10-4 Magazine August 2023

Truck Show Report: By Frank Strohmyer In 1923 Harry Kent and Edgar Worthington got together to tackle what many thought an unsolvable problem – to help the loggers of the Pacific Northwest as they struggled to haul heavy loads down tight, rugged, and muddy logging roads. By walking in those logger’s muddy boots and driving those slippery, winding mountain roads, they produced a truck as rugged and dependable as the loggers themselves. January 22, 1923, at 9:04 AM, Kenworth Motor Company was incorporated. Harry Kent and Edgar Worthington, the principal stockholders, combined their names to create the name Kenworth. The first Kenworth trucks rolled off the line in March of 1923. Kenworth has been innovating to solve their customer’s biggest transportation challenges ever since, and 100 long years later, they’re still trucking. Skipping to the early 1970s, truck production kept increasing, which forced the need for a new plant to be built in Chillicothe, Ohio. Opening in 1974, the first Kenworth rolled off the Chillicothe assembly line on March 4. Building less than 20 trucks a day, the cabs were trimmed in the Seattle area and then shipped by rail car to Chillicothe. As production ramped up, the Chillicothe plant’s employees eventually began making and trimming the cabs on site. The Kenworth Chillicothe plant is located on a 120-acre site that is 50 miles south of Columbus, Ohio. The plant is 622,000 sq. ft. and features advanced manufacturing technologies, including robotic assembly, and a state-of-the-art paint facility. When the T2000 model was introduced, new materials such as boron fiber structural members for the cab were used and new manufacturing methods were utilized, including the use of robots. Kenworth began a year-long job of building the specialized tooling and assembly systems needed to make these new trucks. Chillicothe was the only plant to build the T2000 – they started off building 20 trucks a day, but later were able to build 46 trucks during each single shift, mainly due to their unique application of robots. Currently, the Chillicothe plant is building around 174 trucks a day (87 trucks per shift). Generally, it takes 8-10 hours to assemble a truck. Their goal is to build 200 trucks a day. One of their slowdowns is painting the chassis and then waiting the twenty minutes it takes to dry. Kenworth still manufactures their own fuel tanks inside the plant, right next to the assembly line, and it takes an entire truckload of freight to build one truck. To keep production moving, it takes 200 trucks, filled with the freight needed to build the Kenworth trucks, to deliver every day to the plant. To celebrate Kenworth’s 100-year milestone, the company hosted an event billed “The World’s Best Truck Parade 2023” on June 16-17, 2023. This is only the second show held here in Chillicothe, as last year (2022) the company hosted its first-ever factory display at the plant, which featured about 50 invited trucks and a parade through town. But this year was really special, due to the fact that Kenworth has been building trucks since 1923. This company didn’t survive for 100 years by mistake! “After a very successful inaugural Kenworth truck parade last year, this year’s event was even bigger and better as we continue to celebrate Kenworth’s 100th anniversary,” said Jack Schmitt, Kenworth Chillicothe Assistant Plant Manager. He also stated that, “It was great to see trucks dating back to the 1920s when Kenworth first opened its doors and to see the latest models, many of which were built here in Chillicothe. The event would not have been possible without the engagement of the Kenworth Chillicothe planning team, the drivers who came from near and far to show off their rigs, and the city of Chillicothe for coming out and supporting the parade.” The 2023 Kenworth truck parade featured 50 trucks including both new and classic models, and some customized Kenworths, too. There was a truck from 1923 painted white with a red frame that was seen at the Kenworth booth at MATS this year. Trucks covering every decade were there, all in pristine condition, including Jay Van Kampen of Poquoson, VA and his very special 1976 Kenworth Bicentennial W900A (featured in our July 2023 edition last month). Dale Gonyo Sr. of Chazy, NY brought a 1985 Liberty Edition W900 with a 400 Cat hooked to a 13 speed, and Paul Reinbold of Lebanon, PA brought 54 10-4 Magazine / August 2023 CELEBRATING 100 YEARS