Dive Brief:
- The governor of Michigan and Ontario's premier inked an agreement to enhance cooperation between the two states' automobile industry supply chains, technology and best practices.
- The agreement, inked August 3, underscores the two jurisdictions as automobile industry powerhouses: Michigan and Ontario account for roughly 26% of vehicles produced in North America.
- Specifically, the leaders agreed to the creation of a joint Ontario/Michigan automobile industry task force to guide growth, new supplier-to-business partnership programs, a "demonstration roadway" showcasing industry innovations and further bilateral meetings or workshops.
Dive Insight:
"As the two leaders within the Great Lakes area, Ontario and Michigan have a choice: we can compete with each other, or we can team up and make our auto industry stronger through partnership," Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne wrote in an article for The Detroit News.
The opinion piece was laced with pro-trade language, emphasizing the automobile industry now competes on a regional basis, with the Great Lakes region conforming one of North America's three productive clusters, and not on a country-by-country level. Last year, Michigan and Ontario traded over $74 billion worth of goods and produced a combined 4.6 million vehicles.
For that reason the two jurisdictions came together to support and share technologies related to connected cars, autonomous vehicles, lightweight materials and alternative fuels, in addition to the aforementioned programs.
"By working together to boost our regional competitiveness, we are supporting the long-term sustainability of our auto sectors for years to come," wrote the two leaders. But, "to stay on top, we have to adapt, move forward and find new ways to work together."
