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Opened in 1989, the Cami factory in Ingersoll began as a joint venture between General Motors Canada and Japanese automaker Suzuki at a time when North American automakers were embracing Japanese production methods and Asian automakers were beginning to expand into Canada. The name Cami stands for Canadian Automotive Manufacturing Inc. The sprawling plant, built by EllisDon – the same London-born construction giant that built global landmarks from the SkyDome in Toronto to Canary Wharf in London, England – was cutting-edge for its time, the largest design-build auto factory on the continent.

Joining Ford of Canada, which at the time still built cars at a factory in Talbotville, near St. Thomas, the Cami plant quickly became a major employer in a then-growing auto and a

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