Windsor Star Article
TUESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2008

Plant Expands windsorstar.com


‘Good news’ for auto sector supplier

Two years after relocating to a new larger plant on Banwell Road, a local supplier of assembly line machinery to the auto industry is expanding again after landing a large retooling contract from a major manufacturing company.

While declining to disclose the identity of his new customer for competitive reasons, L&H Diversified Manufacturing Inc. president Ethen Laing said it’s “good news for our company in these challenging times.
“The last couple of years have been difficult but we've kept our core group of customers and even managed to add a few new ones in Mexico,” said Laing. “And this latest addition will enable us to expand into a second plant.” The new plant is located at 2679 Howard Ave. in a portion of the former Ex-Cell-O Canada Ltd. building. Owned by Radius Realty and managed by Murray Troup and Ernie Mailloux, the building still has vacant space available for large-
scale projects with high ceilings and a 25-tonne crane.Laing said the fact his new customer chose a Windsor firm to complete the project “speaks volumes not only about our company but also for the auto industry's continued interest in utilizing the experience and skills of the Windsor area's workforce. “Our employees are among the best in the industry from project management and engineering all the way to their skills on the manufacturing floor.”

Three years after Laing and his brother Andre established L&H, its customer base has grown to include Chrysler, Ford, General Motors and Toyota. There are now 40 employees, an increase of about 30 per cent as a result of the latest expansion.

L&H manufactures machines used in auto assembly operations and also those used for washing and cleaning machine parts such as differential cases, blocks and cylinder heads. Other products and services include industrial cleaning systems, spindle assemblies,fixtures and metal removing machines. The company's washers remove grease, oil, soil, abrasive dust, blast debris, paint and other contaminants from the surfaces of components coming off an assembly line.
In explaining L&H's rapid growth, Laing said “there is still plenty of work out there but the key is diversity. We’ve been able to change our business plan and our approach to meet the new demands facing our customers.”
Laing said the company’s success in attracting customers in Mexico is due to having a representative in place in Mexico who “can handle our customer’s needs almost immediately. “You also have to take time to build a relationship and show your customers respect by having someone on site,”said Laing. “You can't expect to fly in once a month and build any type of relationship with a new customer.”