Peter Fragiskatos, Member of Parliament for London North Centre, announced that Dajcor Aluminum Ltd. will receive an investment of up to $2.48 million from FedDev Ontario to increase production capacity at its Chatham facility.
This announcement was made this morning on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for FedDev Ontario.
Dajcor Aluminum manufactures aluminum components for a variety of sectors including automotive, light rail transit, construction and many others.
This repayable contribution, through FedDev Ontario’s Investing in Business Growth and Productivity initiative, will help the company adopt innovative technologies and enhance its facilities.
With the upgrades, the company will be able to manufacture more complex and high-quality aluminum components such as transit door assemblies, ventilation systems and LED light enclosures and expand into new global markets.
The investment will also go towards a co-generation initiative utilizing recaptured steam to heat the plant.
Established in June 2010 from the former Daymond Aluminum building on Irwin Street with just 23 employees and 30 customers, Dajcor now has more than 150 employees and about 300 customers.
The fact that local business leaders saw an opportunity to reopen the shuttered plant and provide employment in their community was summed up by President Mike Kilby who said they happened to be in the “right time and right place”.
During a tour of newly revamped anodization line and new extrusion press Kilby said “this investment by FedDev Ontario allows Dajcor Aluminum to accelerate its growth plans to capture present and future business and provide increased employment opportunities in Chatham-Kent.”
Dajcor Aluminum Ltd., a one-stop supplier of custom-made and processed aluminum products and components, was named 2015 Industry of the Year by the Chatham-Kent Chamber of Commerce.
This investment will support the total project cost of $10.3 million, leveraging $1.02 million from the provincial government and $6.8 million in private sector investment.
– Photo credit: Municipality of Chatham-Kent
