BCA Report special feature
Phoenix Building Components is a design/engineer and manufacturer of wood based structural products including roof trusses, wall panels, floor trusses, timber trusses and engineered wood beams and columns. Providing its products across Ontario and Quebec and into New York, Ohio and New England, the company will achieve greater levels of service and quality once it opens its new 54,000 sq. ft. facility later this year in Essa Township near Barrie.
Grant Gibbons, the company’s president and CEO, says the new location is a major increase over the company’s existing facilities, doubling its manufacturing space to 45,000 sq. ft. and tripling yard space for product storage. The expansion will also add 100 new staff to the company’s existing roll of more than 100.
“This new size will allow us to double our manufacturing capacity and allow us to improve our productivity, increase sales into non-traditional areas, and allow us to manufacture new product lines. In addition to the plant, we are co-locating the design/sales/engineering office that is currently located in Barrie which will improve internal communication,” he said.
Gibbons says Essa was chosen for its proximity to the company’s existing manufacturing facility in New Lowell and to the office in Barrie. “This should minimize any travel issues for our staff. Additionally, it should allow Phoenix to better recruit employees to the manufacturing plant as it will be close to Barrie and along the current bus route between Barrie and Angus.”
The project design took into consideration the company’s focus on manufacturing its large building components – some 14 ft. by 100 ft. – and so required a large free span area. The design also incorporates the highest standards for insulation, high efficiency heating and high-efficiency LED lighting. Gibbons says 95 per cent of the company’s manufacturing waste is currently able to be recycled, adding to the plant’s sustainability footprint.
He says the project this far has been very successful but the greatest success will occur when Phoenix is able to start manufacturing there.
“This project would not be the success it has without the support of many,” he said. “I want to thank the staff at Phoenix who were heavily involved in the design of the new facility and those who have been waiting patiently over the past five years for this project to come to fruition.”
“I want to thank the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) for their support. Finally, I want to thank the construction and design team for their professionalism and excellence: Bertram Construction, Ian Malcolm Architect, Pearson Engineering, Wallwin Electrical and Division 15.”
