LONDON, Ontario - London is at the epicentre of the largest advanced manufacturing export win in Canadian history. The Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade, and Danny Deep, Vice President, General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada, announced a 14-year multibillion dollar contract win for armoured vehicles and associated equipment, training and support services.
The armoured vehicles will be designed and manufactured in London making the city the centre of a national supply chain including more than 500 firms and resulting in the creation of more than 3,000 jobs, 40 per cent of which will be in southwestern Ontario.
“This is great news for the region,” said Kapil Lakhotia, Interim General Manager, London Economic Development Corporation. “The defence industry is the type of technology-intensive advanced manufacturing cluster we are trying to nurture in London.”
The contract has been facilitated by the Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC), the Government of Canada’s international government-to-government contracting organization.
“Using advanced technology, automation, as well as highly skilled workers, General Dynamics Land System Canada (GDLS-C) and other London defence companies are building products that are competitive in the global market,” said Lakhotia. “This new contract strengthens our advanced manufacturing cluster and provides sustainable employment opportunities in the long-term, thanks to the great work of GDLS-C, the Federal Government and our local supply chain.”
London’s growing defence cluster employs more than 12,000 highly skilled workers at over 45 defence related companies in the region. GDLS-C employs over 2,000 workers including 700 engineers at the London facility.
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