Two Ontario plastics processors investing to expand

Two Ontario-based plastics processors are receiving investment funding from the province of Ontario to help expand, buy new equipment, and add new staff.

In a Nov. 25 news release, the province announced that it’s investing more than $3.2 million in injection molder E. Hofmann Plastics Canada and manufacturer Rochling Engineering Plastics.

E. Hofmann, headquartered in Orangeville, is investing $20 million to build a new 41,000 square foot automated warehouse that will improve their efficiency and increase their production capacity to manufacture packaging using thermoforming and injection molding. With Ontario’s investment of $3 million from the Southwestern Ontario Development Fund (SWODF), E. Hofmann will create 16 new jobs. “The project will involve purchasing new equipment to support the production of innovative, environmentally friendly plastic packaging,” the news release said. E. Hofmann supplies packaging for the food, chemical, and construction industries.

And Röchling Engineering Plastics Ltd., also based in Orangeville, is investing more than $2.6 million to add a fourth plastic extrusion line at its headquarters. The company produces thin gauge printable polyethylene sheets used in the graphics industry. The new line will add 2.2 million pounds of additional graphic capacity. With Ontario’s investment of $241,678 from the Southwestern Ontario Development Fund, Röchling Engineering Plastics will create 14 new jobs. The technology being installed will allow the new line to run 24/7.

“SWODF support of our $2.6 million investment in Röchling Orangeville Industrial’s extrusion capacity in 2019, ultimately facilitates 100 per cent utilization of our Orangeville physical plant by mid-2022,” Dan Braniff, Röchling’s plant manager, said in the news release. “With SWODF support, 2019 was the single biggest capital investment year for Röchling in Ontario. The increased sales generated by the SWODF investment gave Röchling the confidence and resources to duplicate 2019 record capital investment in 2021 and also plan to double investment with a major plant expansion in 2022. We continue to recruit and expand staff.”

“I am very pleased that two manufacturers in my community are recipients of SWODF funding,” Sylvia Jones, MPP Dufferin-Caledon, said in the news release. “The projects for both Röchling Engineering Plastics and E. Hoffman Plastics creates growth and expansion within the companies and provides great local job opportunities.”