Business · Transformer supply chainHitachi Energy Plans C$479M London Factory and More Than 100 Permanent JobsAired October 18, 2026 at 2:16 AM UTCWritten October 18, 2026 at 2:19 AM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:07Hitachi Energy Canada plans to invest $479 million0:11in a transformer insulation factory.0:14The project promises more than 100 permanent skilled jobs and Canada's first press0:18board manufacturing line.0:20When will that investment become a working factory, with people employed and0:24material coming out?0:25The company announced the project on October 16, 2026.0:29Hitachi Energy is wholly owned by Hitachi.0:32Its Canadian business is the investor behind the proposed Transformer Insulation0:36Center.0:37The proposed factory would occupy 226,000 square feet in Huron Industrial Park in0:43East London, Ontario.0:44That's about 21,000 square meters.0:47The investment would bring a new material making operation into the city's0:50industrial base.0:51The $479 million is the announced project investment.0:55The company hasn't provided a construction-only cost breakdown.0:58The employment forecast covers permanent skilled manufacturing and engineering1:02positions needed to operate the facility.1:04Pressboard provides insulation inside high-voltage transformers.1:08Hitachi Energy plans to manufacture that material in London.1:12A first Canadian production line would add a domestic source of transformer1:15insulation to the North American supply chain.1:17That gives the project a specific role in electricity infrastructure.1:21Transformer manufacturers need materials as well as assembly capacity.1:25The London announcement doesn't put a number on how much this plant would shorten1:28delivery times or replace imports.1:31The federal government has announced 30 million Canadian dollars in support.1:35Ontario's support is up to 20 million.1:37Together, that's an announced envelope of up to $50 million.1:40The provincial ceiling means the full amount isn't guaranteed.1:44The federal package includes $20 million from the Strategic Response Fund.1:48Another $10 million comes from the Investments in Forest Industry Transformation1:52Program.1:52Governments haven't disclosed how much support has actually been paid or the1:56repayment and job protection terms attached to it.1:58The material figures describe different things.2:01One gives more than 20,000 tons of wood fiber as an input.2:05Another gives finished pressboard capacity of up to 20,000 tons annually.2:09The first figure has no stated annual basis and the units differ.2:13The relationship between those quantities hasn't been explained, so they can't be2:17used to calculate manufacturing yield.2:19The annual press board specification describes capacity the proposed line could have2:23once operating.2:24More than 100 permanent skilled jobs are expected at the factory.2:27Those positions would give manufacturing workers and engineers a new local employer,2:32their prospective operating jobs, separate from the work involved in building the2:35plant.2:36Executives and ministers broke ground on October 16, 2026.2:40The factory is expected to be completed by 2028.2:43The early estimate put production nearly two years after the announcement.2:47Building completion and bringing equipment into service are separate steps.2:51London has a 2028 completion expectation for a plant that would introduce Canadian2:56press board production.2:57Delivering that capability still requires the factory to be built, equipped, and3:01staffed.3:01The company hasn't announced an exact production start date or when those permanent3:05jobs will open.Explore with HeyDexFollow via RSSThe shortThe short ↗