The Martinrea plant in Dresden has closed.
Martinrea's Global Director of Communications and Marketing Deanna Lorincz cited a lack of work, saying the plant's closure was prompted by the completion of production on the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Chrysler 300C, as well as the Dodge Charger and Challenger, which were key programs at the Dresden facility.
"In the course of our company's history, Martinrea's Dresden location has played an important role in providing our customers with high-quality products and services," wrote Lorincz in a statement. "To ensure that our customers continue to receive the exceptional service they have come to expect from Martinrea, we have moved the remaining programs to one of our sister locations in Ridgetown."
Lorincz said the Ridgetown plant will continue to serve the company's current customer base and will upgrade its 144,000 square foot facility to support and enhance "lightweighting initiatives" to allow Martinrea to grow its business and broaden its product range for its global customers.
Automotive lightweighting is the replacement of metal parts with lighter materials that can be recycled or reused at the end of the use cycle, such as plastics, which weigh up to 50 per cent less compared to traditional automotive materials.
Lorincz added Martinrea remains committed to its core values and is confident that the decision to shutdown the 90,000 square foot Dresden facility will enable the company to focus on strengthening its overall business and continue to provide the best products and services to customers.
"Martinrea recognizes the importance of its employees and their families and is committed to providing support during this transition. We will work closely with affected employees to offer extended benefits, and financial education resources," said Lorincz. "Martinrea would like to express its gratitude to the employees for their dedication and hard work throughout the years. We understand that this decision has had an impact on their lives, and we deeply appreciate their contributions to our company."
Martinrea is a global automotive supplier engaged in the design, development and manufacturing of highly engineered, value-added Lightweight Structures and Propulsion Systems.
The Dresden location specialized in tube bending, flow drill and tapping, spot and MIG weld automated assemblies.
The Ridgetown site specializes in stampings and welded assemblies.
