The challenges some companies see in sourcing materials, equipment and parts in the coming weeks underscore just how delicate the automotive supply chain is and how the pandemic figures to remain a risk to it in the near future.

Unifor President Jerry Dias said there would be about 300 employees, all of them "strictly volunteers," who will begin work in St. Catharines, Ontario. The rest of GM's North American production will resume slowly beginning May 18.

Unifor President Jerry Dias said Fiat Chrysler’s Windsor, Ontario, assembly plant is an example of a factory where workers are particularly concerned because the city borders Detroit, which is among the cities hardest hit by the pandemic.

Unifor President Jerry Dias says his union will "give the green light" to start production in early May. His comments come after UAW President Rory Gamble said it would be "too risky" for workers and their families if auto plants restarted early in the month.

Unifor President Jerry Dias says the pandemic will reveal the fragility of the global supply chain and the need to source more parts locally.

Unifor President Jerry Dias said he anticipates assembly plants coming back online will do so initially as one-shift operations whenever it is determined that they can safely re-open.

The call for action comes as Canadian auto dealers adjust to new realities in the face of the coronavirus outbreak, as some provinces force non-essential businesses to close and as consumers stay home.

Automakers typically idle assembly plants for weeks during the summer and winter for retooling. Rob Wildeboer, who heads supplier Martinrea International Inc., said automakers could look into moving those weeks up to "weather the storm" of the global coronavirus pandemic.

Product has been taken away from General Motors plants in Oshawa and Ingersoll facilities in Ontario despite the facilities being recognized as two of the automaker’s "best" in the world.

The diversified Canadian supplier said it continues to expect lower sales in 2020, amid the coronavirus outbreak in China, which makes up about 5 percent of the company’s annual sales.

While PSA would focus on the compact- and midsize-car segments, North America CEO Larry Dominique says Peugeot could peddle a pickup in the region after its tie-up with FCA closes.

Unifor President Jerry Dias said FCA never approached him or Unifor with a proposition similar to the one GM alleges FCA agreed to with the UAW. He said FCA would not “even think about” doing so because of the union’s culture. “The bottom line is we bargain hard,” Dias said.

COO Bill Lucchini succeeds founder Gary Kalk as the Toronto company looks to further expand its business in the United States and Canada. Kalk becomes executive chairman.