With the increasing shift toward vehicle electrification, Magna is leveraging its market leading body and chassis expertise to provide innovative battery enclosures. The company announced today that it is expanding its operations into Chatham, as an extension of its current operations in St. Thomas to support new business from Ford Motor Company.
The new 170,000 square foot facility is expected to create up to 150 new jobs and will produce battery enclosures for the Ford F-150 Lighting. Battery enclosures, which all electric vehicles require, house high-voltage batteries, electrical components, sensors and connectors, contributing to the structural and safety aspects of a vehicle’s frame and protecting critical components from potential impact, heat and water.
“With the hard work of our team members in our Formet, St. Thomas facility, we have been able to secure additional business that allows us to grow in two great communities,” said Mark Johnson, Magna’s Formet Industries General Manager. “We are coming to Chatham with new job opportunities working on an exciting new technology that offers a lot of growth potential.”
This Magna innovation is the largest lightweight aluminum battery enclosure on the market and the first on a work truck.
“As Chatham-Kent continues to grow, we’re thrilled that Magna has chosen our community to grow alongside. This investment is excellent news for the people of Chatham-Kent; it’s creating great jobs, in a rapidly growing industry, with a fantastic and very well-established company and goes to show our community’s commitment to supporting investment in innovative manufacturing,” said Mayor Darrin Canniff.
“Chatham-Kent has been taking an active role in encouraging investments in green, innovative, and future-thinking technologies, so Magna really is a perfect fit here. CK is an expanding community with a great history in the manufacturing sector and we look forward to supporting in their growth and success for years to come,“ said Stuart McFadden, Director of Economic Development Services.
