Cape Breton Company Expanding to Be More Competitive and Productive

A small business in Cape Breton Regional Municipality is expanding and modernizing its production facility and purchasing new equipment, allowing it become more productive, and create and protect good jobs.

With a larger, modern and more efficient facility, East Coast Metal Fabrication Inc. in Edwardsville, will be able to compete for large regional and national contracts. The expansion will create ten new jobs and protect 14 jobs in skilled trades in Cape Breton.

"Nova Scotia companies want to be more competitive and productive. Without investments, it is difficult for small businesses to make the upgrades needed so they can compete for some of the big opportunities on our horizon," said Deputy Premier Frank Corbett. "Through jobsHere, we are making smart, strategic investments in great small businesses like East Coast Metal Fabrication, creating good jobs that families in Cape Breton and throughout Nova Scotia can depend on."

The company is using $600,000 from the province's Jobs Fund to help:

• complete an expansion of its metal fabrication facility
• redesign the facility to make the layout as efficient as possible and reduce waste
• purchase new, modern, automated equipment and machinery
• put a management and planning system in place
• develop a branding campaign to market the company to potential clients.

"We have some of the most talented and skilled workers in Nova Scotia. With this help from the province, we'll be able to continue the expansion of our facility, get more advanced equipment and lay out our facility more efficiently so we can compete and win big contracts," said Joe Hines, company chief operating officer.

"This is key to positioning East Coast Metal Fabrication so we can take advantage of the big opportunities of the future and for the future growth of our company."

With jobs expected to grow from 14 to 24 in the next three years, the company's payroll is expected to increase to more than $1 million. The province's investment will be recovered in less than seven years through direct tax revenue.

The loan is repayable over ten years and the company can earn forgiveness during the first five years if performance targets are met.

Located in the Sydport Industrial Park, East Coast Metal Fabrication is a custom metal fabricator that specializes in building aluminum and stainless steel modular packages for industrial companies. The fabrication facility and its employees have a long history of servicing local industrial operations; as well as, the oil, gas, mining and marine shipbuilding sectors throughout Canada.

The Nova Scotia Jobs Fund pursues investment opportunities for communities in transition, industry sectors, regional support, small businesses programs, infrastructure and large industrial ventures. For more information on the Jobs Fund, visit http://www.gov.ns.ca/econ/jobs-fund/.