A hot-dip galvanizing plant is setting up shop at North Bay's Airport Industrial Business Park.
A new Canadian startup company, Norgalv Ltd., will construct a 32,500-square-foot facility on land recently purchased from the City of North Bay.
The $21-million plant will employ 45. Its design will be done by leading industry specialists from Austria and Germany.
According to a Sept. 3 municipal news release, Norgalv intends to serve the Ontario market with a focus on catering to Northern Ontario's mining supply and service sector.
The news release provided no timelines on construction, when the plant will be operational, or if the company has signed any contracts with clients in Northern Ontario.
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Hot-dip galvanizing is the process of providing a corrosion resistant coating on fabricated steel products by dipping it in a bath ("kettle") of molten zinc. It's often applied to steel products used in harsh environments (such as bridges and in underwater applications) to ensure its longevity and to keep maintenance costs low.
“We are very pleased to be constructing our new facility at the Airport Industrial Business Park," said Norgalv's managing director Andre van Soelen in a City of North Bay news release.
"Our facility will be the only one of its kind in Northern Ontario and we look forward to serving the mining, manufacturing, construction and civil markets from our state-of-the art facility in North Bay. The City and community have been very supportive of our project and we are eager to join the local business community once operational in 2020.”
The facility is described as being a semi-automated, single-line, hot-dipped galvanizing plant, with an 8 metre-by-1.4 metre-by-3.5 metre kettle, plus all other supplementary equipment required.
“We are very pleased that the Norgalv Limited team has selected North Bay as the future home for their new galvanizing facility," said North Bay Mayor Al McDonald in a statement.
"The City of North Bay looks forward to Norgalv’s development project and the opportunity to officially welcome the company to the community. This new investment represents another important step in continuing to grow North Bay.”
