A boost for the manufacturing sector in Windsor-Essex.
The provincial government has announced a $125-million boost for four companies to expand local manufacturing capacity in the automotive and food processing sectors while creating 153 new jobs in Windsor and Leamington.
This includes a $60 million investment from DS Actimo Canada to build a new facility to manufacture components for electric vehicle (EV) batteries.
DS Actimo Canada is building a 107,000 square-foot facility in Windsor, marking the company’s first manufacturing plant in North America.
The plant will manufacture battery cell module cases with wiring components for EV batteries, including those to be produced at NextStar Energy Inc.'s $5 billion EV battery manufacturing plant. The project will create 96 new jobs.
Other recipients include:
- Kautex Textron, a plastic fuel tank manufacturer in Windsor serving the automotive industry. It's the only plastic fuel tank manufacturer in Canada. With an investment of almost $23 million, the company is building a new battery skid plate manufacturing facility to produce battery casings for EVs using advanced composite materials. The project will create 12 new jobs.
- Integrity Tool & Mold Inc., a global leader in the tool and mold industry that supplies parts to a wide range of industries, including those in the automotive supply chain. With an investment of over $15.6 million, the company will adopt state-of-the-art technology at their new Windsor facility to increase their production capacity. The project will create 25 new jobs.
- Highbury Canco Corp. produces a variety of food products, including pasta sauce, salsa and beans for large brands. With an investment of over $26.5 million, the company will modernize their facility and increase their processing and warehouse capacity. The project will create 20 new jobs.
Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade Vic Fedeli says Windsor and Leamington have a proud history of manufacturing excellence, and thanks to continued investment in the region, they're confident their targeted approach to fostering stability and growth across the economy is working.
Fedeli says DS Actimo will directly support the work begin done at the NextStar EV Battery plant.
"Now we were there today to see the sample battery cell modules, their test modules that they have already built here and already delivered to NextStar. Who will go through their process, and later this summer the battery cell module cases will go into full production," he said.
He says Ontario, and the Windsor-Essex region, provide all of the things needed to be able to bring in these kinds of investments.
"Whether it's our world class talent, our competitive business costs, our preferential access to global markets, we have tariff free agreements with over 50 countries around the world. All of these are a few of the reasons why companies are choosing to invest and expand into Ontario."
Windsor Tecumseh MPP Andrew Dowie says it's an exciting announcement as each of the companies has a different role in the local industry.
"Integrity Tool has a certain process and a certain thing they do well. Kautex Textron, their evolution is necessary but is truly compelling. Because they've been making fuel parts for vehicles for such a long time. Now, we're not going to have that, we're going to end up having electric vehicles so they're shifting into the EV market," Dowie said.
Dowie says these investments are about supporting job creation and modernization.
"There's a formula to these around job creation. There's a level of investment that the companies put in themselves, I mean the province is called a minority partner in this. The companies put forward a lot of investment in their own right to make these developments happen, and the provincial support is to make sure they cross the finish line."
In support of these four new investments, the province is providing companies with nearly $12 million in funding through the province's Regional Development Program.
- with files from AM800's Rob Hindi