Studebaker Corporation — Corporate Overview

Premises Description

Studebaker Corporation (founded 1852 as the H. & C. Studebaker blacksmith shop in South Bend IN; incorporated 1868 as the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company; automobile manufacturer 1902-1966; corporate entity 1852-1967 before merger into Studebaker-Worthington) was one of the oldest and most storied U.S. transportation manufacturers — beginning as a wagon and carriage builder for pioneers and the U.S. Army, converting to automobiles in the early twentieth century, and producing millions of Studebaker automobiles across the asbestos era.

Studebaker’s flagship South Bend IN assembly and manufacturing complex — one of the largest single-city automotive complexes in the United States — operated continuously from the wagon era through 1963, when U.S. auto production was moved to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada (where Studebaker built its final automobile in 1966). The South Bend complex included body stamping and welding, engine and axle machining, foundry operations, heat-treat and stamping departments, chassis assembly, final assembly, and central powerhouse facilities.

Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that pre-1980 Studebaker plant premises allegedly involved asbestos through:

  • Asbestos pipe covering on assembly-plant steam mains, paint-oven feed piping, and process-piping headers
  • Asbestos block lagging on stamping-plant heat-treat furnaces, forge-shop heaters, paint-bake ovens, and body-shop drying tunnels
  • Asbestos-fabric arc chute panels in body-shop welding cabinet switchgear and stamping-press electrical panels
  • Asbestos foundry ladle mud, mold coating, and refractory linings in Studebaker gray-iron and non-ferrous foundry operations
  • Asbestos-friction brake and clutch assembly rooms where asbestos brake dust and friction-material machining exposure occurred
  • Asbestos sheet gaskets at powerhouse boiler flanges, steam-header manways, and process piping
  • Asbestos rope packing on paint-shop pumps, compressor stations, and rotating equipment
  • Asbestos sprayed fireproofing on structural steel across pre-1973 (EPA ban) multi-story South Bend assembly and body-drop buildings
  • Asbestos block and cork insulation on plant refrigeration and paint-solvent recovery equipment

The 1963 South Bend closure and subsequent decades of building demolition, salvage, and industrial-park redevelopment triggered additional asbestos-disturbance exposure for demolition crews, salvage tradesmen, and site-remediation workers.

Studebaker Corporation has been named as a Premises Defendant in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation.

Workers Exposed

Plaintiffs allegedly worked at Studebaker South Bend IN — and at the Hamilton, Ontario Canadian assembly plant — in trades including:

  • UAW Studebaker assembly-line workers across body, paint, trim, and final assembly
  • Foundry workers in Studebaker gray-iron and non-ferrous foundry operations
  • Stamping and press operators around asbestos-lagged heat-treat and stamping ovens
  • Body-shop welders and metal finishers around asbestos-fabric arc chutes and welding-cabinet switchgear
  • Paint-shop workers around asbestos-insulated paint-bake ovens and solvent-recovery equipment
  • Insulators (HFIAW) applying and removing asbestos pipe covering and block on plant steam and process lines
  • Pipefitters (UA) breaking asbestos-gasketed flanges on plant steam, water, and process piping
  • Boilermakers servicing asbestos-refractory-lined Studebaker powerhouse boilers
  • Millwrights rebuilding presses, transfer lines, and rotating equipment with asbestos packing
  • Electricians and IBEW workers on plant switchgear and motor-control centers
  • Demolition and salvage tradesmen who dismantled the South Bend complex after the 1963 closure

If You Worked at Studebaker

If you or a family member worked at the Studebaker Corporation South Bend IN assembly and manufacturing complex — or at the Hamilton, Ontario Canadian final-assembly plant — before 1980 and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or another asbestos-related disease, you may have a legal claim.

Free, confidential case evaluation: Speak with O’Brien Law Firm — (314) 936-2956

Plants by State

Studebaker Corporation operated its principal U.S. assembly and manufacturing complex in Indiana. Detailed premises information is available on the following state jobsite page: