the "S" assembly line continues it's now time to flip over the chassis. This is accomplished in one smooth movement and it's choreographed by a worker with a hoist control box and a special jig to facilitate the flip process. The chassis begins its tilt and roll over without unnecessary or exaggerated movements. At the apex of the roll or the 90? position the rail begins its downward movement and finally comes to a rest in its familiar configuration ready for the engine and transmission.

As the chassis continues along having reversed its direction and coming out of the 1st S turn, the engine and transmission are fitted to the chassis at the same time. When the chassis are making their way down the line you could see an 8.1 going into a rail with a T1000 and then right after it you can see an 8.1 going in with a 2100MH. The quickest way to tell the difference between a W-20/22 chassis and a W24 rail is to look at the calipers, the quad piston calipers have a gold tone finish on the outside of the caliper and the 20/22's calipers are black. On this line they can build anything they need for the day including a mix of P and W chassis and commercial chassis products for the sister company. It's a bit humorous seeing a long wheel base motorhome chassis moving along followed by a way shorter commercial chassis. The longest product they make on the line is the 242" wheelbase motorhome chassis.

After the engine and transmission are installed the vertical components are mounted on the front of the chassis that hold the radiator, condenser and other components on the front of the chassis. A temporary gas tank is mounted and a battery is installed on the top of the rail and temporarily tied into the electrical system and starter. The ABS computer, the brake lines are secured and the chassis moves along to the fluids station At this point all the fluids are added, the exhaust system is completed, the drive shaft is all in place. Shortly after this process the chassis rolls through is 2nd and last "S" turn. The ECM is flashed with critical information about the chassis' engine and transmission configuration as it now gets ready to come to life for the first time as a working vehicle. The chassis' sneakers and when ordered the optional Alcoa wheels are mounted from a tire magazine that is sequenced for the chassis coming down the line. Everything on this line is sequenced and just in time. For the first time the chassis rolls on past additional equipment fitting stations on its own. Workers located in a pit complete the installation of several systems and check components as the chassis rolls along. Shortly after this station the vehicle is complete and it's disconnected from the monorail.

The Pre-Delivery Inspection Center

One of the final stages in the chassis production is the initial vehicle start-up. There a line worker has an electronic hand held meter that is plugged into the diagnostic port. The meter scans all the systems and on-board computers for the proper programming codes and specification information and that the wiring harness is connected and all systems report ready. A temporary seat is fitted to the chassis so the chassis can be driven to other stations, the pre-delivery inspection center and shipping. Like a new baby, the engine is turned over for the first time and it fires up giving that all too familiar note from the exhaust system. The engine runs here for about 3 to 5 minutes. The initial alignment is set on the chassis before it goes to the dynamometer room. Once the chassis is admitted to the dyno room, a large door is closed behind the chassis and it is run under load. They check the drivetrain, the ABS brake system making sure each wheel is connected properly and that every system is functional for a period of time to make sure the chassis performs as expected.

Once the chassis clears the dyno room it's driven over to pre-delivery inspection center and it waits to be admitted to the final inspection facility. The pre-delivery has 12 bays and they pretty much keep up with production so the chassis flow from production to pre-delivery through to shipping without delay. In pre-delivery you will find highly trained chassis technicians that actually certify every single system on the chassis. If there are any problems with the chassis or systems that require adjustment or repair, it's accomplished in pre-delivery. If you look behind your front steel bumper on the right side facing the chassis you will see a little sticker on the back side that has the pre-delivery date and inspector's signature. From pre-delivery the chassis are run over to loading and they are parked behind a chain link fence waiting to be loaded.

Five W-Series Motorhome Chassis on their Way to an OEM – Could this be Your New Chassis?

From the Workhorse website; For the best way to see the new breed of Workhorse chassis, come to Union City, Indiana, and take the plant tour. You won't be disappointed. You can kick the tires, talk to our people and see exactly how your motor home chassis will be made.

There's a tour every Tuesday morning at 9:15 a.m., and all you have to do is sign up by 10:00 a.m. the Friday before. It's easy. Simply click on the "Tour Registration" link, or call 1-765-964-2284.

Plan on arriving at the plant early, at least by 9:00 a.m. on the Tuesday of your visit. We'll give you a visitor's pass, a pair of safety goggles and introduce you to your tour guide. Your guide will take you on a 45-60 minute journey through a facility we're very proud of.

Workhorse Custom Chassis Manufacturing Facilities
940 South State Route 32
Union City, IN 47390-8982

Union City is known for it's Vehicle Construction – I think this might be the Original Workhorse!!

Once you reach Union City, the Workhorse plant will be the large blue building on the north side of Highway 32. Just enter through the gate and follow the yellow and black signs to the parking area.

Thank you for reading this article and if you have any questions please let me know.

Following on this article I will offer a detailed review of the R-Series production facilities in Hagerstown, IN.

DriVer · 06-08-2005, 02:12 PM