The future of intelligent transportation is being built in Ontario today. Between Detroit and Ottawa lies a 500-mile corridor with expertise in connected and autonomous vehicle technology, artificial intelligence, connectivity, cybersecurity, and quantum computing. Today, more than 170 companies in Ontario are teaching cars to think.
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The top automakers, 700+ automotive parts manufacturers and 500+ tool, die and mould makers operate here because the infrastructure, skilled trades and more are here.
Because they find everything they need: a high-quality workforce, strategic access to the North American market, a dynamic environment for R&D and a culture of high-quality, award-winning manufacturing.
These advantages are part of the reason we’ve been one of the leading subnational car producers in North America for the past decade.
Ontario’s automotive corridor extends from Windsor to Oshawa. Note our cluster of leading auto assemblers and numerous border crossings.
Our supply chain has designers, engineers and scientists who have dedicated their lives to perfecting the automobile.
What makes the difference? Our workers. With unrivalled industry skills, experience and knowledge, our workers are highly skilled specialists—capable of building to tight tolerances with extreme precision. Ontario also has one of the highest educational attainment rates in the world.
Our 106,000 autoworkers offer:
Tackling today’s challenges requires access to state-of-the-art facilities to create the products of the future.
Tackling today’s challenges requires access to state-of-the-art facilities to create the products of the future. Here are just a few examples of facilities that provide a new understanding of complex materials and product improvements in the automotive sector. If you are an R&D innovator, imagine the possibilities of locating in proximity to Ontario’s robust innovation ecosystem.
The Automotive Centre of Excellence at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology is one of the largest and most sophisticated climatic wind tunnels on the planet where test winds reach speeds of 240 kilometres per hour, temperatures range from -40 to +60°C and relative humidity ranges from 5-95%.
Canmet MATERIALS Lab in Hamilton, along with its lab in Calgary, is the largest research centre in Canada dedicated to metals and materials fabrication, processing and evaluation.
The Fraunhofer Project Centre for Composites Research in partnership with the University of Western Ontario is developing materials that are lightweight or have low life-cycle impact for manufacturers in the automotive, transportation, construction, defense and renewable energy sectors.
The Waterloo Centre for Intelligent Antenna and Radio Systems (CIARS) provides researchers with an inspiring exploration and development environment for innovation in all aspects of electromagnetic communication and sensing science and engineering.
Why do corporations with operations around the world continue to manufacture in Ontario when some jurisdictions offer a slew of seductive incentives?
They’ll tell you the same thing, time after time: It’s the workforce.
Regardless of where companies locate, their sites and manufacturing equipment might be nearly identical. But the workforce makes all the difference.
For parts manufacturers, especially, a quality workforce is critical. Businesses lose clients, opportunities and profits when shipped parts don’t meet customer specifications. A high-quality workforce spots problems and corrects them. Members of a high-quality workforce understand that quality is a process that runs from the start of a job all the way through delivery.
Assemblers who win J.D. Power and Associates awards rely on extensive supplier networks. In the end it’s the plant or the model that wins the award. But all parts manufacturers know that they’re a critical part of any client winning that award, and manufacturers also understand that a contract with an assembler is an award in itself.
Since 1990, Ontario assembly plants have won 31 J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study awards, the industry’s benchmark for new vehicle quality manufacturing. That’s a third of the North American awards in the category.
Our automotive parts manufacturers, tool, die and mould makers and other suppliers are also regularly recognized for their top-quality products, groundbreaking innovation and excellence in business.
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