By Kelly Louiseize
It started off as a vision shared by two people five years ago. Today, Niigon Technologies Ltd., is on its way to becoming a leader in the plastics moulding injection business.
“This is going to be one of the most advanced injection moulding companies in the world,” says Bob Dickson, Niigon’s general manager.
The plant opened in October of 2001, and already has become internationally known.
Dickson has signed a contract with Pascal from Israel to manufacture plastic clips for hanging vegetative matter in greenhouses. Once the product is finished, Niigon employees then ship the clips to Texas, Arizona, Delta, B.C. and Leamington as part of the contract with Pascal.
He has also agreed to supply a multinational car company situated north of Toronto with advanced nylon gears for their vehicles. Originally the auto manufacturer had bought its parts from a company in the United States. Niigon has brought the business to Ontario and plans to continue the trend.
“This will take us into a higher level of sophistication and quality that we haven’t been doing yet,” Dickson says.
Currently production is carried out by three machines, which work 24 hours a day, seven days a week. By the end of the summer two more 90-ton Hylectric machines will be introduced to the plant for the automotive contract.
Dickson says it will take four years to get 18 machines running to full capacity.
The seven employees who work at the facility have been trained at Humber College, studying in its plastics program, and have spent more than 18 months at Husky Injection Molding System, all at the expense of Niigon.
In the future, Dickson anticipates hiring close to 50 more employees in four years.
Keeping the community in mind has always been important to the administration and board members. They want to maintain a marriage between the community and the economic development in the area.
Founder and president of Husky Injection Molding Systems, Robert Schad, is the chair of Niigon board of governors. He has been one of the visionaries of the plant and has contributed financially and provided technical support to the fledgling corporation. Schad has also donated equipment necessary to get the plant up and running. Albert Diamond, president of Air Creebec, Rick Hoeske, vice-president of engineering of Nypro, Bob Dickson, Bob Rae (former Ontario premier), Eleanor Clitheroe (former CEO of Hydro One), Chief Ed Williams, who represents the shareholders, and another community resident who cares for the trust fund, make up the remainder of the board.
Together they make decisions for Niigon’s not-for-profit corporation.
“This project is the cornerstone of the sustainable community at Moose Deer Point,” Dickson says.
“The dividends of this company go into a trust that the community manages and the dividends will then be reinvested for better housing, health, and education programs,” he adds.
The idea is to build a community, which is viably sound. Dickson says he does not expect the plant to see a profit for another year.
The Niigon building is located in a pristine setting off the Georgian Bay coast on Moose Deer Point. The unique 48,000-square-foot building is a co-generation closed-loop facility. Water is brought into the building where it is heated or cooled to regulate the air temperature in the facility. It then travels down to the storage area where it is reused. Radiant floor heating and an air-handling unit provide dry air throughout the year. The $12-million building has the largest industrial use of photovoltaics in Canada. Through the cells on the roof, they generate approximately 42 kilowatts of power. Windows on the roof allow daylight into the building.
