Supermetal opens its first US plant in York County

Monday, 17 Jan 2011
Herald Online reported that Canadian based Supermetal celebrated its dream come true.
Although it was the official ribbon cutting ceremony for the facility, the plant has been operating for 151 days without an on the job injury. Company officials made sure visitors had hard hats and safety glasses as they toured the production floor, hoping to extend the safety streak to 152 days.
Supermetal purchased the Worthington building for USD 2.2 million. The company is updating the plant and adding new equipment. Total investment is expected to be between USD 6.5 million and USD 7 million. Portions of the plant still are under construction.
The facility has 160,624 square feet. About half of the space is dedicated to fabricating steel. Some will be used for storage, and other areas are set aside for expansion. Nearby, an eight torch laser machine cut through steel plates up to six inches thick. A plasma cutter zipped through a quarter inch thick plate of steel.
Mr Jean Francois Blouin president & GM of Supermetal said that the company is working with York Tech to provide job training for the skilled positions. He said it's working with York Tech to modify the school's welding training to meet our needs.
The announcement of 200 jobs in August 2010 resulted in a steady stream of applicants. A 14 member crew has been hired. Between 40 and 50 people are expected to be hired in March. At full operations, the plant hopes to have three shifts with about 50 people per shift.
Sourced from www.heraldonline.com