
Category
Automotive
Manufacturing sales down in November, wholesale sales up, StatCan says
Manufacturing sales fell in November for the first time in three months, and sales were down in 5 of 21 industries, driven mainly by the aerospace product and parts, motor vehicle, and motor vehicle parts industries.
Unifor approves $1 billion GM deal to build electric vans in Ontario
Members voted overwhelmingly in favour of the deal, and work will begin immediately to ready the plant in Ingersoll for van production to begin in November.
Ford to close Brazil manufacturing operations
The company is closing two plants immediately and a third later in the year, as part of a restructuring plan meant to cut costs and increase efficiency.

General Motors redesigns its logo for the electric vehicle era
General Motors is changing its corporate logo and launching an electric vehicle marketing campaign to reshape its image as clean vehicle company.

New year brings new CEO, industry collaboration agreement for Magna
As Swamy Kotagiri officially takes the helm, the automotive parts maker says it is deepening ties with electric vehicle maker Fisker.
Private equity firm Wynnchurch Capital acquires Huntington Foam
Greer, S.C.-based Huntington Foam will be combined with EPS product maker Drew Foam Companies, which is also owned by Wynnchurch.
Magna, LG Electronics partnering to build electric car components
The joint venture parntership will include more than 1,000 employees located at LG locations in the U.S., South Korea and China.
Auto parts supplier Windsor Mold investing $5.9 million to expand Tennessee facility
The company will add 37,500 square feet of space for warehousing and manufacturing and create 40 jobs over the next five years.
Manufacturing sales edged up 0.3% in October, StatCan says
Manufacturing sales grew to $54.1 billion led by the paper, petroleum, and coal industries, and with 2.2% growth for plastic and rubber product manufacturers.
Trinseo to acquire Arkema’s PMMA business
Arkema’s PMMA business is active in several end market applications including automotive and building and construction, enhancing Trinseo’s existing positions in these applications.

Indian auto parts molder expanding operations to Ontario
Injection molder Plastic Component Industries will be investing $4 million in the new facility, which will create 80 jobs over the next three years.
Ineos Automotive buys Hambach, France production site from Mercedes-Benz
The former Mercedes-Benz site, which currently builds smart EQ fortwo electric vehicles, will also start manufacturing Ineos’ Grenadier 4×4.
Magna donates $2 million to Sheridan College’s skilled trades program
The donation will be used to update labs with new equipment, create scholarships, provide resources for training, and enable student participation at skills competitions.

Global auto sales improve modestly again in October, report says
On a year-over-year basis, sales were in positive territory for a second consecutive month since the pandemic struck, Scotiabank’s latest Global Auto Report says.
Magna brings EyeQ5-based driver assistance system to market
The system is said to be one of the industry’s first “one-box” EyeQ5 front-facing camera systems.
Brose adds Engel to suppliers list
Automotive Tier 1 Brose has added injection molding machine maker Engel Austria to its BEST group of strategic suppliers.

Researchers discover unique new polymer fibres
Strong and tough yet as light as a feather, the fibres are said to be ideally suited for technical components that are exposed to high loads.
Auto parts molder Plasman Group announces global rebrand
Prior division names — including A-Brite Plating, A.P. Plasman, Build-A-Mold, Plastal, and Thermotech — will now be united under the one global brand name of Plasman.

CpK Interior Products R&D team invents anti-viral plastics to kill COVID-19
The formulations kill 99.9999% of SARS-CoV-2 virus on material surfaces in less than 60 minutes.
Injection molder Hawk Plastics receives funding from feds
The Ontario-based company is receiving a $880,372 repayable contribution from the FedDev Ontario program to expand its production facility by 8,000 square feet to accommodate its new advanced and robotic production equipment.