35 Coolest Things

Eastern Ontario is a beacon for manufacturers. Our list includes dozens of innovative things made in our backyards.

1 A small big cheese

Cheese-making has long been big business in Eastern Ontario. Popular consumer brands such as Cracker Barrel, P’tit Quebec, and aMOOza! are produced at plants in Winchester and Ingleside. These plants today are owned and operated by Lactalis Canada, a subsidiary of the world’s largest dairy conglomerate, Groupe Lactalis of France.

But Eastern Ontario boasts another big name in cheese, one that retains its local ownership. Fromagerie St-Albert, the St-Albert Cheese Co-operative, is one of the oldest co-operatives in Canada and is known for its cheddar and poutine curds. St-Albert has earned grand champion titles at international cheese shows. It all began in 1894, when a group of Franco-Ontarian cheesemakers gathered to launch a co-operative. After a devastating fire in 2013, St-Albert rebuilt and resumed production in 2014. 

2 Medical tubing that tours the world

GlobalMed Inc. in Trenton develops and produces top-grade medical tubing and fittings that are exported to 34 countries. Many products are proprietary and cannot be disclosed. However, the team did tell us about two recent ones. First, there’s a tube used with a surgical cautery pencil. The tube is part of a system that evacuates any smoke plume that may contain carcinogens. Second, a ventilator hose with integrated heating warms the patient’s airway and prevents unwanted condensation in the hose.

3 Through the locomotive glass

Since 1912, Beclawat Manufacturing Inc. has been renowned for its window and door solutions used in the marine, rail, transit and defence industries. One product from this Belleville producer is the Emergency Escape Hinged Locomotive Cab Window for VIA Rail’s new fleet of 32 trainsets. This window helps improve safety for the engineer by providing an additional means of egress in the event of an emergency. These trains will travel throughout Quebec and Ontario beginning in 2022. So, starting next year, when you wave at a VIA engineer, he or she will wave back through a window built in Belleville.

4 Metal debris no more

Gastops Ltd. is an Ottawa company that’s been leading its global market space for decades with only modest fanfare. The company designs, manufactures and supports advanced sensing and analysis products intended to keep aircraft and other industrial equipment operating longer with less downtime. Key products include oil debris-sensing systems under the names MetalSCAN, FilterCHECK and ChipCHECK. These give advance warning of wear and impending machine failure by detecting any metal debris present in lubricating oil. Customers can reduce maintenance costs and eliminate service disruptions.

5 Anchoring the sailing industry

Kingston Anchors’ stainless-steel anchors, bow rollers and other marine products are installed by recreational and commercial boat builders across North America and beyond. It all began when Montreal hosted the 1976 Summer Olympics. The Games may have been awarded to Montreal, but the waters off the shores of Kingston were deemed best for the sailing events. Subsequently, the Portsmouth Olympic Harbour was constructed, which sparked a sailing boom. Ed Petersen, a local sailor and entrepreneur, seized this opportunity and launched Kingston Anchors in 1977. 

6 Best in the vinyl biz 

Morbern is North America’s leading designer and manufacturer of decorative vinyl upholstery and has been in operation since 1965. Its Cornwall headquarters is one of nine manufacturing and distribution centres across the continent. Morbern creates innovative vinyls that meet the design and engineering communities’ challenges by balancing performance, durability and style. They’re used in the contract, health-care, hospitality, automotive, transportation and marine markets. Canadian Business Magazine has named Morbern one of Canada’s best-managed companies for two years running. 

7 3M: Not just adhesives

3M is a multinational conglomerate that produces more than 60,000 products under several brands. The company’s Brockville plant made headlines in August 2020 when it announced it would be making N95 respirators. The first shipments rolled out in April 2021 and marked the first made-in-Canada shipment of this vital personal protective equipment (PPE) during the pandemic. Making this happen was a joint effort between the provincial and federal governments to produce 55 million N95 respirators a year for the next five years for health-care workers, first responders and other essential workers across Canada. Brockville isn’t 3M’s only Eastern Ontario factory. The company also has two manufacturing plants in Perth. The first produces tape, ranging from its ubiquitous Scotch Tape to high-quality tapes used for more demanding applications in markets such as aerospace and construction. The second plant produces cleaning sponges, including the green and yellow Scotch-Brite brand heavy-duty scrub sponge. Every Scotch-Brite product sold in Canada is made in Perth. 

8 Soda gets its start with strawberries

Hand-crafted farm-to-glass sodas that are all natural, low in sugar and made with locally grown fruits — in a weird and wonderful variety of flavours. Within just a few years, Napanee’s County Bounty Artisanal Soda Co. has grown to ship and retail its drinks across Canada. It all began when founder Dodie Ellenbogen wanted to try something different to preserve a large flat of strawberries before they spoiled. Instead of making jam, she tried something different after coming across a recipe for cordials — syrups you can add to sparkling water to make your own soda. 

9 Keeping the weeds at bay

Since 1987, Premier Tech Home & Garden in Brighton has been developing and producing a variety of well-known lawn and garden care products from its 55,000-square-foot facility. These retail at hardware and home improvement stores across Canada. Under the Wilson brand, these include weed and pest control products AntOut, WipeOut and WeedOut. As the lawn and garden industry has evolved, Premier Tech has continued to evolve its formulations to provide consumers with innovative products that are greener yet still effective.

10 The science of breeding bovines

EastGen’s high-tech Kemptville lab lies at the heart of a $100-million industry that works to increase productivity within the global livestock sector. The lab is a “cornerstone” of a global alliance that markets more than 11 million doses of bovine semen across Canada and around the world. It’s all about advances in genetics research to breed animals that are healthier and more resistant to disease. Livestock farmers can access low-cost genomic testing that allows them to quickly analyze an animal’s genetic potential and make more informed decisions on breeding programs. 

11 A manufacturer’s manufacturer

JAE Automation helps other manufacturers be more innovative and productive. The company harnesses new technologies, sensors, data, analytics and advanced robotics to lower its customers’ costs, improve product quality and increase operational efficiencies. For example, the Kemptville company recently designed a robotic palletizing and case-conveying system for a local manufacturer. The system receives cased material from four packaging lines, puts it on four individual pallets, then stretch wraps each pallet. 

12 DIY for boaters

The Sideshift team prides itself on doing one thing and doing it well — producing a range of retractable side thrusters that take the stress out of docking your boat. The company’s revolutionary bow and stern thruster technology sets the standard for affordable, powerful and easy-to-install thruster solutions for all types of boats, including monohulls, pontoons and houseboats. Since introducing the industry’s first external bow thruster in 2001, Sideshift has exported its products to more than 50 countries. The products are designed for DIY installation, saving boaters time and money.

13 Antennas for NASA

Ottawa’s C-COM Satellite Systems is a world leader in the design and manufacture of commercial-grade, fully motorized, auto-pointing mobile antennas for the delivery of broadband internet to remote locations. “All of the manufacturing is outsourced to a number of Ottawa-based companies, which benefit tremendously from our technology,” says founder, president and CEO Leslie Klein. More than 8,500 antenna systems have been shipped to more than 100 countries. Customers include NASA, CBC, ABC, Telesat, the U.S. military, NATO forces, RCMP and various foreign telephone companies and mobile banks.

14 Siemens Healthineers

A global medical device company that benefits an estimated five million patients worldwide each day, Siemens Healthineers manufactures one product unique to Eastern Ontario. The epoc ® Blood Analysis System is a handheld, wireless device for comprehensive blood analysis testing at the patient’s side on a single room-temperature test card. Results take fewer than 60 seconds. This instrument has proven critical for ICUs to support blood gas testing and treatment decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic. In June, the company announced a 24,000-square-foot expansion of its local manufacturing facility.

15 The COVID detector

Over the past 30-plus years, OZ Optics has grown from a startup in founder Ömür Sezerman’s kitchen to a global company with additional manufacturing operations in Turkey and China. OZ Optics’ proprietary fibre-optic sensor systems are used in dozens of countries for remote monitoring of oil and gas pipelines, wells, refineries, bridges, dams and security fences as well as fire detection. A notable product made locally at the company’s Stittsville headquarters is the Universal Optical DNA Rapid Detection System for Pathogens. This unit has been developed to detect viral and bacterial DNA/RNA for diseases including COVID-19, SARS, ebola, cholera and salmonella.

16 King of the cords

Perth’s Cord King builds heavy-duty commercial firewood processors powered by turbo diesel power plants. From concept to completed product, the company’s team of highly skilled workers builds each machine from scratch in Perth, starting with raw metal and fashioning it into heavy-duty components. The Cord King CS-series models have the highest production rates on the planet today, capable of producing up to 10 full cords of firewood per hour. Over 40-plus years, Cord King has built and sold thousands of machines in more than 16 countries.

17 Step aside, C-3PO: COVID-killing robot

This company is a joint effort between Gloucester’s Pryor Metals and aero hygenx to build COVID-killing robots for airplanes. Aero hygenx launched in January when a “group of aviation geeks at heart” realized the COVID-19 pandemic was poised to deal a crippling blow to air travel. Its founders created an autonomous robot designed to patrol empty aircraft aisles. The RAY robot emits ultraviolet light to exterminate any germs or viruses in its path. RAY is being manufactured at Gloucester-based Pryor Metals, using parts from more than a dozen local suppliers. The robot first entered service in April with the Dash 8 aircraft operated by Hydro-Québec.

18 Exact and essential

Foxboro’s Donmac Precision Machining Inc. specializes in mission critical components that could be used in a surgery bay or overseas to defend world peace. Each machined part or assembly is treated like someone’s life may depend on it. Customers span the defence, aerospace, medical and electronics sectors. Beyond that, the sensitive nature of Donmac’s work means its products must remain confidential. Pictured is one such custom product with complex features and extremely tight tolerances. Donmac’s advanced Swiss CNC lathe can produce this part from a piece of raw steel in just over a minute.

19 Building better tools

Lee Valley Tools’ Veritas division manufactures premium hand tools for discerning woodworkers. Since 1985, Veritas has grown to include 250 products and more than 100 patents in lines that include woodworking planes, sharpening equipment, marking and measuring tools, router tables and drilling accessories. To quote president Robin Lee: “Veritas manufacturing is really about studying what's gone before and finding ways to improve it — reinterpreting traditional tools using newer materials and newer manufacturing methods." Veritas’s Ottawa operation includes an R&D team of engineers, industrial designers and graphic designers, along with a modern manufacturing and packaging facility. 

20 Making packing a breeze

Laminacorr is the only Canadian-owned independent manufacturer of corrugated plastic. Since its founding in Cornwall in 1998, it has grown into the largest independent manufacturer of these plastics in North America. Laminacorr’s products are used for signage and display, and for packaging in a variety of industries, including automotive, agriculture and construction as well as medical, for the transportation of blood and other organic tissues. Laminacorr also supports its community with a bursary program for women studying business.

21 Safe suits for military members

Tulmar Safety Systems of Hawkesbury designs and manufactures engineered protective textiles and survivability and safety products for the aerospace, defence and public security industries. The company’s manufacturing facility features equipment ranging from computerized cutting tables, stitching machines and radio frequency welding and heat-sealing equipment to highly sophisticated testing and certification equipment. In July, Tulmar announced a contract renewal with the Royal Canadian Navy worth $3 million for hazardous duty and maritime pouch life preservers. In May, Tulmar acquired Icarus Training Systems of the United Kingdom — a maker of inflatable training equipment for aircraft cabin crew training.

22 Tools Einstein might have used

With its seismic monitoring instruments active on every continent, Nanometrics is a truly global leader and one of Canada’s best-kept secrets. The company applies science and technology to push the boundaries of Earth science and informs how human development can responsibly coexist with our planet. Two key products manufactured in Eastern Ontario are the Abalones Ocean Bottom System, which delivers a complete, self-contained seismographic system to the ocean floor, and the Trillium portable seismometer for hard-to-reach places. Nanometrics’ instruments have even been used to help prove Einstein's theory on the existence of gravitational waves.

23 Custom chairs, sustainably sourced

“Best chairs on the planet.” Francois Bruneau and his family have been crafting fine Adirondack-style furniture since 1955 at DFC Woodworks Inc. in Kemptville. Each chair is built to order and customers can select the size, style, material, colour and stain that suits them best. Wood products are backed with an industry-leading 10-year guarantee. Today, the “Best Adirondack Chair” is a global success, with sales throughout the United States and Canada, and as far away as England, Australia and Dubai. DFC also makes sure its lumber is responsibly sourced, using only suppliers that are Forest Stewardship Council-certified.

24 Making manufacturing seamless

Pleora designs and manufactures AI and sensor interface products for manufacturers, integrators and camera companies serving the industrial automation, security and medical imaging markets. These include sensor interfaces that connect cameras to processors for real-time inspection applications and rugged smart switching solutions. One flagship product made locally is the AI Gateway. This unit is used by brand owners in the consumer goods, parts manufacturing and food and beverage markets to automate error-prone human inspection at key points in the manufacturing process. This helps to improve product quality, maintain brand standards and accurately inspect challenging materials.

25 Being kind to waterways

Eseidon, a Gatineau branch of the well-known Ottawa Boat Cruise company, is pioneering first-of-its-kind electric watercraft. The team behind the venture cares deeply about the future of our waterways and the planet and has seen first-hand the financial and environmental benefits of switching from diesel to electric motors. The first electric tour boat launched in May 2016, and was developed and tested on the waters of Eastern Ontario’s own Rideau Canal. Esiedon continues to push the state-of-the-art for electric boats, passenger ferries and amphibian vessels. Based on a customer’s specific business needs — passenger capacity, tour types, number of tours — it can offer different options, including custom manufacturing.

26 Dr. Robot

Drawing on its neuroscience roots in clinical research, Kingston’s Kinarm develops and exports interactive robotics platforms. This advanced instrumentation is used by researchers studying the brain to help patients recover from stroke, concussion or other traumatic brain injuries and to study neurological dysfunction due to diseases such as Alzheimer’s, ALS and Parkinson’s. One flagship product is the Kinarm Exoskeleton Lab. This sophisticated robotic platform can monitor and manipulate a patient’s arm, providing a broad range of hand- and joint-based kinesiological information. 

27 Cornering the hockey tape market

Quality hockey tape made in a small town. It doesn’t get much more Canadian than that. All of Renfrew Pro Hockey Tape’s products are manufactured in Renfrew — a town that played a role in the origin of the NHL. Renfrew Pro is the official tape for most professional hockey teams in North America and has been in the dressing room of every Stanley Cup championship team for more than 20 years. Today, the company is part of diversified health-care and industrial products group Scapa, but the focus on that rich, small-town heritage continues.

28 A climate change counter

Since the 1990s, RBR Global has been creating oceanographic instruments to measure our blue planet. From the ocean abyss to the polar ice cap, RBR’s high-precision sensors track water parameters that include temperature, depth, salinity, dissolved gases and pH. The company exports to just about any country with a coastline, where its products support the study of climate change and projects for environmental sustainability and remediation. President Greg Johnson describes it as a “microniche” market with only six global players. The special sauce comes with the final assembly and the calibration of each instrument at RBR’s Kanata North facility.

29 Smokin’ things up

We featured Ensyn Technologies here in the first issue of STUFF for its biocrude produced from forest and agricultural residues. An interesting sideline of Ensyn’s signature process is smoke flavourings for food. Two years ago, food conglomerate Kerry Group of Ireland purchased Ensyn’s Rapid Thermal Pyrolysis (RTP) facility in Renfrew. Kerry is the largest producer of liquid smoke in the world and most of that supply now comes from the Renfrew site. This flavouring is used in a wide variety of foods, from bacon, sausage and ham to BBQ sauces and potato chips.

30 A carpet caretaker

In operation since 1966, Nylene Canada Inc.’s Arnprior facility offers a variety of quality nylon polymers (plastics) for the compounding market. This includes its own compounded nylon polymers for use in the wire and cable industry. If you have carpet, Nylene Canada also produces deep, regular, cationic and specialty cationic dye resin with built-in Enhanced Acid Stain Resistance for carpet production. The Arnprior plant also has another distinction — it can produce high-quality polymers and yarns by recycling common nylon 6, thereby diverting plastic waste from landfills.

31 Woman of steel

Ivaco Rolling Mills is a world-class producer and global exporter of hot-rolled wire rod and steel billets. Billets are used as raw material by other manufacturers for a variety of steel products. Achieving the highest quality in a billet’s manufacture is critical to the success of any downstream product that is made from it. Ivaco produces 900,000 tonnes of product per year. The company is a WBE (Women's Business Enterprise) business. This distinction recognizes Ivaco, based in L’Orignal, as a women-owned business by virtue of its parent company, The Heico Companies, which is chaired by Emily Heisley Stoeckel. 

32 Building better buildings

Build stronger and faster, with less waste and lower construction labour costs, and avoid much of the maintenance over time that is typical of conventional “stick-built” structures. Feris’s Harmonic line is a high-performance building system that combines structure, insulation and vapour barrier in a single panel. Everything is custom engineered and fabricated in Kingston using Canadian steel and expanded polystyrene (EPS). This produces a building envelope that is mould/mildew- and vermin-resistant, and able to achieve high environmental ratings such as net zero. Feris ships across Canada, the U.S. and worldwide, and is popular with architects, contractors and developers. 

33 Canada’s biggest barge builder

Drake Cartier, always intrigued by tugboats and heavy equipment as a youngster, joined the marine construction industry with his first job at age 15. This eventually led him to found his own company to produce a quality product at a reasonable price on Canadian soil, specifically Cornwall soil. Today, Canadian Barge Builders bills itself as the country’s No. 1 barge-building company, with more than 400 barges on the water. These modular vessels are designed to be easily transported and can be configured and customized in numerous ways using a unique pinning system. 

34 Fuelling nuclear reactors

EIPmfg is a custom precision machine shop that makes some unique items. One of these is a radioactive tube piercer. Canadian Nuclear Laboratories uses these piercers at sites across Ontario and the Pembroke machine shop even exports them to reactor installations overseas. Designed to function inside the fuel and materials cells of a nuclear reactor, a piercing machine is operated from a safe location using mechanical manipulator arms. The machine is used to cut a small piece, or coupon, of material from a radioactive reactor pressure tube sample. These coupons then undergo detailed examination to ensure continued safe operation of the reactor. 

35 Keeping vehicles motoring

METEC Metal Technology Inc. offers precision machining, fabrication, manufacturing and assembly services as well as custom prototyping, design and an apprentice training school. The Vankleek Hill company’s products, made in Eastern Ontario and sold across North America, include a variety of vehicle maintenance attachments — sweepers, snowblowers, spreaders and plows. These include its single-auger blower — a box blower that ensures efficient snow removal, combined with easy usability and safe operation. The blower’s direct-drive chute reduces the number of moving parts for lower maintenance and long-lasting performance.