A major addition to Ingersoll’s industrial landscape. The Oxford County community on Thursday welcomed a new auto parts manufacturer. ArcelorMittal Tailored Blanks will turn out 20 million parts per year from its new 154,000 sq. ft. plant on Newman Street. The facility transforms steel coils into tailored blanks, which are used in body panels of vehicles manufactured throughout North America. “We’re one of the very few suppliers and manufacturers of this product. Really, again focused on making vehicles safer, and lighter, and more fuel efficient,” explained company President and CEO Todd Baker. Based in Luxembourg, the company brings in steel from its plants in Calgary and Hamilton. The facility is equipped with state of the art automation, and has more than 60 employees. It represents a $100-million investment. According to Ingersoll mayor Brian Petrie, the company considered 41 different locations between Vaughan and Windsor, before landing in Ingersoll, where development charges were waived. “This was our town industrial land that we developed. And when we were looking for partners, we weren’t looking for a short-term gain, the most money we could get. We were truly looking for a long-term benefit for the community, and a partner for the long-term,” Petrie told a crowd of about 100 VIPs at Thursday’s official opening. The opening follow’s Wednesday’s announcement from the provincial and federal governments of support for steel and auto industries hit by tariffs. “It’s all about the jobs going across the border. This is a facility that is bringing the jobs here,” said Oxford MPP Ernie Hardeman, a member of Doug Ford’s PC government. Todd Baker says construction of the plant had actually been delayed by two months because of the trade war. Ultimately, he says they decided they had to forge ahead. “Effectively the industry has kind of gone on hold. People don’t know what’s going to be happening six months from now, nine months from now. And in that environment everyone just kind of holds off in making decisions. So it is a difficult time in the industry, but our view is we need to push forward” Baker explained.
