Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-05-13
Another Gigantic Factory
Building For Overlands

The completion OF another big fac
tory structure at the plant OF the
Willys-overland Company this week
gives the Toledo automobile manufac-
turers an additional SOC, 900 square feet
of floor space available for immediate
use. This new unit of the Overland
Will be occupied at once by various de-
partments of the factory proper which
in the past few months have outgrown
their old quarters.
The building, known as No. 80, Is
hve stories high, built OF reinforced
concrete throughout and Is one of the
largest or the many new structures
erected by the Overland Company. The
entire amount of space will be given
over to the manufacture of closed cars.
branch of the business which in the
past year has developed beyond all ex-
pectattons of Overland officials.
Heretofore, the demand for motor
cars has been confined almost exclusive
ly TO the open body types and every
new addition to the big Toledo plant
has been utilized for the manufacture
OF this style of car. But during the
past season the demand for closed cars
for all year driving has shown a re-
markable increase, and immediate steps
had to be taken to provide adequate
facilities for their manufacture.
The first and second floors of the
new structure will be used for final
testing, the third floor for assembling
of parts, and the fourth floor for trim
ming and painting of closed cars. The
NTH floor will be used by the top and
trimming departments and 700 power
machines for sewing and stitching pur-
poses already have been installed there.
This is the only department in the en-
tire Overland plant, outside of the ad-
ministration Offices, where women will
be employed. a restaurant and rest
room has been provided for them and
this together with the fact that the
top floor is equipped with every mod
ern convenience in the way of heating,
lighting and ventilation will give the
500 women employed there advantages
equal to those now enjoyed by the
girls in the offices.
Some idea of the mammoth size of
the building can be gained by compar-
ing ii with the area covered by an
average city block which in most in
stances is about two and one-half
acres. The floor space area of the new
overland structure amounts to nearly
twelve acres, which means that IL 1t
were spread over section of a city 1T
would cover nearly five full blocks.
Startling as are these figures, they
lose themselves when compared with
the size of the entire Overland plant
which is the largest in the world de-
voted exclusively to the manufacture
of medium and high priced cars. These
factory buildings combined have an ag-
gregate of 4,4S6,6S0 square feet of floor
space. or 103 acres. If spread over A
section of city, this immense area
of floor space would cover territory
greater than that occupied by Al city
blocks.
When John n. Willys. president of
the company. decided to increase the
facilities of the plant to
the point where it would be possible to
build 1000 motorcars a day, he mapped
out building program that would |
add twenty-five acres of floor space to |
the factory. That was less than year
ago and to-day the new factory addi- !
lions are almost completed. Shipments |
at the present time average nearly 900 |
cars per day. and this will be increased |
TO 1000 cars when the last of the new
are completed and in opera
lion.