NORTH BAY -- Located in North Bay's Airport Industrial Park, a brand new zero-emissions galvanizing plant in North Bay is the only one of its kind in northern Ontario.
Officials from Norgalv told CTV News the operation is environmentally friendly and has zero emissions.
“The trees are all blooming, there’s no emissions coming from the factory, there’s no gasses being emitted, everything is super contained,” said Andre van Soelen, managing director at Norgalv.
“All the process treatments have secondary containment that’s GOP lined. So we are very environmentally, and completely sustainable."
The company specializes in ‘hot dip galvanizing,’ which is where material is placed into a molten zinc kettle to protect steel from corrosion.
“By galvanizing it, you’re ensuring that the steel is going to last for generations,” said commercial manager at Norgalv, Noam Sugarman.
"It’s really the best and only way to ensure that. So, galvanizing is absolutely crucial."
More than 30 employees
Norgalv currently has more than 30 employees, and have plans to hire 45 more in the near future.
The company was presented with a number of northern Ontario cities to choose from, but said North Bay was the best option.
“When a plant such a Norgalv chooses a city through quite a process and were deemed the most attractive place, that is a good feeling, No. 1, and No. 2 it just shows that everyone is doing what they can to make that happen,” said North Bay Mayor Al McDonald.
Norgalv said the galvanizing plant will create more economic opportunity in northern Ontario.
“Galvanizing is the kind of thing that allows other businesses to be viable,” said Sugarman.
“If you’re a manufacturer of something like scaffolding of telecommunications towers, whatever steel product that requires galvanizing, it may not have made sense to manufacture that product in northern Ontario before, but now that we can galvanize it, it’s all of a sudden extremely viable.”
The plant currently operates fives days a week, 18 hours a day.
