The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1935-04-26
CHEVROLET ASSEMBLY PLANT
AT BALTIMORE

The Chevrolet Motor Company'g
80, O0O-car-a-year assembly plant at
Baltimore, Md, was formally opened
April 9, and is now producing both
passenger cars and trucks.
The City of Baltimore virtually
made civic holiday of the date, to
celebrate the addition to its varied
industries of its first automobile
plant, and to welcome formally the
representatives of the General Mo-
tors Corporation and Chevrolet
Motor Company who attended the
opening ceremonies. Official procla-
nation by the Governor of Maryland
and by the Mayor Of Baltimore well
coined the automobile officials to the
State and to the City. After the
flag raising at the new plant, and the
inspection of the new buildings and
equipment, a formal banquet was
given by the Association of Com
merce in honor of General Motors
and Chevrolet visitors. The speak
ers included Governor Harry w. Nice
of Maryland, Mayor Howard w.
Jackson of Baltimore, Alfred p.
Sloan, Jr., President and w. s.
Knudsen, Executive Vice President
of Genearl Motors; M. E. Coyle,
President and General Manager Of
Chevrolet, and Adam j. Hazle.t,
President Association of Commerce.
In its structural design, its lay
out, mechanical equipment and pro-
cesses, the Baltimore plant may be
looked upon as an exposition of five
years progress in automo:ive manu-
featuring methods, since it is the in
dustry's first major building devel-
opment since 1929. Chevrolet engi-
neers and production authorities
deem the new plant che most efficient
in the industry, but freely give the
credit to the many new developments
in machinery and equipment that
were available for the first time for
use in planning a complete assembly
plant.
However, even If the plant could
boast none of its many equipment
features that are to be found mo-
where else, it still would represen:
marked advance over any of the nine
earlier Chevrolet plants, because it
was planned by the same veteran
staff of Chevrolet experts who had
built the others, and who therefore
were enabled to create at Baltimore
tenth structure incorporating the
cumulative benefits of many years in
both planning and operating plants
of similar specialized service. This
experience was especially valuable in
the design of the main assembly
building, whose structural layout in
cludes many innovations. Here for
the first time utilization is made of
overhead galleries (served by con-
veyors) either for the storage Of ma
terials to be fed continuously to sub
assembly lines Immediately below
them, or for the final operations on
bodies preliminary to mounting them
on chassis.
Though correctly called an assem-
bly, plant, the Baltimore operation is
more than the name implies, for it is
designed not alone for fitting togeth-
er the component: units that comprise
complete automobiles, but to perform
scores of preliminary and finishing
operations that come under the head
of manufacturing.
Visitors will enter the plant by the
two-story administration building
(50x242), facing Camp Holabird ON
Broening Highway. Immediately
back of the administration building
lies the main shop, 900 feet wide,
and running $50 feet toward the
west. One-third of this building,
on the south side, is the Fisher Body
plant, separated by brick partition
from the Chevrolet side except for
the portal by which bodies roll on
conveyors to the car assembly plant.
Farther west are the car condi-
tioning shop, 80x245 feet, where cars
fresh from the assembly line are
given their final tune-up and inspec-
ton preliminary to shipping, ready
for delivery by dealers TO their pur-
chasers; loading dock, 50x315
feet, and a powerhouse, 50x90 feet,
above which rises a 260-foot smoke
stack that already is established as
new landmark in the Holabird
district