Auto parts manufacturer Mitsui High-tec (Canada) Inc. has become the latest company to invest in Ontario's burgeoning electric vehicle sector, announcing a $102.3 million expansion at its Brantford headquarters to produce EV motor cores.

The expansion is to create 104 jobs at a new 103,500-square-foot manufacturing facility which is to open in 2024.

The announcement states Mitsui is the only company in Canada that creates motor core parts for electric and hybrid vehicles.

The Province of Ontario is also investing $3.1 million into the expansion via Invest Ontario.

"Ontario has been a great place for Mitsui High-tec (Canada) Inc. to settle and build. With the growing focus on the hybrid and EV industry in Canada, and our opportunity to strengthen the supply chain, Ontario is a fantastic location to be close to borders for export, with space and opportunity to continue growing,” Yasushi Harada, Mitsui High-tec (Canada)’s president, said in a statement.

“Brantford has specifically been a great place to expand into, as there is a healthy job force and space for development. We are looking forward to continuing to foster our relationship with the region of Brantford and province of Ontario in this next phase of expansion."

Mitsui is headquartered in Japan and was founded in 1949, with operations across Europe and Asia. Its other North American locations are San Jose and Chicago.

It is also considering further expansion plans in Ontario.

Mitsui High-tec and Ontario

In 2015 Mitsui established its initial 100,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in Brantford, supplying auto makers across North America with 40,000 to 50,000 motor cores per month.

In May, the Brantford Expositor reported on its second expansion – the 100,000 square foot, US$25 million expansion which will see trials and shipments begin in July at 60,000 units per month, increasing to 120,000 per month in January 2024.

Ontario has been the beneficiary of several major EV announcements as the industry ramps up production. During the past two-and-a-half years, the province has attracted over $25 billion in investments from global automakers, parts suppliers, and manufacturers of EV batteries and battery materials.

Vehicle assembly and auto parts production directly employ around 97,000 workers in Ontario, as well as hundreds of thousands of indirect jobs. Ontario’s auto supply chain comprises over 700 parts firms, over 500 tool, die and mould makers and over 300 connected and autonomous companies.