For immediate release
August 17, 2012
Barrie, Ontario - A new investment from the Government of
Canada will allow Southmedic Inc. to automate key aspects
of its medical device production, and will create
18 new jobs in the Barrie area. Patrick Brown, Member
of Parliament for Barrie, on behalf of the Honourable
Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for the Federal
Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev
Ontario), announced the investment today alongside
representatives of the company.
"Our Government's top priority is jobs, growth and
long-termprosperity for all Canadians,"
said MP Brown. "Investments such as this one
demonstrate our Government's commitment to helping
businesses in southern Ontario become more innovative,
productive and competitive in the global market."
This $900,000 investment is being provided through FedDev
Ontario's Prosperity Initiative, which aims to
encourage businesses,
not-for-profitorganizations and
post-secondaryinstitutions in southern Ontario
to undertake projects that will result in a more
productive, diversified and competitive economy in the
region.
Southmedic will use the investment to automate the assembly
process of its patented OxyMask. This automation will allow
Southmedic to integrate into its Barrie facilities various
finishing processes (such as painting) that are currently
being outsourced, while more than doubling the production
capacity of the mask. The company will also be able to
centralize scalpel blade manufacturing processes. These
enhancements will allow Southmedic to better meet the needs
of export customers and supply chain demands, and to stay
globally competitive in the medical device field.
"We have already begun to put FedDev Ontario's
investment to work by automating our OxyMask line,
functioning in our plant today with extremely encouraging
results," said Lee McDonald, Founder and Chief
Executive Officer of Southmedic Inc. "In addition,
we're looking forward to this investment helping us
implement equipment-currently on order-which will further
augment automation, while replacing blades purchased
elsewhere with manufacturing here in Barrie."
For more information on this project and the Prosperity
Initiative, please see the .
Created in 2009, FedDev Ontario supports the southern
Ontario economy by building on the region's strengths
and creating opportunities for jobs and economic growth.
The Agency has launched a number of initiatives to create a
Southern Ontario Advantage and place the region in a strong
position to compete in the global economy. These
initiatives are designed to encourage partnerships and
support projects that help the region's businesses and
communities become more competitive, innovative and
diversified. To learn more, please visit www.FedDevOntario.gc.ca
or call 1-866-593-5505.
Follow us on Twitter @FedDevOntario
- 30 -
For more information, contact:
Michele-Jamali Paquette
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Gary Goodyear
613-947-2956
Media Relations
FedDev Ontario
416-954-6652
Backgrounder
Contribution to Southmedic Inc.
FedDev Ontario is providing Southmedic Inc. with a
repayable contribution of up to $900,000 through its
Prosperity Initiative. Established in 1983, Southmedic Inc.
is a manufacturer and distributor of custom and proprietary
medical devices. Located in Barrie, the company produces a
range of devices such as oxygen masks and scalpels, and
owns over 50 patents worldwide.
This contribution will allow Southmedic Inc. to adopt new
technology that will automate its oxygen mask assembly
process. This will allow Southmedic to introduce
long-termefficiencies in the production
method, and increase manufacturing capacity by
2.75 million units annually. The company will be able
to centralize scalpel blade manufacturing processes as
well.
As a result, Southmedic anticipates creating 18 new
jobs, meeting the current and anticipated needs of their
customers and improveing supply chain efficiency,
increasing productivity and building a competitive
advantage for southern Ontario's medical device
manufacturing cluster in global markets.
For more information, please visit www.southmedic.com.
Prosperity Initiative
FedDev Ontario's
Prosperity Initiative is designed to encourage
businesses, not-for-profitorganizations and
post-secondaryinstitutions in southern Ontario
to undertake projects that will result in a more
productive, diversified and competitive economy in the
region.
Funding is available for projects that:
-
enhance productivity, by accelerating the adoption of new
technologies, processes and skills to enhance businesses
and sectors in southern Ontario to achieve higher output
in relation to their investments;
-
diversify the regional economy, by increasing the number
of new industries or opportunities in southern Ontario
communities or regions with the potential to have
long-termimpacts on their economic
diversity; and
-
build a competitive advantage for southern Ontario, by
building on the assets and strengths of southern Ontario
businesses and regions to create or expand economic
clusters and enhance their global competitiveness.
Applications for funding are being accepted and assessed on
an ongoing basis. For more information and to apply, please
refer to the
Program Guidelines available on the website at www.FedDevOntario.gc.ca.
Recommend:
