Report: Western Star’s South Carolina plant to be mothballed
PORTLAND, Ore. (Oct. 10, 2000) — Freightliner Corp. plans to shutter the North Charleston, S.C., plant opened last year by its Western Star subsidiary.
The closure will take effect Dec. 11, according to an Associated Press report. The plant was closed for several weeks in early August when Western Star cited slow sales for class-8 trucks.
“It will be closed down and mothballed until the market picks up and we need the capacity again or when we find a different product to build in that plant,” said Freightliner spokeswoman Debi Nicholson.
Freightliner, North America’s largest producer of heavy trucks, is predicting a 25% downturn in class-8 truck sales in 2001. It acquired the plant in September when it bought Western Star, which operates a plant at its headquarters in Kelowna, B.C.
The plant was designed to produce up to 20,000 trucks per year and employ 400 people.
Have your say
This is a moderated forum. Comments will no longer be published unless they are accompanied by a first and last name and a verifiable email address. (Today's Trucking will not publish or share the email address.) Profane language and content deemed to be libelous, racist, or threatening in nature will not be published under any circumstances.