Peterbilt celebrates 25 years of truck production at Texas plant
DENTON, Tex. — Peterbilt is celebrating the 25th anniversary of truck production at its Denton, Tex. assembly plant.
The first truck to roll off the line there was a 1980 white Model 359. Since then, more than 238,000 trucks have been produced there, the company says.
"The tools and technologies used to build the trucks, the logistics, the capacity and efficiency, have all dramatically improved through the years," says Dan Sobic, Peterbilt general manager and PACCAR vice-president. "And these will continue to change and improve in the years ahead. What remains constant is the dedication and craftsmanship of the employees, the pride and quality that goes into every vehicle. There is a significant responsibility behind every truck bearing the Peterbilt logo historic expectations of performance, reliability and customer satisfaction and Peterbilt’s Denton manufacturing facility has helped fulfill and further each of those obligations."
The Denton plant originally only produced the Pete 359 with an average of 15 units per month rolling off the line. Now, all seven Peterbilt heavy-duty truck models are built there.
"The success of the Denton plant rests heavily on its versatility and adaptability," says Dana Edwards, assistant general manager of operations. "Peterbilt is not building the same trucks as it was 25 years ago and the way it manufactures trucks is not the same as it was 25 years ago. Just as the product line evolves, so have the methods for producing it."
Peterbilt recently celebrated the anniversary by throwing a bash attended by about 2,000 people, including members of the original 81-person startup team.
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