THUNDER BAY —A family-owned manufacturing business in the Thunder Bay area has already found success promoting their new product in Canada.
Now the owners of Eco Carbon Foam Inc., located in Rosslyn, hope to expand into the U.S., a goal that will be more attainable thanks to the installation of new equipment.
The automated packaging equipment features a robotic arm, and allows the company to get its locally-made rigid polystyrene insulation panels out the door more quickly.
The boards – suitable for use below-grade around walls, under building slabs, or on roofs – are made from recycled plastic, and owners Viktor and Elena Rogalski believe the process they developed is a first for North America.
Over the past six years, the couple has overcome numerous challenges, including a devastating fire in 2020 at the former Buchanan Northern Hardwoods mill where their facility is located.
Today their company employs a dozen people.
They have just posted a new position, and more jobs are expected to be created as production ramps up.
Local MPs Patty Hajdu and Marcus Powlowski announced that the new equipment was purchased with the aid of a $185,000 contribution from FedNor, the federal government's economic development agency for Northern Ontario.
A government announcement stated the investment will help Eco Carbon Foam increase its output while also improving production and quality control efficiency.
"This initiative will create capacity to serve large contracts and meet market demands, and will help expand a critical need in addressing housing infrastructure in Northwestern Ontario and beyond," it said.
The investment comes from a FedNor fund that supports business expansions into new markets, and their adoption of new technologies and processes.
In an interview Tuesday, Elena Rogalski said "We already have a couple good contacts with big supply chains for building materials in the U.S....And we manufacture not only for ourselves. We have a manufacturing agreement with one of the other experienced producers here in Canada."
Her husband Viktor added in a statement: "We are proud to be a manufacturer of insulation that supports construction and helps reduce energy use for Canadian families and businesses. This FedNor investment is going to help us to continue growing."
