Stellantis’ Trenton Engine Complex in Michigan, which produces V-6 Pentastar engines for Ram, Chrysler, and Jeep, will close next week and workers will be temporarily laid off. The facility, with two shifts and over 600 employees, “will be closed next week to balance engine inventories,” said Stellantis spokesperson Jodi Tinson.
Stellantis halts Trenton plant: closure necessary to balance engine inventories
“Our engine inventory is a bit high right now,” said Dave Gerbi, president of United Auto Workers Local 372, which represents about 570 workers at the plant. The current inventory of finished engines ready to be installed in vehicles was about 20,700 this week.
The Trenton closure follows other temporary cuts to Stellantis plants or shifts that occurred this summer, including in Warren and Toledo, to help normalize inventory levels, as the company has had to deal with declining sales in the United States, which decreased by 16 percent in the first half of the year compared to 2023. A recent statistic indicates that the Fiat 500e and Dodge Hornet are among the slowest-selling Stellantis vehicles in the United States. However, Jeep and Ram vehicles are also present in the ranking.
Last week, Stellantis also announced layoffs at its Warren Truck Assembly Plant that could potentially impact 2,450 workers, although the company stated it could be fewer. The cut is scheduled for October and is due to the discontinuation of the Ram 1500 Classic. Trenton plant produces V-6 engines for the Ram Classic, Gerbi said, but the end of the pickup won’t have a big impact on the factory, whose workers knew that the end of the pickup’s production was approaching.
The bigger issue is Stellantis’ recent slow sales, Gerbi said. Trenton builds engines used for Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator, for example, and the Toledo Assembly Complex where those vehicles are made has faced intermittent temporary layoffs since last month in an attempt to align production with sales, which means more engines have accumulated in inventory.