How Canada can get back some of its former glory as a maker of things the world wants to buy – by Kevin Carmichael (Financial Post – July 13, 2021)

https://financialpost.com/

Anthony Caputo’s order book at Can Art Aluminum Extrusion LP is a directory of the world’s most important automobile companies, all of them investing in EVs.

Automotive supply chains are being overhauled to build electric vehicles, and his Brampton, Ont.-based company will be an important node when they solidify since it has emerged as a leading supplier of one of the most important parts: the aluminum cases that protect the batteries, a tricky bit of engineering.

The cases must be both lightweight to help maximize the distance vehicles can travel between charges, and durable enough to keep the battery from exploding in a collision.

“We participate in 50 per cent of the (EV) program launches in North America in a meaningful way,” Caputo, chief executive and part-owner, said in an interview.

There’s Tesla Inc., of course, but also Ford Motor Co.’s battery-powered Mustang Mach E, which started selling in Canada last year, Rivian, and he name-drops Daimler AG’s Mercedes and Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) for good measure.

For the rest of this article: https://financialpost.com/news/economy/how-canada-can-get-back-some-of-its-former-glory-as-a-maker-of-things-the-world-wants-to-buy