These GM facilities in Ontario survived the cut

On Monday, General Motors (GM) confirmed that it will be closing its Oshawa assembly plant, which had been operating in the city since November 1953. The company will also be closing the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant, the Lordstown Assembly in Warren, Ohio, and the propulsion plants in White Marsh, Md., and Warren, Mich.

No other Ontario GM plants or technical centres are scheduled to be shut down, General Motors said.

That means the company will continue to maintain operations at the following five centres in Ontario:

St. Catharines Propulsion Plant

This plant manufactures engines and transmission products that are shipped to nine different GM assembly plants in North America.

CAMI Assembly

This assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, which is located near London, was established in 1986 by the Suzuki Motor Corporation. It became a General Motors facility in 2010. Workers at CAMI Assembly collaborated with those at the Oshawa plant to help deal with the high demand for the Chevrolet Equinox.

Canadian Technical Centre – Oshawa Campus

Despite the assembly plant closure, the Canadian Technical Centre will remain in operation in Oshawa. It provides design and manufacturing support for vehicles. The centre also focuses on alternative fuels, specialty vehicles, and cold weather development. In Monday’s announcement, GM said it will be strengthening its focus on electric and autonomous vehicle programs in the years ahead.

Canadian Technical Centre – Markham Campus

The Markham campus is a 150,000 square-foot facility that deals primarily in software development, with a focus on mobility innovation and the development of autonomous vehicles.

2908 at Communitech

Two years ago, General Motors established a lab presence at Communitech, billed as “an innovation hub.” It is based in Waterloo and helps tech companies grow. GM’s mission with this venture is right in the name – 2908. That’s exactly 1000 years after the founding of the company. Working with the accelerator, GM is exploring the advancements and technologies that will carry it through a millennium, including smartphone applications and ride-sharing services.