Martinrea International is taking its factory playbook to the Tomahawk cruise missile line.
The Toronto-based auto supplier announced Wednesday that its new subsidiary, TruNorth Aerospace & Defense USA, has set up a working relationship with Raytheon, an RTX business, to help accelerate Tomahawk cruise missile production. A sister company, TruNorth Kaizen, is part of the effort. Both are wholly owned U.S. companies of Martinrea.
Why it matters: It’s another Canadian auto manufacturer stepping into defence. Earlier this week, Roshel agreed to buy Stellantis’ idle Brampton assembly plant to build a defence manufacturing hub.
The work
TruNorth will work alongside Raytheon’s manufacturing operations teams to apply lean principles, processes and tools. The company said the collaboration will:
Streamline manufacturing flow, line design and production processes
Increase efficiencies and shorten production lead time
Strengthen daily work practices and workforce development
Share manufacturing knowledge and leadership operating principles
The goal is to help Raytheon keep scaling production to meet the needs of the U.S. Department of War.
How it started
TruNorth began working with Raytheon in the summer of 2026, first applying its lean manufacturing methodology within Raytheon’s operations. Martinrea said early results led to a broader engagement, focused on embedding lean principles and operating efficiencies more deeply across Raytheon’s manufacturing organization.
“This effort demonstrates the strength of what Martinrea does every day: operate world-class manufacturing plants,” said Pat D’Eramo, CEO of Martinrea International. “Our team brings deep lean operating experience to help make that happen.”
The bigger play
Martinrea sees this as a first step, not the endgame.
“This is an important step into the defense space,” said Rob Wildeboer, executive chairman of Martinrea International. “Over time, we also see opportunities to become a direct manufacturing supplier to leading aerospace and defense companies.”
The company makes lightweight structures and propulsion systems for the auto industry and operates in 53 locations across Canada, the United States, Mexico, Germany, Slovakia, Spain, South Africa and Japan. It trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Raytheon’s side
For Raytheon, the work supports a broader push to strengthen manufacturing readiness and build the people, processes and operating systems needed to respond to changing production needs.
“Our customers are counting on us to deliver critical capabilities when and where they are needed most. That means increasing production, accelerating delivery and bringing greater urgency to everything we do,” said Bob Butz, senior vice-president for operations, supply chain and quality at Raytheon.
What’s next
Martinrea didn’t disclose the value or length of the engagement. Its stated ambition is clear, though: move from coaching the primes to building for them.
