Employees at Magna Closures Dortec Industries in Newmarket, Ont. Feb 19, 2013.The Globe and Mail
Magna International Inc. plans to spend $1.5-million and hire 75 people at its Dortec factory in Newmarket, Ont., to begin producing electronic door latches for auto makers in North America, Asia and Europe.
The plant is expected to make electronic control modules for power roof and closure systems and an electronic latching product.
The company says electronic latches will replace mechanical devices, cables, rods and moving handles in doors, saving weight and reducing the number of parts while lowering costs.
"We expect electronic closure and latching technologies to be a game-changer for the industry over the next five years and they will eventually become the future mainstream design," Frank Seguin, president of the auto parts giant's Magna Closures system, said in a statement.