Alberta is struggling to keep pace with its manufacturing needs; Ontario is wallowing in surplus capacity.
Dynamic Solutions Inc. of Red Deer is the latest company to bridge the gap, with plans to develop a fabrication plant in Windsor, Ont.
Leigh McDiarmid, Dynamic Solutions’ general manager, said the company — which produces coiled tubing downhole tools — has experienced significant growth during the past year and a half and wants to boost its international sales in 2012.
“Currently,” said McDiarmid, “we are maximizing our Alberta manufacturing capacity, and therefore we need to look outside the province for additional support.”
Windsor, which has for decades been a major manufacturing centre, seemed a logical choice. It had land suitable for Dynamic Solutions’ needs, and plenty of skilled labour.
“We have been receiving some very high-calibre resumes so far which we are very impressed with,” said McDiarmid. “It is clear there is a large, highly skilled workforce in Windsor that we look forward to utilizing.”
The company has already leased a 25,000-square-foot building in the southwestern Ontario city and hopes to be operating there by April. As many as 40 workers will be required, said McDiarmid.
Ron Gaudet, CEO of the Windsor Essex Economic Development Corporation, told The Windsor Star newspaper that the Red Deer company is a welcome addition to the city’s struggling manufacturing industry.
“It’s clear that this region’s skill sets can be transferred to new sectors and this is a prime example. As the auto sector slowly gets back on track, this makes for a stronger economy.”
McDiarmid said he knows of several other Alberta companies that are also tapping into Ontario’s underutilized fabrication resources.
“Windsor’s current ties to the West in oilfield manufacturing is one of the reasons why it was selected,” he said.
Communicating with staff several thousand kilometres away could present challenges, acknowledged McDiarmid, but he’s confident these can be overcome.
“In this day and age of electronic communication, conference calls and meetings are much easier to utilize (whether) a person is present or not.”
Dynamic Solutions, which also has offices in Calgary and Grande Prairie, employs about 50 people in Alberta. It does some of its own manufacturing, but currently outsources much of the work to machine shops.
hrichards@www.reddeeradvocate.com