Brite Manufacturing closes
Canadian Plastics
Canadian PlasticsCiting increased cost pressures and decreasing demand, Brite Manufacturing Inc., Canada's largest wood-plastic comp...
Citing increased cost pressures and decreasing demand, Brite Manufacturing Inc., Canada’s largest wood-plastic composite deck maker, has closed its doors and is soliciting potential buyers.
Production at the company has ceased, and approximately 100 employees have had their positions terminated as a result of the closure.
Founded 30 years ago in Bolton, Ont., Brite Manufacturing is a publicly traded producer of plastic lattice and made pressure-treated lumber and cedar boards, in addition to composite deck and railing products.
“The closure is the result of a combination of various things happening over the past 12 months,” vice president Andrew Rush told Canadian Plastics. “The rise of the Canadian dollar, the slowdown in demand especially in the US, and the rise in the price of resin by about 50 per cent in 6 months all conspired to hurt us.”
According to Rush, a small number of office and plant staff has been retained to sell off inventory and prepare the company for sale. “We’ve had calls from potential buyers, and we’ve made calls ourselves,” he explained. “We want to make sure that everyone we see as a viable potential buyer of the company is aware that we’re on the market, and what we manufacture.”
The company’s 50,000-square-foot plastics facility in Bolton houses extrusion lines and injection molding machines, and also has 8,000 square feet of office space. Brite also has a 30,000-square-foot lumber treatment plant in South River, Ont.
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