Some Canadian automotive suppliers say they are losing millions of dollars in new U.S. business because of problems getting clients, technicians and other essential workers across the Canada-U.S. border.
They blame inadequate COVID-19 border rules and unpredictable enforcement by border guards, saying the restrictions fail to recognize the highly integrated nature of the North American auto industry.
“I’ve already lost 10 per cent of my sales [in 2021] and am on the verge of losing a third of our business because our customer said: ‘I’m traveling from South Carolina. If I can’t get in to see you, I can’t give you the contract,’ ” said Jonathon Azzopardi, CEO of Windsor, Ont.-based Laval Tool & Mold Ltd. and chair of the Canadian Association of Mold Makers (CAMM). “I get emails about this every day from our members.” Azzopardi said the situation has worsened over the course of the pandemic.
A recent survey of 39 Ontario tool and die and mold-making businesses, as well as automation companies, showed that 69 per cent of respondents lost U.S. contracts because of border issues, said Azzopardi.
Individual estimated financial impacts ranged from $100,000 to more than $5 million.