Two Cowichan-based businesses will receive up to $700,000 from the province to help pay for upcoming capital projects at their facilities.
In Mill Bay, Kinsol Timber Systems will receive as much as $500,000 to build a pre-fabrication facility at its operating site to increase capacity for mass-timber production.
Mass timber products are thick, compressed layers of wood glued together to create strong, structural load-bearing elements that are as strong as concrete and can be used in the construction of large buildings.
The facility will add a nail-laminated timber line, increase its sawn-timber and glue-laminated-timber fabrication and establish a new panelized wall line with the funding.
In Cobble Hill, Nexus Modular Solutions will receive as much as $200,000 to expand and upgrade its existing facility and purchase new machinery that will diversify the company’s product lines for the construction of modular and manufactured homes.
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The integration of increased efficiencies and component accuracy at Nexus Modular Solutions is intended to save money and reduce waste.
Brenda Bailey, Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation, said the province’s investment in the two companies will continue growing B.C.’s value-added wood and manufacturing sectors, and will create jobs and strengthen local economies.
“We are investing into innovative projects throughout B.C. to get more value out of our natural resources, while retaining and creating high-quality jobs that support families and communities,” she said.
“Supporting the growth of manufacturing companies helps us build resilient local economies throughout our province.”
The provincial investment in the two companies is coming from the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund which supports for-profit organizations to plan and launch shovel-ready, high-value industrial and manufacturing projects that bring direct benefits to communities, while driving clean and inclusive growth throughout the province.
Applications for the fund are open and being approved on a rolling basis.
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Tyler Hiltunen, operations manager at Kinsol Timber Systems, said the company is incredibly grateful for the financial support from the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund, which enables Kinsol to construct a new manufacturing facility and head office in the Cowichan Valley.
“This not only galvanizes Kinsol’s commitment to the community, but will also create new jobs, enhance our production capabilities and allow us to better meet the growing demands of the mass-timber market,” Hiltunen said.
Noah Topp, business development manager at Nexus Modular Solutions, added that the company is also excited to receive the funding.
“We plan to use this capital to streamline our processes and add new building capacity to our growing lineup of services,” he said.
“This funding will allow us to continue to provide residents of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands with beautiful high-quality modular homes.”
For more information on Nexus, check out https://www.loc8nearme.com/british-columbia/cobble-hill/nexus-modular-solutions/7059652/
Bailey, who was in the Cowichan Valley earlier this week to meet with officials at Kinsol and Nexus, said her ministry has been meeting with businesses, local governments, First Nations and business improvement areas across the province to get a front-line view of their concerns regarding the economy and determine what the government can do to assist.
She said there are great opportunities for value-added forest products in B.C., and Kinsol is proving that by exporting mass- timber products to construction projects all around the world, and that’s exactly the kind of value-added initiative that the province wants to see.
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Bailey also pointed out the significant investment from both senior levels of government and Paper Excellence Canada into the Crofton pulp mill earlier this year that allowed the facility’s third production line, which had been shut down due to market conditions, to reopen, making wood utensils for restaurants to replace plastic ones, allowing 100 workers to return to their jobs.
“There’s lot of value-added opportunities for manufacturers on the Island, and we’re doing what we can to help,” Bailey said.