Traffic gridlock puts brakes on auto parts sector

The good news is Canadian auto parts makers might not have to worry about their shipments of auto parts to customers in the United States being delayed at inefficient and inadequate border crossings at the Windsor/Detroit gateway.

Unfortunately, however, that's because the bad news for the sector is that the trucks making these deliveries of auto parts could be stuck in traffic on another highway somewhere in southern Ontario far from the Windsor/Detroit border crossing.

At least that was the warning issued by the Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association (APMA) in its recent policy paper entitled, Driving Canada's Engine of Growth.

According to APMA President Gerald Fedchun, increasing delays on roads in southern Ontario are costing Canadian auto parts suppliers billions of dollars a year in business.

"Gridlock on Ontario's highways is now a common occurrence. There are constant accidents and congestion slowdowns from Windsor to past Oshawa and from Fort Erie to Barrie on the 400 Series highways and the QEW.

"The worst area of all is the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). With eight assembly plants and hundreds of supplier plants throughout the GTA or on the periphery and having to traverse the GTA, the delays are costing billions of dollars and contributing to significant increases in pollution from idling trucks," the policy paper states.

The APMA makes a number of recommendations in its policy paper designed to alleviate traffic gridlock on roads and highways in southern Ontario.

The recommendations included making Highway 401 six lanes from Toronto to Windsor; extending Highway 407 to Highway 135; completing Highway 427 to past Barrie; widening Highway 400 to eight lanes to past Barrie; and begin building the mid Niagara Highway.

The policy paper notes that more than $140 billion a year in exports and imports pass through Windsor, most of which is automotive related. "Within the existing infrastructure, the Windsor/Detroit border area is the most critical to the automotive sector. The Windsor border crossing is Canada's busiest and is using infrastructure that is ancient."

The association singled out the negative impact that delaying construction of a new border crossing at the Windsor/Detroit gateway would have on the Canadian auto parts sector.

According to the APMA, "The Detroit River International Crossing Project (DRIC) has confirmed that additional capacity is required no later than 2015. The DRIC is also predicting a new crossing will be built by 2013 while others are suggesting 2019.

"If the new crossing is delayed our industry will shrink due to our inability to competitively service our customers in the United States. Some interest groups have also suggested that another crossing is not necessary.

"If we delay building a new border crossing this could become a self-fulfilling prophecy due to lost business. We cannot allow that to happen," the report warns.

Some of the recommendations that the association makes for infrastructure improvements at the Windsor/Detroit crossing include pursuing and implementing infrastructure improvements and staffing levels at existing Customs Plazas; enhancing access infrastructure points to and from the ports of entry on the East and West coast ports of Canada; and more.

Jerry Cook
Editor, MPP
jcook@clbmedia.ca 

MC Machinery opens new Canadian subsidiary

In order to better serve the Canadian market, Wood Dale, IL-based MC Machinery Systems Inc. has opened a new Canadian subsidiary, MC Machinery Systems Canada Inc.

"We recognized the need to have a stronger supportive network for Canada's active manufacturing market.

"Canada is very important to the overall business plans of Mitsubishi, and this decision will be mutually beneficial for us and our customers," said Nicolas Giannotte, Mitsubishi EDM's vice president of sales and marketing, in making the announcement.

At the same time, MC Machinery has announced a number of new appointments for the Canadian operation. The new appointments include Darren Carroll, vice president of operations and Chris Linton, who will represent Mitsubishi's Laser division in Canada. According to Carroll, the new facility is 15,000 sq. ft. and will allow Mitsubishi to provide better service and support to Canadian customers. "Mitsubishi didn't just want a presence in Canada but they also wanted a technical center for technical support and training," says Carroll.

February 23-26, 2006- BI-MU MEDITERRANEA (Machine Tools, Robots, Automation Show), Fiera del Levante, Bari, Italy. For further information contact BI-MU MEDITERRANEA at telephone +39 0226 255 229/861 or visit www.bimu-mediterranea.it

March 21-23, 2006- METALFORM'06, Nashville Convention Center, Nashville, TN. For information contact the Precision Metalforming Association at (216) 901-8800 or visit www.metalforming.com

March 27-30, 2006- WESTEC 2006 Exposition and Conference, Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, CA. For further information contact the Society of Manufacturing Engineers at (313) 271-1500 or visit www.sme.org

April 11, 2006- Canadian Welding Association's Student/Career Night, Royal Woodbine Golf Club, Toronto, ON. For further information contact Victor Andrisani with the Canadian Welding Bureau at (905) 826-7133, Ext. 322.

May 10-11, 2006- 2006 Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association Annual Conference and Exhibition, Hamilton Convention Centre, Hamilton, ON. For further information contact the APMA at (416) 620-4220 or visit www.apma.ca

May 15-17, 2006- Montreal Manufacturing Technology Show, Place Bonaventure, Montreal, QC. For further information contact Denise Hayward, show manager with Reed Expo at (416) 848-1683 or visit www.reedexpo.ca

May 23-25, 2006- EASTEC Exposition and Conference, Eastern States Exposition, W. Springfield, MA. For further information contact the Society of Manufacturing Engineers at (313) 271-1500 or visit www.sme.org

September 6-13, 2006- IMTS-International Manufacturing Technology Show, McCormick Place, Chicago, IL. For information contact AMT-The Association for Manufacturing Technology at (703) 893-2900 or visit www.IMTSNET.org

September 26-28, 2006- Canadian Manufacturing Week (featuring six events including Weld Expo Canada and Finishing Expo Canada), International Centre, Toronto, ON. For further information contact Bob Mathieu, group show manager with Reed Expo at (416) 848-1689, Ext. 229 or visit
www. reedexpo.ca

Coming in the March issue of MP&P

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Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association of Canada - This site is an information resource for Canadian OEM producers of parts, equipment, tools, supplies and services to the automotive industry. www.apma.ca

Canadian Machine Tool Distributors Association - A resource for Canadian machine tool distributors. www.cmtda.org

Canadian Welding Association - Information resource for the Canadian welding industry. www.cwa-acs.org

Miller Electric Manufacturing Company - The new web site offers information and resources on welding for end users and business owners. www.MillerWelds.com/Results

Wilson Tool International - New e-Business Center offers online tool orders, quotes, invoices, special tool drawings, and shipment tracking for fabricators. www.wilsontool.com

JobBOSS, from Exact Software, is the most widely used job shop software designed specifically for job shops, and custom, high-tech manufacturing shops. It is a job-based system that includes: Quoting, Scheduling, Job Tracking, Costing, Purchasing, Inventory, Shop Floor, Data Collection, Quality, Performance Metrics, CRM and Integrated Accounting.

Visit www.jobboss.com or call 800-777-4334.

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