Expansion was always in the plans for John Daniels. When the president of Drillers Edge started his 11-employee company in 2010, at first he intended to keep the North Bay manufacturer of drill bits and core drilling tools very small and manageable.
But when your company makes products geared to clients in deep mining projects, storage space is always at a premium.
“The amount of space the drill rods take up is enormous,” said Daniels.
Initially, the company operated its bit plant out of a 2,500-square-foot building on Main Street and rented a 10,000-square-foot space for its rod manufacturing and warehouse about a kilometre away in the Couchie Industrial Park.
“We knew it was too small when we started,” said Daniels. But when the City of North Bay announced plans to open up a 600-acre industrial business park at Jack Garland Airport, the opportunity to relocate was too good to pass up.
Now grown to 22 employees and with a new amalgamated plant under construction, Daniels' company is set to move into new digs in early November. The company signed a 10-year lease at the airport with a local realtor.
“That's been magic for us,” said Daniels. “I've been able to drive by at the airport and see this new building going up and it hasn't distracted us from our business.”
The shop's 30,000-square-foot design will allow for some flexible space to grow out to 80,000 square feet. The company also retains an option to expand their 3.5-acre property to five acres if needed.
Daniels said land was obtainable at a reasonable rate and the entire park was smartly set up with one huge drainage basin.
“Every square footage of land, we can use,” instead of having to install their own basin. The city also provided plenty of perks with a graduated municipal tax rate for the first three years and breaks on development charges, landfill tipping and permitting fees.
“For a small company growing into our revenues, that's a very attractive option,” said Daniels.
The new building will house five CNC lathes, two custom-built heat treaters for strengthening drill rods, and a new bit furnace. The improvements will allow them to quadruple production capacity.
The extra space will also help them navigate through a recent merger with Di-Corp, an Edmonton- based industrial supplier to the energy, mining, and drilling fields.
With 80 per cent of Drillers Edge products exported through its global distribution network in North and South America, Asia-Pacific and Europe, Daniels said the Di-Corp merger will improve sales in the domestic market.
Besides Daniel's company, two other local firms – Barrie Hard Chrome Plating and Mine Hoists International – have also moved to the airport.
Airport manager Jack Santerre expects to see three more tenants arriving this fall, including an aviationrelated firm.
Since the park's June ribboncutting, Santerre has fielded a number of inquiries.
“We won't leave any stone unturned, but at the same time when you do these things it's always a fishing expedition.”
The airport has become a major local economic driver in hosting more than 30 businesses and government operations with a total permanent and seasonal workforce of as many as 500.
It's also become a magnet for attracting federal and provincial government dollars for infrastructure upgrades.
An upcoming $2-million terminal expansion will provide more counter space, a larger passenger holding and screening area, and another gate to lure either Porter or WestJet to North Bay.
“We've done the market research and it shows the potential is there,” said Santerre. Also in the future capital plans are the resurfacing of a 4,500-foot cross-wind runway and a widening of Four Mile Lake Road on the airport's northern edge to better connect airport-located businesses with Highway 11.
Over at the Aerospace Centre, Santerre said a deal is being finalized for a tenant to occupy the last of the former Canadian Forces base hangars next to Bombardier and Voyageur Airways.
“The aerospace industry is definitely a growth market for us,” said Santerre, “and there's some target areas for us.”
