On Thursday afternoon, representatives of the BMI Group and HOPA Ports, as well as local politicians, gathered at the former Hayes Dana Plant in Thorold South, to welcome its newest tenant: High Strength Plates & Profiles Inc. (HSPP).
As ThoroldToday reported, the BMI Group is redeveloping the plant as part of an expansion of the Thorold Multimodal Hub.
HSPP is one of Canada’s top suppliers of high-strength and abrasion-resistant steel products.
They already have an existing manufacturing presence in Mississauga and Sudbury, and by moving into the former Hayes Dana Plant, they’ll be adding 91,980-square-foot of production space.
The president of HSPP, Jason Brock, told ThoroldToday that the company’s expansion has been long overdue.
“We sort of hit this crisis point where we had more steel at the dock sitting there than we had a place to put it,” he said. “We wanted to get in here right away as soon as possible so that we can start putting the plates in. Our existing facilities are just jammed.”
Currently, HSPP produces around 2,000 tons of steel per month. By adding a third production facility, the company hopes to eventually produce another 1,000 tons.
It will still take a few more months before all the new equipment will be set up, but Brock hopes to have the facility operational as soon as possible.
In a press release, HSPP said that the facility will create 40 to 50 new jobs in the City of Thorold.
“This is exciting because we’ve always been building homes in this area,” Mayor Terry Ugulini said. “Now we’re getting the traction on the commercial/industrial side. That’s great for jobs, it’s great for the tax base, it’s not only great for the City of Thorold but the Niagara Region as a whole.”
Many local politicians attended the opening of the new facility yesterday afternoon, including Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley.
“This is great news, not only for Thorold, but also for the Niagara region,” he told the gathered crowd. “We all benefit from the activity and expansion of our supply chain capabilities right in here in our part of the province of Ontario.”
The Thorold Multimodal Hub is a partnership between the BMI Group and HOPA Ports. Due to the hub’s proximity to the railroad and the Welland Canal, it is a prime location for industrial manufacturing facilities to plant roots.
To date, more than 25 companies have moved into the Hub, and Brock is excited to add to that number.
“This is a great example of a public-private partnership,” he said, in a speech. “We’re really excited to be a part of it and we’re so thrilled that all of you are here today to be a part of it as well.”
