Feds invests $7.8M in York Region’s advanced manufacturers

Funding from FedDev Ontario will help three innovative manufacturers scale up, increase capacity and create 116 new jobs

Canadianmanufacturing.com
August 26, 2020

On Aug. 25, the Government of Canada announced an investment of $7.8 million from FedDev Ontario to help three local manufacturers grow and create jobs. This helps to create 116 skilled jobs and maintain 30 more. It will also leverage more than $28 million in additional investments in York Region, and increase regional supply chain spending.

“Ontario’s advanced manufacturers are world leaders, supporting thousands of jobs while producing the cutting-edge products the world wants and needs,” said Mélanie Joly, minister of economic development and official languages and minister responsible for FedDev Ontario, in a prepared statement. “Our message to them is clear: we’ve been here for you with immediate measures, we’re here for your now as our economy reopens and we’ll get through this, together. We’re working with you to support good, local jobs and help Ontario’s economy come back strong.”

Vision Profile Extrusions manufactures synthetic polymer and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) for use in the installation of windows and doors, primarily for construction. The Woodbridge-based company is a member of the Vision Group, with more than 970 employees in Canada. With a $2.3-million repayable contribution from FedDev Ontario, Vision Profile Extrusions will be able to adopt leading-edge processes, integrating first-in-Canada and first-in-industry capabilities in robotics and automation. This will allow the company to increase capacity of its PVC processing line, strengthening its position in key export markets including the United States and Latin America.

Axiom Group is a plastic injection molding and mold-making company, operating in Aurora for over 30 years. A $4.5-million repayable contribution from FedDev Ontario will allow the company to automate and digitize its processes to improve its Industry 4.0-enabled facilities. This will help Axiom increase its capacity to develop high-tech molding for automakers, as well as enhance and expand its development, design and quality control capabilities. Through this project, Axiom expects to create 60 skilled jobs in Aurora.

DuROCK is a manufacturer of products in Exterior Insulation Finish Systems (EIFS), specialty coatings for floors and walls and specialty interior and design finishes. The Woodbridge-based company has a patent pending non-combustible EIFS solution on the market: the PUCCS NC. With a $1-million repayable contribution from FedDev Ontario, DuROCK will establish a new manufacturing facility. This will allow the company to produce 2,000 PUCC-ROCK boards per day in order to meet the growing demand for this technology. As pandemic-related restrictions ease, DuROCK’s increased capacity will allow the company to take advantage of new infrastructure and retrofitting projects, particularly those requiring energy-efficient and non-combustible solutions.