Chrysler could put some office workers in Detroit.

[brizee]

http://detnews.com/article/20111206/...-Dime-Building

Story doesn't involve violence, poverty or blight, so of course i didn't see it on the first page.

Lock if old.

[gameguy56]

It's a real shame they moved out of Highland Park and let the city just fall apart. Terrible corporate leadership.

[Hypestyles]

Too bad they won't likely move from Auburn Hills anytime soon... I'd like to see them relocate downtown or midtown.

[animatedmartian]

Too bad they won't likely move from Auburn Hills anytime soon... I'd like to see them relocate downtown or midtown.

Yea it's very unlikely.

That HQ complex is actually the same size as the Ren Cen. I couldn't imagine the hassle it'd be for them trying to find a space large enough for something of similar size and scale. I also don't think most people would be in favor of another super block to break up the grid downtown. So it's nice that they at least have some office presence within the city.

[Dexlin]

It really isn't as crazy or unlikely as it sounds.

Their actual footprint had become so small at their Auburn Hills HQ a few years back that they seriously considered unloading it. Even with their resurgence, they won't be the same size or scope they were when the AH HQs were built any time soon. Since they own the place, it doesn't make much sense to leave, but they are only using a fraction of that complex, from what I hear, and though the complex may physically be as large as the RenCen office towers [[is it?), there is no way they had as many white collar workers there as GM has at the RenCen. So it's not like they are too big to fill some empty office space closer to the center of the metro.

In my own dream, they'd move their corporate offices and maybe some R&D offices back to HP, keep all of the testing facilities and such out at the HQ, and lease out the rest of the space in the HQ to other folks.

[DetroitScooter]

The Auburn Hills complex is full to the brim and I think that they are converting non-work areas to cubes. They are also stepping up their local-area leasing activities as well, apparently. Busy times for the workers out there.

[Hermod]

The Auburn Hills complex is full to the brim and I think that they are converting non-work areas to cubes. They are also stepping up their local-area leasing activities as well, apparently. Busy times for the workers out there.

Plus Auburn Hills is a much easier commute from Bloomfield Hills or Rochester Hills.

[bartock]

The Auburn Hills complex is full to the brim and I think that they are converting non-work areas to cubes. They are also stepping up their local-area leasing activities as well, apparently. Busy times for the workers out there.

This is good news.

So is the thread topic. This apparently means there are MORE JOBS, not the usual musical chair stuff.

[Scottathew]

It's nice to see more jobs downtown!

[rbdetsport]

Did anyone else find this quote really funny, yet sad...?

"The Chrysler workers would join a surge of new activity in the central business district, which is bordered by freeways on three sides and the Detroit River on the other."

[DetroitPlanner]

Auburn Hills is much more than an HQ. It is also Chrysler's Technical Center. In fact they can even build limited run vehicles there. They use it as a staging area to work the bugs out of production before they shut down factories when they have major model changeovers. You can't do that work in a high rise. There was a reason why they went from several floor factories to one floor ones 60 years ago. Its much more efficient for production. For land use? Not so much.

[DetroitUA]

Now if Gilbert can get them to give incentives for their workers to live downtown.

[Ltdave]

The Auburn Hills complex is full to the brim and I think that they are converting non-work areas to cubes.

not sure where you got THIS information, i have several good friends in local 212 [[pilot operations) and local 412 [[the majority of the hourly out there) and theyve told me there are COMPLETE FLOORS that are shut down...

im going to double check but i think theyre almost empty out in auburn hills...

[Huggybear]

I thought it was bordered on three sides by Midtown.

Did anyone else find this quote really funny, yet sad...?

"The Chrysler workers would join a surge of new activity in the central business district, which is bordered by freeways on three sides and the Detroit River on the other."

[Big Dog]

HQ was antiquated and completely outdated, Definitely not condusive to be representing a viable, and profitable corporate headquarters. I seriously doubt that any suitors, like Diamler or Fiat, would have considered merging with Chrysler, with the HQ facilities.

[detroitsgwenivere]

I thought it was bordered on three sides by Midtown.

Really? [[Just askin)

[animatedmartian]

Auburn Hills is much more than an HQ. It is also Chrysler's Technical Center. In fact they can even build limited run vehicles there. They use it as a staging area to work the bugs out of production before they shut down factories when they have major model changeovers. You can't do that work in a high rise. There was a reason why they went from several floor factories to one floor ones 60 years ago. Its much more efficient for production. For land use? Not so much.

That makes sense. So it's a lot more like GM's tech center but just in one building? Then the test track behind the complex makes sense. But if that's the case, couldn't they just tear down the high rise portion and build it downtown? [[I know that sounds sort of absurd but then again, I'm unsure) Or is it more about having the products closer to the central offices?

[Richard]

That makes sense. So it's a lot more like GM's tech center but just in one building? Then the test track behind the complex makes sense. But if that's the case, couldn't they just tear down the high rise portion and build it downtown? [[I know that sounds sort of absurd but then again, I'm unsure) Or is it more about having the products closer to the central offices?

With the internet they can send info easier then back in the day .maybe one reason.

[Planner3357]

I have seen a lot more business out of Chrysler at the docks lately. So much so that we have recently added a couple new shifts. I work for a rail road and much of our business is moving Chrysler multi-levels. As Chrysler goes, we go.

[Dexlin]

not sure where you got THIS information, i have several good friends in local 212 [[pilot operations) and local 412 [[the majority of the hourly out there) and theyve told me there are COMPLETE FLOORS that are shut down...

im going to double check but i think theyre almost empty out in auburn hills...

This is what I've been hearing. Again, the white collar workforce had been reduced to such a level that the place was more than 50% empty during the restructuring of the industry. Of course it has recovered, but I HIGHLY doubt they are even close to their peak workforce in the office tower portion. I'd hardly say the place is "filled to the brim." The only way that could even get close to happening over the next decade is if Fiat went full hog into the complex, which they've not done up to this point.

[Huggybear]

That was a joke based on the constant gerrymandering of "Midtown."

Really? [[Just askin)

[ndavies]

With the internet they can send info easier then back in the day .maybe one reason.

Last time I checked, It was still impossible to send a vehicle through the internet. There is no way to replace the actual task of driving a preproduction vehicle with the internet. No CAD system in the world is good enough to give you the feel for driving that car.

With prototype cars costing close to $1M a pop, Not having to send people or vehicles across town saves a ton of money.

Chrysler's been on an engineering hiring spree. The tech center is full and they are converting non office space into engineering cubicles. They've even divided up manager cubicles to pack in more people. Don't forget they lost all that office and development space that used to be PROC. All those engineers and labs had to go somewhere even with all the cuts.

There may be empty space in the HQ tower, But according to my ex-work colleages the tech center is full.

[DetroitScooter]

not sure where you got THIS information, i have several good friends in local 212 [[pilot operations) and local 412 [[the majority of the hourly out there) and theyve told me there are COMPLETE FLOORS that are shut down...

im going to double check but i think theyre almost empty out in auburn hills...

From calling on them for business... which is booming and we like it very much. Parking lot is packed vendors for sure. I've not been to every floor in the tower, but I've seen a few of 'em and they are getting pretty crowded.

[Orthophonic]

Let me get my negative reactions out of the way first - Chrysler, after having abandoned HP in the '80s for the land of milk and honey [[oh, and short commutes for its execs who didn't want to drive from OC to HP), and after having abandoned its engineering development presence on the west side [[1920s-era ex-AMC HQ turned Jeep/Truck engineering facility on Plymouth Rd., or PROC), and after having abandoned numerous other facilities [[Detroit Axle closed in favor of replacement plant in Marysville, Outer Drive plant closed, Conner Assembly closed, etc.) is going for PR in placing 100 or so workers in a Dan Gilbert-owned building downtown. I picture happy pentastar-eyed elves tipping their elf hats to each other as they putter about the bright, shiny, video-friendly and ultimately meaningless "presence" downtown. I really liked the "imported from Detroit" ad from the Super Bowl, though I wish it featured a better car, like the new Grand Cherokee. I think Eminem's 200 has already been recalled 3 or 4 times. Are there any CPJ dealers still in Detroit? I guess Ray Laethem counts, sort of, even though they advertise themselves as being at "18001 Mack Avenue, Grosse Pointe-Detroit, MI" [[yes, I understand that is a dealer independent of the corporation, but the corp decides where to support the dealers and where to withdraw support.) The big problem with the Super Bowl ad is that, other than the Jefferson North plant, Chrysler has for the most part removed any significant presence from the city. And I don't see how they are now or in the forseeable future going to make any serious effort to return. Whether it is the "right" thing to do or not is subordinate to whether it makes financial sense, and since they have chosen to spend the money to move, it would be pretty expensive to move yet again.

[[Gloomy clouds arrive, blotting out the sun. Another Michigan Central redevelopment scheme goes up in smoke. Banksy seeks corporate sponsorship for further Packard plant graffiti.)

With that out of the way, I think it is only good for the city for major corporations to choose to be present. To the extent that Gilbert can directly or indirectly guilt Chrysler into backing up its pro-Detroit ad campaign, great. I would love to be an out of town visitor to Chrysler and have a good business reason to stay at the Book Cadillac. Kid Rock in recent times has done more net practical good for Detroit than Chrysler has, though I am not a fan of his music, and I don't really like having my kids listening to ads for American Badass Beer during Lions games on the radio! But his heart is in the right place. And I must say that somebody's heart at Chrysler is in the right place if they are going to the trouble of moving some sort of operation there. I for one am all for them setting up a new operation in the city, particularly if it will be used as an initial beachhead for further expansion. Typically they have been the most nimble of the Big 3 and can be leaders because of that.

As far as AH goes, the actual headquarters is the tallish 15-or-so story building easily visible from I-75. The technical center is the lower profile complex behind it. There is a lot of infrastructure there that would not easily be moved even if they wanted to. Although there is a small test track there, substantial road development/durability work goes on at the proving ground in Chelsea.

[Gistok]

Orthophonic,

I can't really argue with much of what you said... however... here is a 2010 DEGC list of the 20 largest employers IN the city of Detroit [[it's source is the 2010 Crain's list with 2008 Detroit employees list??)...

http://www.degc.org/major-employers.aspx

Well after getting a good sobering up about what is happening with the first 2 entries at the top of the list, a few items do come clear...
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1) Chrysler is just behind GM.... marginally in number of employees in Detroit. So while I agree with your general assessment... GM and especially Ford don't have that many of their total employees in Detroit either. When GM took over the RenCen... it sent the last 1,700 Ford employees in Detroit packing for Dearborn. Ford is Wayne County's largest employee, and yet has no presence in Detroit. In my book that's a bigger beef than Chrysler. Granted Ford never did have a large presence in the city...

And GM... with a presence in the Poletown plant... just how few employees does GM have at the RenCen? The 4 main towers can hold 10,000 workers.... just what count is in those 4 towers now? Do they have that many contract workers? If so, it could add a few thousand to GM's totals... but I'm still puzzled by such a small count??

2) Looks like the number of bank employees in Detroit has really taken a hit in the last 15 years. I remember when NBD had a full tower [[now Chase Tower), and Manufacturers had the entire 100 Tower at RenCen, and Comerica had 211 W. Fort Tower. Now all of Comerica is down to 1,700... and that's why they're moving to the smaller 411 W. Fort.

3) Remember when those 11,000 casino jobs were promised for Detroit by the 3 winning bidders.... well now we're at [[2010).... 3000 + 2425 + 1800 = 7,625 total, that's 2/3 of what was promised. Gotta love those promises...

4) We're no longer the Motor City... we're the Health Care City.... with about 23,000 jobs in town between DMC, Henry Ford and St. John plus indirectly whatever the current count is for BCBS.
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So while I agree that the Chrysler beef is legitimate... it's just one of several beefs with Detroit employers [[or lack thereof)....