Magna to build battery casing plant in Canada
The automotive supplier Magna International is investing more than 470 million US dollars in six locations in the Canadian province of Ontario. The most capital-intensive of these six projects is the construction of a new battery casing plant at the Brampton site.
Battery case production will specifically benefit the Ford F-150 Lightning “and future OEM programmes”, according to an accompanying release. Operations at the new Brampton facility are expected to begin in the second quarter of 2023. The five other projects being upgraded with the $470-million investment are expansion projects at existing sites in Guelph, Belleville, Newmarket, Windsor and Penetanguishene. All of which are municipalities in Ontario.
Still relevant to the electric vehicle market is the expansion in Guelph, where Magna is increasing its capacity for e-coating, moulding and welding “to support the production of new electric vehicles”. The expansion of this site is also expected to have an impact from the second quarter of 2023, creating around 175 new jobs.
Magna states that the Ontario production strengthening “follows new orders from various automotive manufacturers in key product areas”. Across all six projects, 1,000 new jobs are expected to be created, just over half at the new battery housing plant in Brampton. Magna cites $23.6 million in provincial government grants.
“Magna’s roots in Ontario run deep, and we are excited about opening a new facility dedicated to a strategic electrification product. The Brampton facility, coupled with investment and growth in five existing Ontario facilities, allows Magna to keep up with customer demands across several product areas,” says Eric Wilds, Magna’s Chief Sales and Marketing Officer. “We are excited to bring new business, more investment and additional jobs to Ontario.”
Recently, Magna had already announced that production of battery cases for the Chevrolet Silverado EV will start later this year at its St. Clair plant in the US state of Michigan. In the US, Magna is investing more than $500 million to expand its EV component production.
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