AGS AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS has more than 60 years experience in the automotive parts industry. Until 2002, AGS AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS was known as A.G. Simpson Co. Ltd. Following a restructuring that occurred in 2001-2002, A.G. Simpson Co. Ltd. was acquired by J2 Management Corp. and shortly after that began to operate as AGS AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS. AGS has four facilities in Canada – in Oshawa, Toronto, Cambridge and Windsor, Ontario. It also has two locations in the United States, in Sterling Heights, Michigan and in Shreveport, Louisiana.

AGS is a full service supplier, with capabilities in stamping, plating, coating, welding, sequencing and assembly. 80% of AGS’s business is in the supply of impact system assemblies/modules and 20% of its business in comprised of the supply of general stampings. AGS supplies bumper systems and body-in-white structural modules to GM, Chrysler and several Tier 1 customers. AGS’s breadth of operations is quite extensive, and many of its programs span several of our locations in order to provide maximum service and optimal value-add to its customers.

AGS is perhaps best known for its expertise in the design and manufacture of front and rear impact systems. Of special note in this area is AGS’s distinctive competency in the chrome plating of bumpers. AGS consistently exceeds appearance and corrosion resistance standards, even on high volume products and as a result, AGS’s bumpers have an unsurpassed warranty record. AGS has expended significant resources in research and development in the area of chrome plating over the last several years, notwithstanding the widely held belief in the industry that no further developments in this area were likely. This research and development by AGS has borne fruit, enabling AGS over the last several years to pull even further ahead of other suppliers in terms of the quality, corrosion resistance and material reductions of its chrome bumpers, allowing AGS to deliver superior products at a lower price. AGS operates 4 chrome plating lines, enabling AGS to support the marketplace with critical backup plating sources. AGS is committed to being a leader in this area and continues to do research and development into enhanced corrosion resistance.

AGS also has a deep competency in the stamping of complex parts and this skill differentiates it from other "stamp and ship" manufacturers. AGS is both a Tier 1 and a Tier 2 supplier of stamped and welded parts. AGS’s equipment and capabilities span a very wide range. AGS has more than 135 stamping presses in its facilities, with capacity up to 2500T, and many of these presses have bed sizes that allow them to accommodate large parts. AGS specializes in large tonnage equipment and a sampling of its stamped products include: bumper products, cross members, oil pans, control arms, and frame assemblies.

In addition, since 2002, AGS has also developed particular skill in welding. Over this period, AGS has worked to develop highly automated, flexible welding equipment, which can be used on multiple programs. This type of welding equipment is key in defect and cycle time reduction and in improving yields and efficiency and its flexible nature makes AGS a cost leader in this area.

In 2002, AGS’s new ownership embraced “quality, technology and teamwork” as the three pillars for AGS’s business. Since then, AGS has focused in those areas with strong results. On the quality side, as noted above, no other bumper manufacturer can match the warranty record of AGS. In addition, all of AGS’s six locations in Canada and the United States are TS16949-2002 and ISO14001 compliant. In the area of technology, since 2002 AGS has made strategic investments in innovation and automation. These investments have enabled AGS to achieve higher throughputs, to reduce defects, to handle a wider mix of products and colors and to lower costs. Regarding teamwork, AGS’s team is very collaborative and all employees are encouraged to develop innovations as they do their jobs. AGS has also employed a “co-location” strategy, locating a plastics supplier in the heart of two of its manufacturing and assembly facilities. This strategy has enabled AGS to reduce inventory levels, to reap significant freight savings, to achieve higher quality through less handling of products and to lower prices to its customers.

The automotive industry in North America has gone through many changes in a few short years and it is obvious that the rate and pace of change are likely to only accelerate for some time to come. AGS feels that it is well positioned to weather these changes and to be a key player in the new global automotive industry, in light of its dedication to quality, its use of innovative technologies and its commitment to teamwork and colloboration.