Ontario Helps Two Cornwall Companies Expand
Ontario is helping two Cornwall-based manufacturers grow their businesses, invest in cutting-edge equipment and create 26 new jobs while protecting 562 existing positions. Grants were announced to Ridgewood Industries and SigmaPoint under the Eastern Ontario Development Fund (EODF).
“Ridgewood Industries and SigmaPoint are two great examples of Ontario companies succeeding in a competitive market place. With the government’s support, these companies are growing their businesses and creating good jobs," said Brad Duguid, Minister of Economic Development and Innovation. "Working together, we are building strong businesses, attracting investment and creating jobs.”
Ridgewood Industries, a ready-to-assemble (RTA) furniture manufacturer, is modernizing its production facilities and providing skilled training for its employees to develop new product lines for the highly-competitive domestic and international RTA markets. The support will help create 10 new jobs and protect 275 existing positions.
“This Ontario Government investment will help improve our operational efficiencies, increase productivity and strengthen our leadership position within the highly competitive ready-to-assemble furniture sector,” said Barry Blidner, Ridgewood's Vice-President/General Manager.
SigmaPoint Technologies Inc. is streamlining its automated assembly line to increase its competitiveness by reducing costs, providing improved turnaround times for customer orders and developing products for new markets, including the medical, defence and aerospace sectors. This project will create 16 new jobs and protect 287 existing positions.
“This announcement marks the next milestone in the evolution of SigmaPoint," said Dan Bergeron, President of SigmaPoint. "To succeed in our business, we need to offer our customers the very best in innovative solutions at competitive prices. That’s what we’re doing and the province has been an important partner in building our skilled team here in Cornwall.”
Ontario is providing a strong and stable environment for businesses to grow and create good jobs for families in the face of global economic uncertainty. These new jobs will build upon the 124,800 net new full-time jobs that have already been created in Ontario so far this year alone.
Partnering with local businesses is part of the McGuinty government’s plan to create and support new and existing jobs for Ontario families, and to strengthen local economies.
QUICK FACTS
- SigmaPoint provides end-to-end assembly services for highly complex electronic products within computer, telecommunications, medical, defence, industrial, alternative energy and transportation markets.
- Ontario supported an earlier phase of SigmaPoint’s expansion, with a project announced August 2009 to upgrade skills training and manufacturing equipment. Since then, the company exceeded the initial project’s job creation target and achieved “World Class Lean Six Sigma” – a special global designation reserved for companies excelling in lean, efficient manufacturing.
- Ridgewood Industries, a division of Dorel Industries Inc., specializes in a wide variety of ready-to-assemble furniture for home and office.
- In 2010, Ontario was named a top destination for foreign direct investment in North America, second only to California. The province attracted a total of 127 Foreign Direct Investment projects, which created more than 11,200 jobs.
- As a result of the tax changes implemented in Ontario, taxes on business investment were cut in half, making Ontario more competitive and encouraging business growth.
