At BEHLEN we recently had the opportunity to tour WGI’s new plant in Cambridge, Ontario. The state-of-the-art facility includes an automated system that manufactures material for our sister company, Canada Culvert. The modern technology in the plant will increase productivity, expand WGI’s capacity and show some of the latest innovations available in today’s steel industry.
Innovation is an important part of growing. WGI has a history of investing in innovation to promote progress and development, which is part of the reason for the company’s long-term success. The investment that WGI puts into its facilities now, will pay back with shorter lead time, increased quality, safer work and more capacity—all things that will benefit our customers and our business.
WGI, or Westman Group Inc., is our parent company. It is comprised of BEHLEN, Canada Culvert, Frontier Laser, Meridian Manufacturing Inc., and Westman Steel Industries. The 140,000 ft² facility in Cambridge will create 120 new jobs. Ontario is a growing marketing for WGI and the new plant is a big step toward expansion in the area.
The new technology in the plant allows robots to complete much of the work that was in the past done by hand, saving time and freeing workers for less repetitive jobs. Not only will the facility create more than 100 new jobs, the workers will be trained on some of the latest equipment and be given the tools to be efficient and productive, spurring further expansion for WGI and creating a stable and profitable company.
BEHLEN is also currently completing an automation project in our Brandon plant. We are adapting software and installing equipment to automatically weld some of the beams we use in our Rigid Frame buildings. We expect to have the system in place in the fall.
As we expand, so does our reach, capabilities and our ability to serve our clients. The Westman Group currently operates manufacturing, sales and distribution facilities in 29 centres across Canada and the US, maintains dealer networks throughout North America and has a worldwide customer base.