Michigan-based TransForm Automotive recently completed construction on a $15-million US plant on a 4.5-hectare site in London’s Forest City Industrial Park.

Initial production has begun at the 65,000 square feet plant which produces transmission parts and which will initially employ about 150 people. The land acquisition was designed to allow for future expansion up to 200,000 square feet and the ability to house an estimated 450 employees.

TransForm Automotive is a Tier One and Tier Two supplier in the automotive marketplace. Their current customer base includes Ford Motor Company, General Motors, DaimlerChrysler Corporation, Linamar, ZF and Metaldyne with locations throughout North America. Their product line ranges from stamped hubs & housings to full modular assemblies.

BROSE CANADA INC.

Brose North America, based in Auburn-Hills, Michigan, recently completed its $81-million Canadian automotive manufacturing facility – Brose Canada – in London, Ontario.

The new Brose facility is located on 13 hectares in the Forest City Industrial Park, and manufactures seat adjusters and door components. It will employ approx 300 people during Phase One of operations, and the 16,000 square-meter facility could expand to 37,000 square-meters (and 500 employees) over the next few years.

In its 10 years, Brose North America has secured more than 30 contracts with five OEMs. With the 2002 acquisition of the Robert Bosch Corporation latch division, Brose expanded its capabilities in the vehicle door arena for its Tier and OEM customers. Brose North America revenue is expected to reach $660 million CAD in 2007.

With two plants in Mexico, one in development in Chicago, Ill., and one in development in Vance, Ala., the London, Ontario facility will be the fifth production plant for Brose North America. An official grand opening of the London facility will take place in Spring 2006.

Quelques chiffres sur Brose Canada

Investissements à London : 50 millions d'euros pour l'usine et le matériel de production

A terme, cette usine fabiquera 10 000 mécanismes de réglage de sièges par jour

La croissance de cette usine devrait être de 10% par an.

Starlim North America marked its official grand opening in June 2005. More than 70 representatives from Starlim Sterner’s Austrian head office, including company president Thomas Bruendl travelled to London for the occasion.  A subsidiary of Starlim-Sterner GmbH in Marchtrenk, Austria, Starlim North America is a world leader in silicone injection moulding and produces silicone parts for the health care, consumer, electronics and sanitation, and automotive industries.  

Construction of the 70,000 sq ft facility began in 2003 and was completed in November 2004. Located on 17 acres of land on Airport Road, the state of the art facility represents a $27 million investment and will employ 60 people within the next two years.

Within six years it is expected that Starlim North American will be equal in size, production and employee base (90-100) to the facility in Austria and will become the largest global supplier of liquid silicone products

Amino North America Corp. (ANAC) broke ground on an expansion to its new auto parts manufacturing plant on May 11, 2004. The facility represents a $50-million investment and will serve as a launch pad to the U.S. and the rest of Canada.

"From this facility we will handle all the sales and service for North America," Ichiro Joh, company president, told a gathering of business and political officials at the Highbury Avenue industrial site.

"We will develop a technical centre, we want that here in Canada," added Trent Maki, plant manager. "It may be about three years down the road, but we have high hopes. We think this plant will really take off."

The plant stamps parts, such as fenders and trunk panels. Customers include GM's Oshawa assembly plant, making fenders for its Grand Prix, as well as for the Solaris, GM's sports coupe made in Wilmington, Dela.

Amino will work with the National Research Council office at the University of Western Ontario in its research and development initiatives, using the 3-D imaging centre to look at new forming technology, he added.

Amino opened in 1930 in Fujinomiya, Japan, as a metal forming plant, and its head office is still there today, in the shadow of Mt. Fuji. It has a research and development facility on site and has more than 200 patents pending.