Waterloo firm ramps up mask production
Swenco to use $1.9M loan from Ottawa to expand plant at Northland Road
WATERLOO — Paul Sweeny is awaiting the arrival of three more automated mask-making production lines at his Waterloo business, Swenco Limited.
And they can’t come soon enough.
“We cannot produce (the masks) fast enough,” Sweeny said Tuesday, after the federal government announced a $1.9million interest-free loan toward Swenco’s new mask production facility through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.
“As of right now, every mask that I can produce is sold,” he said.
The three lines en route will join four others at the new facility, where full production began just before Christmas. They’ll boost production capacity to 350,000 ASTM level 1, 2 and 3 procedure masks a day, or about 7.6 million per month. It’s estimated that 75 per cent of the masks are destined for the domestic market.
Swenco also received $2 million from the province in December for the Northland Road facility, its second Waterloo location. Total project costs exceed $6 million; the 50,000square-foot operation includes a 17,000-square-foot clean room and warehouse space.
“We’re also looking at potentially other products that could
be produced in a clean room,” Sweeny said.
Prior to the introduction of its nanofibre masks, the longstanding business had already established itself as a leader in the personal protective equipment industry with products including safety footwear components.
Sweeny expects the mask production facility will employ 25 to 30 people by the end of May, in addition to the 18 employees already at Swenco’s headquarters on Conestogo Road.
“The Government of Canada is committed to enhancing our domestic and international supply of certified PPE with made-in-Canada solutions,” Waterloo MP Bardish Chagger said in a release. “Through FedDev Ontario, today’s investment in Swenco Ltd. again answers the call to action to ensure vital equipment is available for essential front-line workers across Canada, while creating jobs right here.”