Related Information:

Auto R&D Value Proposition

Auto R&D Fact Sheet

McMaster Steel Research Centre/ArcelorMittal Dofasco Video Innovation Profile

Linamar Corporation Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Trade Success Story

Contact:

info@trra.ca 

 

Automotive R&D and advanced auto trends in the Toronto Region

The Toronto Region is ...

• The #2 automotive cluster in North America with large assembly plants for major OEM companies, including: General Motors, Toyota, Honda, Chrysler, and Ford as well as the Canadian head office locations of 18 global auto manufacturers
• Location of a strong supplier base of more than 280 companies, including: ABC Group, ArcelorMittal Dofasco, Bridgestone/Firestone, Burlington, Denso Manufacturing Canada, Linamar Corporation, Magna International, Mahle, Martinrea International, Meritor Suspension Systems, Mobiletron Electronics, NTN Bearing Mfg., OMRON Dualtec Automotive Electronics, Showa Canada, TS Tech Canada, Tsubaki of Canada, Westcast Industries, Woco, Woodbridge Group and Yazaki North America
• Home to 89 science and engineering university programs; 30 steel and materials science research institutes
• Producing a highly-educated and highly-skilled workforce - over 4300 graduates from engineering and science related university programs in 2006
• A leading research  location; for example, the region is ranked # 4 in North America for new fuel technologies publications -- a major new auto innovation  

 
Supportive Government Programs

Strong government support is available through programs such as Ontario's $1.15 billion Next Generation Of Jobs Fund (clean automotive and other green technology) and $500 million Advanced Manufacturing Investment Strategy (AMIS).

"Twenty years ago, Toyota management made two profound decisions. We decided to make a sweeping commitment to manufacturing in North America. And we decided that Canada would be a core part of that  commitment."  

- Katsuaki Watanabe, Former President, Toyota Motor Corporation

Automotive research 

Toronto Region universities are a hub of research excellence recognized by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC). Four  NSERC research chairs focused on automotive research and development are based in the region. The NSERC Industrial Research Chairs in Manufacturing of Composites in Automobiles are also here.

Toronto Region universities are a centre of advanced research and development in auto research, including:

• McMaster University: Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research; Centre for Advanced Polymer Processing & Design; Centre for Electrophotonic Materials & Devices; Centre for Mechantronics and Hybrid Technologies; Centre for the Effective Design of Structures; General Motors of Canada Centre for Automotive Materials and Corrosion; Initiative for Automotive Manufacturing Innovation; McMaster Institute for Automotive Research and Technology; McMaster Institute for Polymer Production Technology; McMaster Institute for Transportation and Logistics; McMaster Manufacturing Research Institute; Metal Forming Laboratory; Steel Research Centre
• University of Ontario Institute of Technology: Automotive Centre of Excellence
• University of Toronto: Centre for Advanced Coating Technologies; Energenius Centre for Advanced Nanotechnology; Institute for Knowledge Innovation and Technology University of Waterloo: Sustainable Energy Research; Waterloo Advanced Technology Labs (WatLabs); Waterloo Centre for Automotive Materials and Manufacturing (WatCAMM); Waterloo Centre for Automotive Research (WatCAR); Waterloo Management of Integrated Manufacturing Systems (WatMIMS)
• York University: Institute for Research and Innovation in Sustainability

CAN-MET, the federal government's Materials Technology Laboratory research centre dedicated to metals and materials fabrication, processing and evaluation is slated to move to McMaster Innovation Park in 2010. 

Top 10 Publishers on New Fuel Technologies by Region (2000-08)
Region	Number of Publications
California	1531
Michigan	1183
Pennsylvania	1047
Toronto Region	947
Massachusetts	805
Illinois	793
New York	706
North Carolina	395
New Jersey	385
Connecticut	382

Source: ISI

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