Ontario's Minister of Economic Development and Growth was in Chatham to invest $2.6-million in Chatham-Kent. Mar. 15, 2018. (Photo by Paul Pedro)Ontario's Minister of Economic Development and Growth was in Chatham to invest $2.6-million in Chatham-Kent. Mar. 15, 2018. (Photo by Paul Pedro)
Chatham

Five CK Companies Are Growing Thanks In Part To Provincial Funding

Ontario's minister of economic development and growth was in Chatham Thursday afternoon to announce a $2.6-million investment in Chatham-Kent.

Minister Steven Del Duca announced $662,000 for Dana Canada in Chatham to create 14 new jobs at the Richmond St. plant.

Plant Manager Michael Faber says Dana Canada will use the provincial money for a new production line to expand the business and keep making heat shields for auto exhausts and engines.

"It helps a lot in the company making a decision to invest in the plant here in Chatham. So, it's big for the plant to be able to expand our capacity and increase our output to keep producing what we make," says Faber.

Ontario's Minister of Economic Development and Growth was in Chatham to invest $2.6-million in Chatham-Kent. Mar. 15, 2018. (Photo by Paul Pedro)Ontario's Minister of Economic Development and Growth was in Chatham to invest $2.6-million in Chatham-Kent. Mar. 15, 2018. (Photo by Paul Pedro)

Ontario's Minister of Economic Development and Growth was in Chatham to invest $2.6-million in Chatham-Kent. Mar. 15, 2018. (Photo by Paul Pedro)Ontario's Minister of Economic Development and Growth was in Chatham to invest $2.6-million in Chatham-Kent. Mar. 15, 2018. (Photo by Paul Pedro)

Ontario's Minister of Economic Development and Growth was in Chatham to invest $2.6-million in Chatham-Kent. Mar. 15, 2018. (Photo by Paul Pedro)Ontario's Minister of Economic Development and Growth was in Chatham to invest $2.6-million in Chatham-Kent. Mar. 15, 2018. (Photo by Paul Pedro)

The funding will help retain 82 other jobs at Dana Canada. The new people are already being trained and the new production line will be operating later this year.

The provincial funding will help five Chatham-Kent companies create a total of 70 new jobs and keep 330 others.

Aarkel Tool and Die in Wallaceburg is getting $1-million to create 15 new positions and keep 150 other jobs.

Rulmeca Canada in Wallaceburg also got $500,000 for 21 new positions and to maintain 73 others, Waltron Trailers in Ridgetown received $113,000 to create ten new jobs and keep 31 others and Barry Callebaut Canada in Chatham received $339,000 for ten new jobs.

The five companies are also investing a total of $24.5-million across Chatham-Kent.

Faber says this partnership with the Ontario Government is a vote of confidence in the company and the Chatham-Kent economy.

"The demand for heat shields is growing all the time and being able to put that capacity into the plant here in Chatham keeps the business local," he says.

Faber says the funding goes a long way to securing local jobs and without it, the new production could have gone to another Dana plant in North America.

"Dana has a lot of facilities throughout North America and this funding went a long way to help the decision to put it in this plant," Faber says.

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