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! t M \ J 4 tickets to the ORONO RODEO June 13,6:30 p.m. * j v, I |l 1 . 1 This Week CanaWan ®t Port Perry Star News Ai Exbribge Œimtsf-Journal lvertiser durhamregion.com Oshawa car plant voted second best Ford facility in Atlanta tops list OSHAWA -- The case for saving the General Motors car plant no. 2 in Oshawa Oshawa has just become stronger. According to a report released.by'Har- bour Consulting, the Oshawa assembly plant,Which is set to close in 2008, is the second best in North America in terms of productivity, with 16.08 hours spent per vehicle. ' Leading the ratings was Ford's Atlanta Atlanta plant, which set the benchmark for labour productivity with a measure of 15.37 hours per vehiclfc. Despite declining volume, General" Motors dominated the ratings, with Five of its plants voted among the best 10 assembly plants in North America for productivity, including Oshawa car plant no. 1, which ranked seventh at 17.91 hours per vehicle. The report also shows that the productivity productivity gap is slowing -- driven mainly by quality advances, as manufacturers are getting more from their workforce and their capital investments. Whereas in 1998, the difference between the most and least productive in terms of total labour hours per vehicle was 16.56, the number now rests at 7.33 hours per vehicle (including assembly, stamping, and Powertrain). Chinese THE CANADIAN STATESMAN ♦ June 7,2006 ♦ Page A9 BMW headquarters could be on move Steady growth leaves German manufacturer with space problem BY IZABELA JAROSZYNSKI Staff Writer WHITBY - After 20 years in Whitby, the BMW Group Canada headquarters might be leaving town. As a result of tremendous growth, the German-based luxury car company is looking for more space, a spokesman for the company said. Kevin Marcotte said that BMW, which has had its Canadian headquarters in Whitby since 1986, is currently consid ering three options to accommodate the growth. The first option is to keep the current headquarters -- which was renovated in 2002 to the tune of $6 million - and expand into local spaces already owned by the company. One such space is the 58,000 square- foot warehouse, which was vacated early this year when the company built a new $12 million national parts warehouse in Whitby. The other spaces would be the two retail facilities, currently housing BMW Durham and Mini Durham, which were sold to an independent retailer at the beginning of 2006 and will be vacated when the retailer moves into a new Durham Durham location. The next two options, Mr. Marcotte said, are to relocate to an existing larger 'If we do move, we are looking for a more central GTA location.' -- Kevin Marcotte facility or a new custom-built facility. If one of the later two options is chosen, chosen, the headquarters will most likely be relocated outside Durham's borders, Mr. Marcotte said. "If we do move, we are looking for a more central GTA location," he said. "Something closer to the airport and closer to downtown (Toronto)." A final decision will be made by senior management following an evaluation of all the options during a meeting in Munich, Germany, later this year. "No option is favoured at this time." Mr. Marcotte said. "Right now we have three options on the table." Mr. Marcotte said that no layoffs are planned and all current employees working working at the BMW headquarters would be given the option of relocating to the new location should there be a move. BMW has had a long history in Whitby since opening the original headquarters with 50 employees in 1986. The 1990s saw major investment in local facilities, including modernization and expansion of the parts warehouse. In 2001, BMW announced the S6 million expansion of the headquarters, which was completed in late 2002. Currently, Currently, the company employs more than 200 people in Whitby. visits Durham Local aerospace, company wants business with China BY IZABELA JAROSZYNSKI Staff Writer ; WHITBY - The aerospace industry in Durham Region got an international boost on Monday as delegates from China visited visited with local representatives to exchange ideas and information. , Hosted by .Cametoid Limited, which operates a 26,000 square-foot process facility in Whitby, the 9-person Chinese delegation attended a morning seminar about the use of enyironmentally-friendly coating materials in the aerospace industry. industry. Desmond Newman, CEO of Cametoid, called the meeting exhilarating. "They really know what they are doing," he said about the delegates in an interview following the seminar. Mr. Newman hopes these initial meetings meetings will lead to a joint venture with the China Aviation Industry Corporation, one of the largest aircraft manufacturing companies companies in China. "We have technology that China needs to build their aircraft engine business," he said. ' Although he said it is too early to predict predict what a joint venture could mean for the local community, Mr. Newman said a visit from China means Durham Region is a "centre of interest." At a luncheon following the seminar, seminar, Jiang Qian, leader of the delegation, delegation, thanked Mr. Newman for building a bridge that allowed the delegates to come to Canadb. He said the next step is for them to present their findings to government officials and get approval for additional funding to proceed with a project involving Cametoid. "I feel there is lots of opportunity here," he said, speaking through a translator. In attendance at a luncheon were newly- elected MPP Christine Elliot, out-going president of UOIT Gary Polonsky and Whitby Mayor Marcel Brunclle. An entry form will appear durin our Daytripper webcasts at durhamregion.com June 1-8 Watch the webcast to enter our draw for 4 tickets to the Orono Rodeo. The winner will be announced June 9. M ETROLAND on demand news for on the go people mmm* die DURHAM DAILY NEWS Watch June 5-9 for your chance to WIN an IPOD! Contest sponsored by John Henry Office Products & Services johnhenryopi