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An employee of Linamar loads gear castings at a plant in Guelph, Ont.

Linamar Corp. , Canada's second-largest auto parts maker, says it is closing its Invar Manufacturing plant in Batawa, Ont., and cutting 134 jobs.

The company said Thursday the plant in eastern Ontario near Belleville will be shut down over the next few months.

Linamar says the plant is not competitive in an increasingly difficult North American auto parts market.

"Unfortunately, despite the efforts of all involved, Invar Manufacturing Corporation is not a competitive option for Linamar," said Jim Jarrell, president and chief operating officer. "We regret the personal impact that this will have on employees and their families and sincerely appreciate their co-operation during the orderly wind down of operations."

The Guelph, Ont.-based parts maker said the closing does not affect Linamar's other Ontario plants where new business continues to be won and production levels are rising.

Linamar has more than 9,000 employees and operates around the world. The company ranks behind Magna International Inc. among Canada's largest parts makers.

Linamar produces precision metallic components, modules and systems for global vehicle and power generation markets as well as scissor lifts for industrial markets. The company operates 37 manufacturing plants in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Germany, Hungary, the U.K., China, Korea and Japan.

It generated sales of more than $2.2-billion in 2008.

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