Detroit Chassis Celebrates 25 Years of Innovation & Community Impact

Detroit Chassis Celebrates 25 Years of Innovation & Community Impact

Detroit Chassis Celebrates 25 Years of Innovation and Community Impact

Detroit, MI – February 28, 2025 – A spirit of achievement, resilience, and community pride filled the air at Detroit Chassis’ 25th Anniversary Celebration and Black History Month event on Friday, February 28, 2025. The milestone occasion, held at the company’s headquarters at 6501 Lynch Rd., Detroit, MI, honored the company’s journey, its contributions to the city’s economic landscape, and the visionary leadership of Michael and Carlton Guthrie, Co-Chairmen of Detroit Chassis.
The celebration commenced at 11:00 AM, welcoming distinguished guests, business leaders, and employees who have played a pivotal role in the company’s success. Among the event’s many highlights was a special proclamation presented by Congressman Shri Thanedar, recognizing the Guthrie brothers for their exceptional leadership and lasting impact on Detroit’s manufacturing sector.
A Legacy of Excellence
Since its founding in 1999, Detroit Chassis LLC has been a model of innovation, producing premium chassis and vehicle assembly solutions. More than just a business, the company has been a beacon of economic empowerment, providing career opportunities, supporting local initiatives, and reinforcing Detroit’s reputation as a powerhouse of American manufacturing.

Michael Guthrie reflected on the company’s journey in his speech: “When we started Detroit Chassis, our mission was clear—to build world-class products while creating jobs and opportunities for our community. Today, 25 years later, we celebrate our success and the incredible people who have made it possible.”
His brother and business partner, Carlton Guthrie, echoed the sentiment from his remote location. “This celebration is about more than our achievements – the future. It’s about inspiring the next generation of Black entrepreneurs, engineers, and leaders who will continue to drive innovation in Detroit and beyond.”
Honoring Black Excellence and Business Leadership
As part of the Black History Month commemoration, the event illuminated the contributions of Black business leaders, and workforce trailblazers. The Guthrie brothers’ leadership exemplified the strength and perseverance of Black entrepreneurs who have paved the way for economic progress in the city, demonstrated by those with 25-year work anniversaries:

Congressman Shri Thanedar emphasized the importance of recognizing and supporting minority-owned businesses in his remarks: “Detroit Chassis represents the best of American industry—resilience, innovation, and commitment to community. Michael and Carlton Guthrie have built a successful business and uplifted countless lives through their leadership. I am honored to present them with this proclamation in recognition of their incredible work.”
Celebration of Community and Growth
The event also featured comments from Ford Motor Company and the Shyft Group, recognition of the many Associates with 25-year work anniversaries, and reflections from longtime community partners: DPD—11th Precinct, JA of Southeast Michigan, The National Association of Black Suppliers Scholarship Fund, and The Children’s Center.
Guests enjoyed a celebratory luncheon, shared personal growth stories and reflected on Detroit Chassis’ unwavering commitment to its workforce and the broader community.
As the celebration concluded, one message stood out: Detroit Chassis is more than just a business – it is a family, a legacy, and a faith-based force for progress. With 25 years of success behind them and a future filled with promise, Michael and Carlton Guthrie remain dedicated to advancing manufacturing excellence and economic empowerment in Detroit.
About Detroit Chassis LLC Detroit Chassis LLC is a leading supplier of chassis assembly and vehicle upfitting solutions, serving major automotive and commercial vehicle manufacturers. Headquartered in Detroit, the company is committed to quality, innovation, and workforce development, driving economic growth in the region.

DC Echo: April 8, 2022

DC Echo: April 8, 2022

State-of-the-Art Technology Command Center with Real-time Reporting

Detroit Chassis recently showed its new Command Center to visitors from an OEM automotive manufacturer and Commercial Step-Van Body Builders, and they were highly impressed.

This change is a dramatic move in the right direction away from the antiquated manual process that involved hours of tedious collection of paperwork, copying documents, distribution, and manual input. Maurice Lucas, Data Analyst, came aboard and quickly discovered opportunities to eliminate wasted time and energy by eliminating the old way of doing things, introducing the possibilities of a new process.

It involved training Quality Inspectors on the use of Tablets. Though met with resistance initially, they all agree that implementing this new technology helps them do their job. For example, Janice Johnson, Quality Team Leader, and Rob Colvard, Manufacturing Team Leader, were hesitant to use the new process when first introduced. Still, now they see the value in entering information that gets communicated in real-time, allowing
the organization to move quickly and respond to issues.

It works like this: Real-time data gets captured in Airtable for Downtime and Quality. Data is transferred from Airtable to a SQL database which then feeds the Tableau Analytics Website accessible online from your computer. This technology allows Operations, Quality, Engineering, and Materials to see issues as they occur to focus on driving Interim and Permanent Corrective Actions. The Team appreciates the system’s ability to track the problems by Zone, Workstation, Inspector, and Associate to determine the fix and reduce downtime and defects.

Great job, Team and thank you, Maurice! We appreciate your Silicone Valley thinking that propelled DCP forward. Our Command Center is a cutting-edge breakthrough and will help us achieve World Champion performance.

This process improvement is only one of the ways Maurice contributed to the Team. He also helped automate the data analysis process for Customer Service. Unfortunately, we will miss him as he returns to California. Still, we know that he will hold us in his heart, and though he will be miles away and living in a different time zone, he can continue to make a positive impact remotely.

Thank you for your contributions to the Detroit Chassis Team.
The Best Motorhome Chassis is Built in the Motor City.

DC Echo: March 25, 2022

DC Echo: March 25, 2022

Why We Celebrate Women’s History Month

In 1980, a group of leaders convinced Congress and the White House of the need for our nation to celebrate and recognize women’s role in history on an annual basis. It is important because the contributions of women through the years have often gone unappreciated and forgotten but each year, in March, Women’s History Month is a time for reflection, appreciation, and celebration. Women’s History Month is an important time to recognize
contributions both large and small that have changed our lives for the better.

We celebrate women’s accomplishments and the contributions that they have made to make life better for others. Most women history makers equip, empower, and encourage not only other women but men and the community to believe they can achieve. 

The LEADING LADIES at DCP are forever a part of the history and their efforts are engrained in the fabric of what makes this company work. Many of them have been with DCP since the very beginning. So for more than 20 years, these women made their careers contributing to further the quest to World Champion Performance through their commitment to excellence in manufacturing and specifically to the Motorhome and Commercial Step-Van Industry.

So, for all you do, LADIES…this one’s for you!

Avis Wallace, Manufacturing Technician
Betty Jones, MT Team Leader
Brenda Trice, Operations Coordinator
Carlene Moore, Manufacturing Technician
Carmen Bass, Quality Coordinator
Deanna Williams, Material Handler
Debbie Morris, Quality Technician Team Leader
Debbie Williams, MT Team Leader
Deborah Jones, Manufacturing Technician
Deidre Dudley, Quality Technician

Ingrid Walker, MT Team Leader
Janice Johnson, Quality Technician Team Leader
Juliette Griffin-Tyus, Quality Coordinator
Karana Harrell, Operations Coordinator
LaShandra Williams, MT Team Leader
Rozita Stewart, MT Team Leader
Tamara Johnson, Production Leader
Edwina Milligan, VP Human Resources
Linda Ratliff-Watkins, Director of CS

Thank you for your contributions to the Detroit Chassis Team.

The Best Motorhome Chassis is Built in the Motor City.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year

You are part of the Detroit Chassis extended community.  We are thinking about you, and we value our relationship with you.  Though we seem far apart, we want you to know what we are doing and how things are going.

This year, just like last year, is unprecedented, and the COVID-19 pandemic continues to challenge us and set new norms for us all.  Think about that for a moment: facial masks, social distancing, curbside pick-up, and virtual everything, including school

, church, and doctors’ appointments, and as the world tried to return to some sense of normalcy, variants of Covid 19 began to spread and are at record high levels today.  We fight our way each day with looming logistical issues as the transportation industry grapples under the weight of demand.  We must note what we learned to do better and make sure we hold on to what is best while discarding the rest, along with the threat of Coronavirus and ALL of its variants.  This pandemic, too, shall pass!

Detroit Chassis continues to come out on the winning side of the pandemic, thank God.  We were included in the list of essential services, and customers demanded more motorhomes, which meant more work for us.  Still, many businesses suffered significant losses that they will never recoup.  Unemployment numbers soar while jobs are plenteous, and still, thousands of people are dying every day.  The daily news, flooded with devastation, is hard to watch but necessary.

However, we stayed focused and brought 2021 stained with COVID to a successful close while holding to our Vision, Mission, and Values.  Detroit Chassis is….Committed People Delivering World Champion Performance to Achieve Customer Joy On-time, All the Time, Every Time.  That is our Vision.  This pandemic caused us to realize that we must be concerned about our community and everyone in it more than ever.  So, in collaboration with Wayne Health’s Mobile Unit, on-site health fairs are conducted monthly where Associates and family members can receive medical care.  No insurance is required.

We also held fund-raising campaigns for charities in our community, The Children’s Center, Gleaners, and the National Association of Black Suppliers’ Scholarship Fund. 

These services are in greater demand due to COVID because they meet specific needs.  However, we know these organizations struggle with raising funds through their traditional premier fund-raising events. Therefore, we have a responsibility and want to express our gratitude for what we have by sharing with others.

We partnered with UAW Local 155 and conducted the end of the year 2021 Charitable Contribution Campaign, which ran from Monday, December 6, 2021, through Friday, December 17, 2021, and exceeded our fund-raising goal of $12,000, and raised more than $15,000, in Detroit.

Detroit Chassis Avon partnered with UAW Local 2000, Unit 5, and contributed two boxes of toys to Lorain County Toys-for-Tots.  In addition, they conducted a food drive and collected two hundred thirty-eight (238) pounds of food for The Salvation Army Food Bank and decorated a Christmas tree with donated hats, mittens, and gloves.  Forty pairs of mittens and 13 sets of gloves with hats were collected and given to the Salvation Army for distribution in the community.

“Thank you, DCP, for your generosity and compassion!  Our community thanks you too.  Carlton and I are looking forward to doing our share.” – Michael J. Guthrie, Co-Chairman

With the help of company co-chairmen Michael and Carlton Guthrie, who matched our funds, we made a more significant impact in the lives of those around us.

This is how we do it! 

DC Echo: August 18th, 2021

DC Echo: August 18th, 2021

QUALITY GATE INSPECTION

DC Echo: Vol 4, Issue 5

The cross-functional Operations and the Quality team work to improve quality performance daily. The group discusses daily CAR, CAL, and TRAVELER performance and presents weekly data in higher-level team meetings. In an effort to further improve quality performance The team now reviews weekly performance with production and team leaders and also with quality technicians.

Nigel Ward, Quality Inspector for Team 18, met with Ranson Smith, Senior Quality Manager, and Matt Freeman, Sr. Quality Engineer and CAL Supervisor, to analyse defects identified in his area. Nigel’s area generated 13 defects the first week and 18 the second week.

Nigel was not only shocked to learn that data was reviewed at this level but also at the number of defects recorded from his area. He quickly put a plan in place to elevate his team’s performance and saw immediate improvement! He and his Team made a substantial commitment to ensure that no defects escaped his quality gate. Nigel’s area went from producing 13-18 defects per week to ZERO!

This performance got the attention of the senior leadership team, and I interviewed Nigel in a meeting with Ranson Smith and Matt Freeman. I asked Nigel, “How did you do it? And, what was your thought process?” Nigel explained that he was first surprised to know that data was captured and discussed in detail. He wanted to do what was necessary to produce better performance, so he focused on delta critical operations. Nigel then moved on to other tasks to ensure that each job was correct. Nigel told me that he learned from his mistakes. He reviewed challenging areas intently and learned to pay closer attention to detail.

Nigel has been with Detroit Chassis for approximately four years and a Quality Inspector assigned to the CAL area for a little over four months, so he is relatively new to this area. He appreciates the acknowledgment and plans to continue to produce the best quality performance possible. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMITMENT NIGEL.

The Best Motorhome Chassis is Built in the Motor City.