Advanced Automotive Parts Manufacturing

In 2008, Chatham-Kent undertook an Advanced Automotive Manufacturing Strategy. The automotive sector is an important part of Chatham-Kent’s economy. The sector is evolving to respond to a changing global economy.

The Advanced Automotive Manufacturing Strategy is built upon the foundation of the Economic Development and Tourism Strategy adopted by Chatham-Kent Council in November, 2007.

Several emerging forces are shaping the automotive manufacturing sector in profound ways. These are not trends but fundamental shifts in the manner that the sector will perform in years to come.

These forces include:

• The value of the Canadian dollar and increases in energy prices

• The shift in market share from the traditionally dormant “big three” original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to include new domestic manufacturers

• The globalization of trade

• Demand for workers with advanced skills and technical knowledge

These trends have significantly affected the Chatham-Kent economy due to the area’s concentration of auto-related manufacturing operations.

Our community has traditional and newfound strengths in the agriculture, energy, and automotive parts manufacturing sectors. We will aim to continue to grow these industries. Chatham-Kent already has a base of companies in these sectors that create a unique opportunity for “convergence clustering”. This area of convergence, in particular, needs to be exploited. Examples of this are developing and manufacturing car parts containing a mixture of materials, including crops grown in local fields, to enhance the “green” aspect of car manufacturing as well as producing energy that uses local inputs.

In order to address the emerging green opportunities, the Municipality of Chatham-Kent is investigating ways to support the establishment of both a Bioproducts and Composite Materials Applied Research and Commercialization Centre.