Linamar’s new and unused Welland, Ont. factory already up for sale

Linamar in a photo from their website.

Less than two years after Linamar said it was opening a new, state-of-the-art giga casting factory in Welland, Ont., the property has been put up for sale.

The city announced the plan to turn 59 Canal Bank Street into a Linamar plant in May 2023, saying it would create 200 new jobs in the community.

According to a press release at the time, the factory was expected to focus on electric vehicles and, specifically, be a “highly-integrated casting, machining and coating operation with the first-of-its-kind giga tonnage high-pressure-die-casting capabilities by an auto supplier in North America or Europe.”

Giga casting is a manufacturing process that uses one sheet of metal to form one larger automotive section, instead of assembling many smaller pieces.

“Linamar will naturally take a market leadership position in this technology,” CEO Linda Hasenfratz said in the release.

The Welland factory was expected to open in February 2025.

Instead, the site has hit the real estate market.

The listing on realtor.ca indicated construction on the 301,329-square-foot facility was completed in 2024.

It also said the Canal Bank building is available for purchase or lease, and a new tenant could take it over in as soon as 60 days.

CTV News reached out to both Linamar and the City of Welland for comment. The city said Welland’s mayor was unavailable for comment.

Linamar in Guelph

On Jan. 28, Linamar announced it was expanding its operation in Guelph, Ont., where the company is based.

Linamar said it reached a $1.1 billion agreement with both the federal and provincial governments to address electric vehicle concerns, including EV battery packing, vehicle range, charging times and semiconductor manufacturing.

The company promised it would protect an existing 10,000 jobs, as well as create another 2,300 positions in the automotive sector.