Volvo Halifax Assembly
Encyclopedia
The Volvo Halifax Assembly Plant located in Halifax, Nova Scotia
was opened on 11 June 1963 by H.R.H Prince Bertil
. It was the only North American assembly plant Volvo
ever opened. Volvo decided to open to the plant to bypass hefty North American import tariffs on foreign goods and to capitalize on the newly signed Canadian/American Auto Pact
. The plant was operated by Volvo Canada Limited in Toronto, Ontario
and bridged the gap between Volvo of North America (Rockleigh, New Jersey
), Volvo headquarters and the flagship Torslanda
plant in Gothenburg
.
and then Volvo Kalmar Assembly
. In 1966, annual production totaled over 3,700 cars. Volvo 122 S
, 123 GT
and 122 B18
s were assembled in Halifax initially, the Volvo PV544 was introduced a year later. Halifax built 123 GT models like the 122 S were rebadged as "Canadian GT"s. Units produced at the plant typically came without auxiliary lights and had only one side view mirror
, but came with a limited-slip differential and hazard flashers. Halifax built Canadian GTs were available in colours such as light green (91), light blue (95), and dark blue (96) and are often seen with identification codes 5145 or 5324. For three years the plant operated out of a harbourfront facility (an old sugar processing plant) located on Halifax Harbour's Eastern Passage.
In 1967, the plant was moved to a newer 30000 square feet (2,787 m²) facility in Clayton Park, Nova Scotia
(Bayer’s Lake) which enabled production to exceed 8,000 cars per year. Cars were shipped from Sweden
in CKD form, then assembled at the facility. Production on average at the Dartmouth Plant was about 15 cars per day. At the new facility, production increased to over 36 cars a day. And, in 1974, production at the plant increased to more than 12,000 vehicles a year. In 1993, the plant celebrated its 30th anniversary. To mark the occasion 940
s built at the facility were affixed with a special roundel
affixed to the rear quarter window.
While the plant was very successful, on September 9, 1998 Volvo decided to close the Halifax plant and end its 225 jobs, citing globalization
and NAFTA as two of the reasons. The last Volvo
was built in Canada
on 18 December 1998. The Bayer's Lake plant building at 115 Chain Lake Drive still stands.
and the Canadian Auto Workers Union
. On 21 October 1998, thirty employees blockaded the plant after Volvo
refused to pay what the union considered adequate severance pay and retirement benefits to the plant's employees. After several days, Volvo
backed down and agreed to the union's payment specifications.
.
In 1969, roughly twenty Volvo bodies intended for the plant were dumped into the Bedford Basin
after incurring severe water damage in transit across the Atlantic Ocean
on a container ship.
In 1980, two Canadians broke the Guinness World
record for the fastest time around the world in a Halifax-built Volvo 245 DL nicknamed Red Cloud. Ken Langley and Gary Sowerby completed the feat in just 74 days, 1 hour and 11 minutes, smashing the previous record by over a month.
Shortly before the plant's closure, popular Canadian comedy/satire show This Hour Has 22 Minutes
and correspondent Mary Walsh filmed an entire segment at the plant.
The Canadian Museum of Science and Technology paid tribute to the plant by featuring a 1989 Volvo 740 GLE
that had been produced at that plant in a permanent exhibit entitled "The Quest in Search of the Canadian Car".
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
was opened on 11 June 1963 by H.R.H Prince Bertil
Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland
Prince Bertil of Sweden , Duke of Halland, was the third son of King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden and his first wife, Princess Margaret of Connaught.The prince was born at Stockholm...
. It was the only North American assembly plant Volvo
Volvo
AB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services...
ever opened. Volvo decided to open to the plant to bypass hefty North American import tariffs on foreign goods and to capitalize on the newly signed Canadian/American Auto Pact
Automotive Products Trade Agreement
The Canada—United States Automotive Products Agreement, commonly known as the Auto Pact or APTA, was an important trade agreement between Canada and the United States. It was signed by Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson and President Lyndon B...
. The plant was operated by Volvo Canada Limited in Toronto, Ontario
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and bridged the gap between Volvo of North America (Rockleigh, New Jersey
Rockleigh, New Jersey
Rockleigh is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 531.Rockleigh was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 13, 1923 from portions of Northvale.New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked...
), Volvo headquarters and the flagship Torslanda
Torslandaverken
The Torslanda Plant , is one of the largest production facilities of Volvo Cars and is located in Torslanda on the island of Hisingen, about 12 km north west of Gothenburg city centre. The plant turned 40 on April 24, 2004...
plant in Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
.
Halifax-Dartmouth and Bayer's Lake operations
The Halifax plant was unlike any other assembly plant Volvo was operating at the time. This was mainly due to the plants' trademark team system that assembled the entire vehicle at one station, which was extensively used later at Volvo Torslanda AssemblyTorslandaverken
The Torslanda Plant , is one of the largest production facilities of Volvo Cars and is located in Torslanda on the island of Hisingen, about 12 km north west of Gothenburg city centre. The plant turned 40 on April 24, 2004...
and then Volvo Kalmar Assembly
Volvo Kalmar Assembly
The Volvo Kalmar plant was opened in 1973 just outside Kalmar, Sweden. The Kalmar plant was one of the most revolutionary automotive production plants in the world. Using Volvo Halifax Assembly and Volvo Torslanda Assembly as examples the Kalmar plant also adopted the group assembly system.At...
. In 1966, annual production totaled over 3,700 cars. Volvo 122 S
Volvo Amazon
The Volvo Amazon was a mid-size car manufactured by Volvo Cars from 1956 to 1970, and introduced in the USA, as the 122S at the New York International Auto Show in April 1959....
, 123 GT
Volvo Amazon
The Volvo Amazon was a mid-size car manufactured by Volvo Cars from 1956 to 1970, and introduced in the USA, as the 122S at the New York International Auto Show in April 1959....
and 122 B18
Volvo Amazon
The Volvo Amazon was a mid-size car manufactured by Volvo Cars from 1956 to 1970, and introduced in the USA, as the 122S at the New York International Auto Show in April 1959....
s were assembled in Halifax initially, the Volvo PV544 was introduced a year later. Halifax built 123 GT models like the 122 S were rebadged as "Canadian GT"s. Units produced at the plant typically came without auxiliary lights and had only one side view mirror
Wing mirror
A wing mirror is a mirror found on the exterior of motor vehicles for the purposes of helping the driver see areas behind and to the sides of the vehicle, outside of the driver's peripheral vision .Although almost all modern cars mount their side mirrors on the doors, normally at the "A" pillar,...
, but came with a limited-slip differential and hazard flashers. Halifax built Canadian GTs were available in colours such as light green (91), light blue (95), and dark blue (96) and are often seen with identification codes 5145 or 5324. For three years the plant operated out of a harbourfront facility (an old sugar processing plant) located on Halifax Harbour's Eastern Passage.
In 1967, the plant was moved to a newer 30000 square feet (2,787 m²) facility in Clayton Park, Nova Scotia
Clayton Park, Nova Scotia
Clayton Park is a Canadian suburban development in Nova Scotia's Halifax Regional Municipality inside the city of Halifax.-Original development:...
(Bayer’s Lake) which enabled production to exceed 8,000 cars per year. Cars were shipped from Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
in CKD form, then assembled at the facility. Production on average at the Dartmouth Plant was about 15 cars per day. At the new facility, production increased to over 36 cars a day. And, in 1974, production at the plant increased to more than 12,000 vehicles a year. In 1993, the plant celebrated its 30th anniversary. To mark the occasion 940
Volvo 900 Series
The Volvo 900 series is a range of mid-size car that were manufactured by Volvo Cars from 1990 to 1998. The 900 series was introduced in 1990 to replace the 700 series from which it derived....
s built at the facility were affixed with a special roundel
Roundel
A roundel in heraldry is a disc; the term is also commonly used to refer to a type of national insignia used on military aircraft, generally circular in shape and usually comprising concentric rings of different colours.-Heraldry:...
affixed to the rear quarter window.
While the plant was very successful, on September 9, 1998 Volvo decided to close the Halifax plant and end its 225 jobs, citing globalization
Globalization
Globalization refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people and economic activity. Most often, it refers to economics: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import...
and NAFTA as two of the reasons. The last Volvo
Volvo
AB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services...
was built in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on 18 December 1998. The Bayer's Lake plant building at 115 Chain Lake Drive still stands.
Labour controversy and occupation
Shortly after the closure announcement the plant became the focus of a dispute between VolvoVolvo
AB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services...
and the Canadian Auto Workers Union
Canadian Auto Workers
The Canadian Auto Workers is one of Canada's largest and highest profile social unions. While rooted in Ontario's large auto plants of Windsor, Brampton, Oakville, St...
. On 21 October 1998, thirty employees blockaded the plant after Volvo
Volvo
AB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services...
refused to pay what the union considered adequate severance pay and retirement benefits to the plant's employees. After several days, Volvo
Volvo
AB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services...
backed down and agreed to the union's payment specifications.
Legacy
The first Volvo produced at the facility, also the first Volvo produced outside of Sweden, is a black 1963 Volvo 122 B18 currently on permanent display at the Nova Scotia Museum of Industry in Stellarton, Nova ScotiaStellarton, Nova Scotia
-External links:*...
.
In 1969, roughly twenty Volvo bodies intended for the plant were dumped into the Bedford Basin
Bedford Basin
Bedford Basin is a large enclosed bay, forming the northwestern end of Halifax Harbour on Canada's Atlantic coast.-Geography:Geographically, the basin is situated entirely within the Halifax Regional Municipality and is oriented northwest-southeast, measuring approximately 8 kilometres long and 5...
after incurring severe water damage in transit across the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
on a container ship.
In 1980, two Canadians broke the Guinness World
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
record for the fastest time around the world in a Halifax-built Volvo 245 DL nicknamed Red Cloud. Ken Langley and Gary Sowerby completed the feat in just 74 days, 1 hour and 11 minutes, smashing the previous record by over a month.
Shortly before the plant's closure, popular Canadian comedy/satire show This Hour Has 22 Minutes
This Hour Has 22 Minutes
This Hour Has 22 Minutes is a weekly Canadian television comedy that airs on CBC Television. Launched in 1993 during Canada's 35th general election, the show focuses on Canadian politics, combining news parody, sketch comedy and satirical editorials...
and correspondent Mary Walsh filmed an entire segment at the plant.
The Canadian Museum of Science and Technology paid tribute to the plant by featuring a 1989 Volvo 740 GLE
Volvo 700 series
The 760 was Volvo's attempt to cement a place in the prestige market, after building a reputation for being solid and safe rather than out-and-out luxurious cars. Jan Wilsgaard, head of Volvo's Design and Styling team, proposed over 50 new designs for the new car. It was introduced to the US in...
that had been produced at that plant in a permanent exhibit entitled "The Quest in Search of the Canadian Car".
Models produced
- Volvo PV544 (Produced only at Dartmouth facility.)
- Volvo 120 (Badged as the "Volvo Canadian")
- Volvo 140Volvo 140The Volvo 140 Series is a range of automobiles which was produced by Volvo Cars of Sweden from 1966 to 1974. The range comprises the Volvo 142 2-door sedan, the Volvo 144 4-door sedan and the Volvo 145 5-door station wagon....
- Volvo 240 (All models, including second generation body style)
- Volvo 740
- Volvo 760 (Some pre-1987 models)
- Volvo 850Volvo 850The Volvo 850 is a compact executive car produced by Volvo Cars from 1992 to 1997 and designed by Jan Wilsgaard. Available in sedan/saloon and station wagon/estate body styles, the Volvo 850 was notable as the first front-wheel drive vehicle from this Swedish manufacturer to be exported to North...
(Very low production number) - Volvo 940 (Most North American versions)
- Volvo S70Volvo S70The Volvo S70 is a mid-size luxury car produced by the Swedish automaker Volvo Cars from 1998 to 2000. The S70 was the saloon/sedan, and the similar V70 the estate/station wagon; they both represented mainly new styling and revised suspensions from the 1993 through 1997 Volvo 850...
and Volvo V70Volvo V70The Volvo V70 is a mid-size five-door estate car / station wagon manufactured by Volvo Cars since 2000. It is closely related to the S70, S60 and S80 saloons, as well as the four-wheel drive Cross Country and XC70.... - Volvo S80Volvo S80The Volvo S80 is a mid-size executive saloon/sedan from Swedish automaker Volvo Cars, and was introduced in 1998 to take the place of the rear-wheel drive Volvo 960/S90 saloons in the model range. The Volvo S80 was built at the Torslanda Plant in Gothenburg, Sweden. Unlike most Volvo models, it...
(1998 models only)