Trio of Barrie, Ont. manufacturers embark on multimillion-dollar expansions

BARRIE, Ont.—A pair of automotive suppliers and a plastics manufacturer based in Barrie, Ont. are scaling up their operations with the help of the provincial government.

Queen’s Park said Feb. 8 it plans to spend just over $2 million to support expansion projects at Beta Tech Inc., Canplas Industries and Theta TTS Inc. The government funds will spur further investments of $23 million from the companies; the projects are also expected to translate to 94 new jobs in the Ontario city north of Toronto.

The largest of the three investment projects will take place at Beta Tech Inc., which plans to spend approximately $12.4 million to add 22,500 sq. ft. of floorspace at its manufacturing plant. The maker of automotive tooling and stamped parts will also buy new production equipment and technology. Work on the project will wrap up by next June and create 45 new jobs.

Plastics manufacturer Canplas Industries, meanwhile, has committed nearly $7.1 million to increase its footprint in Barrie. The company is buying new equipment, adding 17,000 sq. ft. to its shop and developing new product lines with the capital funds. The company expects to create 30 new jobs by the time the project is complete in 2020.

Finally, auto parts maker Theta TTS will purchase a new fine blanking press along with the necessary auxiliary equipment as part of an approximately $5.5 million scale-up effort. The expansion will create 19 new jobs and is expected to wrap up by June 2021.