A global automotive parts manufacturer headquartered in Windsor is investing $10 million in one of its local operations to meet growing demand. Plasman held a ribbon-cutting Wednesday at its Windsor 1 Manufacturing facility in Oldcastle to unveil four state-of-the-art injection molding machines. The investment in the facility on Outer Drive is part of the company’s plan to increase production capabilities and improve energy efficiency. It will also secure 18 more jobs at the facility, which already employs roughly 300 people. Plasman North American President Rod Alward says the investment in the technology was made in part to meet some new programs they secured with Honda and General Motors. “To allow us to be able to make sure that we have good quality products. Our customers really care about a few things, right? Quality and that we’re shipping parts on time. Those are the two key things customers want, and I think this is really going to take a step forward for us to do that,” he says. Alward says before they were subcontracting out some of the work, so bringing it in-house will save money and secure the additional jobs. “This is huge because the new presses are much more productive, improve cycle times, and improve controls on them, and it leads back to us shipping a better quality part in a shorter amount of time,” he says. Alward says what they really always want to do is grow their business, and they’ve been planning this for a year. “Definitely the plant wanted to make the investments long before this. Some of our equipment needed to be upgraded, but I would say in our last year, we got really serious. $10 million is not a small investment, so we had to really plan for this,” he says. As for the current trade dispute between Canada and the U.S. that’s impacting the auto industry, Alward says there are things they can control and things they can’t, so all they can do is deal with the issues as they come up. Plasman manufactures bumper-fascias, grilles, exterior trim, and subsystem components, with facilities in 10 countries, including six across Windsor-Essex that employ around 2,500 workers locally.
