Japanese auto parts giant partners in $300M Windsor factory investment

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Dismissing trade war “noise” from the United States, the president of a $34-billion Japanese auto parts supplier said his company won’t let politics interrupt a long-planned investment in Windsor.

On Tuesday, Aisin Corporation — one of the world’s largest Tier One automotive suppliers — announced that it was partnering with the Minth Group for the second phase of Minth’s $300-million factory near Windsor International Airport.

“We made the decision to move forward, regardless of the noise that we’re hearing right now,” Scott Turpin, president and CEO of Aisin World Corp. of America, told reporters after signing the agreement with Minth.

“We think that is going to be short-lived. The two countries will continue to work towards some mutual agreement. We want to make sure that we’re not letting politics drive our business decisions.”

The joint venture will see Rosati Group construct a second 150,000-square-foot facility next to the first.

The whole project is expected to employ 1,100 people by 2027.

Aisin has more than 191 consolidated companies and more than 120,000 employees worldwide. It’s a major supplier to Toyota and virtually every top global automaker. Its only other Canadian plant, ACI, is located in Stratford.

Minth announced Phase One of the Windsor project in April, one day after U.S. President Donald Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ announcement of sweeping global tariffs.

The plant will produce battery housing units for electric vehicles, as well as plastic and metal trim parts.

William Chin, chief strategy officer with the Minth Group, said he and his colleagues are “very honoured to stand on the shoulders of a giant” in working with Aisin.

“We are very small in comparison to Aisin, but we are very grateful for the opportunity and the network that we have created in Japan to establish this relationship.”

Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said the city is in talks to host up to $6 billion in potential new economic development, though he concedes Windsor won’t land them all.

“We’re being very choosy on who we go after and the offers that we make, recognizing that we don’t have infinite land available, and we want to make sure we get the best return on our investment,” Dilkens said.

Despite Canada’s trade war with the United States, multibillion-dollar companies are “looking beyond politics” and seeing opportunities in Windsor, he said. That’s because the city has worked to prepare vacant industrial land near the airport for development, reporters were told, and because the region has a skilled workforce thanks to the University of Windsor and St. Clair College.

Turpin said he hopes the partnership will lead to expanded investment and more job opportunities in the future.

“All of us are already aware that the market needs are ever-changing,” he said. Trade-related challenges “have been exceedingly difficult to predict, and the competitive environment surrounding us is also getting ever-tighter.”

By joining forces with the Minth Group, he said, “we will certainly be able to create a strong production base for our North American markets.”

The provincial government helped to land the initial investment from Minth with a $40-million loan through its Invest Ontario Fund.

“This is truly a milestone in Ontario’s historic automotive transformation,” said MPP Andrew Dowie (PC — Windsor-Tecumseh).

“The impact to our community has already been deeply significant, but today’s announcement marks an even greater vote of confidence in our region.”

tcampbell@postmedia.com