Ontario Construction News staff writer
Auto parts manufacturer Ventra Group is investing $18.5 million to strengthen local manufacturing and Ontario’s automotive and domestic manufacturing. The province is contributing $1.5 million through the Regional Development Program.
“Investments like this one will help further develop Ontario’s EV battery supply chain and play a pivotal role in Phase 2 of our Driving Prosperity auto plan,” said Vic Fedeli, minister of economic development, job creation and trade. ‘Ventra Group is also making a significant impact on the Windsor regional economy by investing in Ontario’s talented workforce and creating the conditions for long-term economic growth.”
Ventra Group is building a pilot line to produce advanced lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and will conduct basic product and manufacturing technology research and development.
“The Flex-Ion Battery Innovation Centre marks a critical first milestone in our strategy to level up our next-generation battery design, material localization and manufacturing skills,” said Shahid Khan, Flex|N|Gate’s CEO, COO and president.
“We are privileged and delighted that Ontario’s warm welcome and generous support has allowed us to create an Ontario-first ecosystem within the global markets for advanced traction batteries and battery manufacturing technologies.”
Ontario launched the Regional Development Program for Eastern and Southwestern Ontario in November 2019. Businesses and municipalities can get financial support through the Eastern Ontario Development Fund (EODF) and Southwestern Ontario Development Fund (SWODF) and guided access to a range of complementary services and supports.
Vehicle assembly and auto parts production directly supports more than 92,000 Ontario jobs, with hundreds of thousands more spin-off jobs in communities across the province.