GM investing $250 million in western Ontario assembly plant

General Motors Canada is investing $250 million in its assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ont., to “support future vehicle production,” the automaker announced.

The investment includes the installation of flexible body shop equipment and tooling.

“Conversion of the CAMI assembly plant to a flexible manufacturing facility will provide CAMI with the ability to produce multiple global architectures and body styles,” GM Canada president and managing director Kevin Williams said in a statement. “Continually improving the flexibility of our manufacturing operations helps us respond quickly to customer needs and market demand.”

The improvements to the plant located just east of London, Ont., are part of GM’s move to “flexible vehicle architectures,” or global platforms. Manufacturing flexibility is a key priority for GM, the automaker said in its statement, allowing CAMI to build a variety of products on multiple platforms, at much lower costs. It also gives GM the ability to introduce and deliver new products to the market at a faster pace.

“We have had a strong start to 2013 with customer demand for our newest vehicles driving improved sales,” Williams said. “This is strong confirmation that our investing in manufacturing flexibility, finding ways to bring new products to market faster, is the right strategy.”

Construction is anticipated to begin in the coming weeks.