Ventra creates 10 new jobs
$550,000 provincial grant helps fund 25 new paint robots in $5.5M addition to Technology Dr. plant
An auto-parts manufacturer in Peterborough has stepped up its production and created 10 new jobs, thanks in part to a grant from the province.
Ventra Plastics manufactures and assembles plastic car parts – bumpers, for instance - at a plant on Technology Dr.
They supply parts to car-makers such as General Motors, Toyota, Ford and Chrysler.
On Wednesday, Ventra celebrated the completion of an upgrade to their facilities.
The plant has reached its goal of acquiring 25 new paint robots. The robots apply the coatings and give colour and durability to plastic car parts.
The 25 new robots cost $5.5 million. Ventra got $550,000 from the provincial government, toward that purchase.
Brad Del or me, the director of manufacturing at Vent ra, said the robots didn’t replace any employees.
In fact, Delorme said the robots have allowed the plant to run more efficiently and to take on more work – which allowed Ventra to hire 10 new people.
Ventra now has 523 employees. Delorme said the staff has grown by a total of about 150 people, over the last five years.
“This facility is the busiest it’s ever been, right now,” he said.
The plant has been operating in Peterborough for about 25 years.
Peterborough MPP Jeff Leal – who is also the provincial Minister of Food, Agriculture and Rural Affairs – visited Ventra on Wednesday.
“Ontario has a whole roster of ambitious companies that are unique in their field – Ventra Plastics is one of them,” he said.
Leal also said that manufacturing is a “cornerstone” of Ontario’s economy.
“Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t be successful in manufacturing, in Ontario,” he said.
J. Murray Jones, the warden of Peterborough County, said he was pleased to see Ventra has been hiring more people.
Jones said the city and the county both benefit when a company flourishes.
“We all have to work together for a common cause.”