Employees at the Freightliner Custom Chassis plant prepare to flip a truck chassis as it makes its way down the assembly line. The product begins its journey upside down to make it easier to attach axles and other parts. Ledger Staff Writer

scottb@gaffneyledger.com

Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC) set up shop in Cherokee County 10 years ago, and they’re still ahead of the game - urging others to ‘Follow the Leader.’

“We have four products that we make here at the moment,” said Missy Grey, marketing manager for the plant. “They are the chassis for motor homes, shuttle buses, walk-in van units, and school buses.”

Omar Ford assembles a small ‘Sprinter’ van as part of the newest expansion at the Freightliner Custom Chassis plant. Ten years ago the facility at 552 Hyatt Street was an Oshkosh Truck Plant, but today it employs 900 workers and plans to add another 100 jobs by the end of the year when the company opens their newest expansion, a service center located at Highway 11 and Interstate 85.

The Freightliner service and training center will be the first building on the 62-acre Spartanburg Technical College Cherokee County Campus.

“We are pleased to join with Spartanburg Technical College in support of the vital plan to bring education and training to the residents of Cherokee County,” said Jack Conlan, who was recently promoted from FCCC President in Gaffney to senior vice president of customer support for the Freightliner Group.

The new 12,000 square foot facility will have six service bays to accommodate more customers and minimize waiting periods. Parking for 12 to 15 motor homes will be available for overnight customers. The service center will include water and sewer hookups and Internet access for travelers with laptops.

“This new facility underscores our leadership in the chassis business and our strong and still growing presence in the Gaffney and Spartanburg area,” FCCC President Reid Bigland said. “Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation has achieved great things over our first 10 years, but the best is yet to come.”

Currently, the Gaffney facility has the capacity to service four motor homes at a time, and demand is booming.

“I think we’re booked up solid through the third week in July,” said John Claterbos, who manages the service bay on Hyatt Street. “We perform warranty repairs on all of our Recreational Vehicles (RVs) and we also do oil changes, filter changes and do repair work as well. And if they are out of warranty, we’ll still make the repairs. We fix bad alternators, bad starters - all kinds of things.”

Contrary to popular misconception, summer is a slow season for the service center. “This is actually slowed down from about 2 months ago,” said Dave Shears who works with Claterbos. And because of the work of Mike Cody, the new RV owners can more easily understand the huge tome of a manual that comes with it.

“I’m the guy that goes out to our dealers and body-builders and explains the new units,” said Cody. Although a nine and a half year veteran for the company, he’s only been doing his current job since April. “I am constantly moving up and improving. I’m a real success story here and this company is the best thing that has ever happened to me. My grandfather told me that if you find a job you love, you’ll never feel like you have to go to work again, and that’s what it’s like for me. Basically, I’m out there making sure owners and mechanics and dealers and everyone is on the same page when it comes to our RVs - nobody’s out there comparing apples to oranges.”

But the RV side is only part of the operation. According to the company’s website, FCCC produces more than 100 chassis each day. “It’s hard to believe that they begin as just a couple beams,” Grey said. “The beams are connected, and the chassis actually starts on the line upside down. It is easier to attach all the pieces that way.”

Axles, engines, steering mechanisms - all are added to the chassis as it makes its way down the assembly line. Until finally, the product is driven out of the factory “And eventually they become a chassis waiting for a body,” Grey said.

The waiting is sometimes the part most Gaffney residents are familiar with, as the yard and parking lots at the plant are often lined with what look like halfway finished buses and vans.

“Sometimes those you see out there are just waiting to be delivered,” Grey explained. “Other times they are waiting on a particular part to be made available so they can be finished. We do try and get all of our parts as locally as we can. Freightliner wants to bring business back to South Carolina so we buy tires from Michelin and engines from CAT - anytime we can we buy our supplies locally.”

Now that the business is a subsidiary of Daimler-Chrysler, they also offer Mercedes engines in the vehicles they build.

“Doing business in Cherokee County has been a great help for our company,” Grey added. “The infrastructure here is always up to what we need and being this close to I-85 is perfect for our RV shop and delivering our product. Of course we have the area for customers to park and hook up their vehicles, but we also often have dealer meetings here because of the location.”

The groundbreaking at the STC campus facility also served as the official ten-year anniversary for FCCC in Gaffney, and they’re still leading the way.