July 15, 2019 – Northern Transformer, which designs and manufactures industrial power transformers in Vaughan, Ont., has received a repayable contribution of $3 million from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) to help implement ‘clean’ technologies and reduce its environmental footprint.

The announcement was made on Friday by King-Vaughan MP Deborah Schulte on behalf of the federal minister of innovation, science and economic development, Navdeep Bains, who is responsible for FedDev Ontario. The funding will support a nearly $11.7-million retrofit of Northern Transformer’s 105,000-sf facility with new equipment, including vapour phase drying technology that will save energy compared to conventional heating processes and remove humidity more efficiently.

“We are delighted to be increasing our capabilities for the electricity generation, transmission and distribution sector,” said Alexei Miecznikowski, CEO of Northern Transformer.

The project is also intended to help reduce processing time, increase production volume, respond to demand for the replacement of aging power transformers and gain market share across North America. The company expects to add 32 new skilled jobs.

“As Northern Transformer scales up its operations and expands to new markets, this will also translate to economic growth for local suppliers in the region,” Schulte added.

Established in 1981, the company has supplied more than 500 transformers to the North American utility market. Since 2012, it has quadrupled its full-time workforce, from 24 to 97. In 2016, it relocated all operations—including research and development (R&D), design, production and testing—to its current facility.