Atlas Copco opens new factory in the Bay

It was banner day for the management and staff this past week as Atlas Copco officially opened their new Ferris Drive manufacturing facility.

The plant, a decade in the making, contains new state of the art automated manufacturing equipment that will allow the company to improve service for their Canadian customers as well as clients worldwide.

“I think it is an exciting time like I mentioned it was about 10 years ago we made this acquisition it was a difficult time we took this decision we bought a couple more companies and we said that this (North Bay) is a good place it is the centre of the mining and Canada is the centre of exploration in the world so we decided we need a good place in this environment,” explains Senior Executive Vice President of Mining and Construction Bjorn Rosengren.

“During the years the business was not as good at that time but seeing it has gotten better, we invested more here and developed our processes, new products and a lot of exciting stuff.”

“We have grown considerably here and today it has been a very successful company with Atlas Copco and we are very pleased that it developed this way,” he adds.

The new production plant, which employs about 130 people, will ensure consistency and reliability of the products. And its design is in accordance with ISO 14001 standards for reduced environmental impact.

Local manager Jeff Hagar agrees that the industry has weathered significant downturns in years past but credits Atlas Copco as a company with long term horizons and long term plans that allow the company to come out on top in the mining industry.

“This (new facility) isn’t a reward for past accomplishments it’s an opportunity for the future and I think it bolds well for the employees in the city of North Bay, but the confidence of a large multi-national corporation who are willing to invest in the future and we are more than happy to be part of that too,” states Hagar.

“In the exploration product side of mining it is a very specialised industry and there is a culture and the skill set with employees that make this a great place to locate and that is why Atlas Copco and our competitors are here. And yes the industry is cyclical the power of Atlas Copco is our international sales force operating in 150 countries around the world, and the key for an operation in city like North Bay is how do we get our products out and Atlas Copco provides that facility, I think we’ve done a good job in providing a buffer for severe downturns.”

The new facility also includes a production line for Swellex rock bolts, a unique technology for rock reinforcement and ground engineering.

Rosengren says with the American financial crisis of late it is hard to forecast the future, but he feels mining is one sector that is very strong and will weather this storm as well.