Protests could soon bring auto parts sector to 'screeching halt': Wildeboer
BNN Bloomberg
It could only be a matter of days before the auto parts industry comes to a “screeching halt” if crucial transport arteries like the Ambassador Bridge continue to be blocked by protesting truck drivers, according to a well-known auto parts exec.
It could only be a matter of days before the auto parts industry comes to a “screeching halt” if crucial transport arteries like the Ambassador Bridge continue to be blocked by protesting truck drivers, according to a well-known auto parts manufacturing executive.
“It’s a big deal,” said Rob Wildeboer, executive chairman of Martinrea International Inc., in an interview on Tuesday.
“If there's a shutdown of transportation routes, the auto industry comes to a screeching halt in about two days.”
The convoy of truckers protesting COVID-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions has now made it to the Ambassador Bridge, choking off the most important economic shipping route between Canada and the United States.
The Ambassador Bridge, which connects Winsdor, Ont. to Detroit, accounted for US$137 billion in trade last year, according to trade data consultancy firm WorldCity.
North America’s auto manufacturing sector is tightly integrated between the three NAFTA countries so any significant impediment to shipping could have an impact on the industry. The Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association said a car component could cross the borders of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico as many as eight times before final assembly.
