Darrell Searles says Anchor Concrete wants to revolutionize the homebuilding industry—and the Kingston-based company has been doing exactly that through its innovative precast concrete building solutions.
“We want to do for homebuilding what the car did for horses 100 years ago,” says Searles, the company president. Anchor Concrete has produced its award-winning Lodestar Structures—precast concrete modular building units that cut jobsite waste and materials used, and shave weeks off an average project’s construction time—for the past six years.
“We’re trying to fix how we approach building to make more sustainable communities. Not just environmentally sustainable, but also financially,” explains Searles. “That’s so future generations aren’t left to address the debt and taxes needed to rebuild the failing infrastructure of the last 70 years.”
The strategy appears to be working: Searles’ flagship product has received interest from organizations in more than 70 countries, with several licensing deals in place. But Anchor Concrete isn’t alone. If you’re looking for manufacturers successfully competing on the global stage, look no further than Kingston, Ont.
Kingston-made products can be found across the globe
Kingston-made products can be found across Ontario and the world. Haakon Industries, for example, maintains a manufacturing facility in Kingston to create air handling units used in facilities from airports to theme parks. Elevator interior systems maker SnapCab produces custom office privacy pods that have been featured in major U.S. media.
Meanwhile, Cancoil Thermal Corp.—which manufactures industrial and commercial heating, refrigeration, and air conditioning systems—recently announced a $16 million investment in new equipment at its Kingston facilities. Machining and fabrication specialists BGM Metalworks, who were an OBJ Fastest Growing Company in 2022, also continue to thrive, regularly selling to world-class customers such as Dupont, Goodyear, Novelis, and 3M.
In the food and beverage industry, Portuguese food preparation manufacturer Frulact selected Kingston as its Canadian home in 2015, expanding their Canadian footprint with a $22.5 million expansion just a few years later.
Natural food colourant and flavour supplier Sensient Technologies recently made a significant automation-related investment in its Kingston facility.
Kingston’s manufacturing success isn’t just confined to dry land, either: MetalCraft Marine produces high-speed aluminum fire and patrol boats vessels that have won international awards and serve organizations as diverse as the U.S. Coast Guard and Kuwait Fire Department.
An affordable location, close to major markets and flush with talent
Kingston’s growing critical mass of successful manufacturers shouldn’t be a surprise, however. Companies looking for an affordable location close to major markets, transport systems, ample access to power and customers, and a rich supply of talent aren’t likely to find many other cities more attractive than Kingston.
“We have three major educational institutions, plus more unique sources of talent such as Canadian Armed Forces base members transitioning out into the workforce,” says Abdul Jendi, Investment Manager for Sustainable Manufacturing with Kingston Economic Development Corp.
“On the manufacturing side, we have specialized talent in chemistry and metallurgy from former employees of Alcan (now Novelis), to various Queen’s departments, to organizations like GreenCentre Canada, Kingston Process Metallurgy, Invista, and DuPont’s Technology Centre.”
