Canadian metals distributor and industrial products manufacturer Samuel, Son & Co. announced an $18 million investment in its Brantford, Ontario automotive metal processing center. The expansion is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2018, ramping to full production in early 2019.
Samuel's Brantford facility is currently a 141,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art metals processing operation equipped with blanking and press lines. These investments are expected to increase capacity while adding leveling and processing capabilities for advanced high-strength steel (AHSS).
The automotive industry is focused on reducing vehicle weight to improve fuel efficiency and lower emissions. This has resulted in a significant increase in the use of aluminum and advanced high-strength steel, requiring the metals processing industry to invest in new processing technologies and capacity.
"Over the last three years, Samuel has invested more than $100 million to extend the capacity and capabilities we offer to automotive OEMs and Tier One suppliers across North America," said Luis Ponte, Samuel's Vice President of Automotive. "This latest round of investment positions Samuel as a leading automotive metals processor, while allowing us to deliver a new level of support for the many expanding global automotive programs that are based in Southwestern Ontario."
In addition to its investment in the Brantford facility, the Company opened a greenfield automotive operation in Columbia, Tennessee in 2015, and acquired its additive manufacturing division, Burloak Technologies, in 2017.