Jennmar Canada seeks stable ground from tariffs by expanding its Sudbury plant

Kate Rutherford · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 17, 2025 5:08 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

A institution that manufactures crushed power products for the mining manufacture is investing successful its Sudbury plant, successful portion to make a unchangeable aboriginal arsenic the United States imposes tariffs connected steel.

Jennmar Canada is putting $7 cardinal into expanding the works connected Lasalle Boulevard, expanding the level space, installing instrumentality from a sister works successful Pennsylvania and purchasing caller instrumentality to heighten production.

Its products trust heavy connected alloy reinforcements specified arsenic bolts, beams and trusses.

Managing director, David Hurd, projects up to 15 jobs volition beryllium created successful the city.

He said the enlargement had been planned for years, but was stalled by the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, helium said the tariff concern is spurring the institution to marque its Canadian operations much autonomous now. 

 "Obviously with what's happening with the tariff situation, and the uncertainties that that brings to large manufacturing companies successful Canada, we consciousness that it's clip for america to marque definite that we are much self-sufficient successful our Canadian operations versus depending somewhat connected our US sister company," helium said.

Hurd says their depletion of alloy for their products successful Sudbury and their works successful Rouyn-Noranda, Que., is contributing to their decisions.

He said they person purchased fractional of their alloy successful Canada but that volition summation to much than 85 per cent.

"If you look astatine moving alloy crossed the border, for instance, wherever you're facing 25 per cent tariffs from US alloy coming into Canada. and vice versa going the different way, of course, past that's a outgo that you can't ever expect the extremity users to cover," helium said.

"So we're taking a proactive attack astatine looking astatine however we tin unafraid our presumption successful the marketplace and beryllium amended positioned, rather frankly, to service the lawsuit successful the astir cost-effective mode without putting the quality, oregon immoderate of our proviso chains, astatine hazard present successful Canada," helium said.

While Hurd said the Trump medication whitethorn good beryllium close that tariffs volition make much manufacturing jobs successful the United States, helium said it's Jennmar's firm doctrine to beryllium arsenic adjacent to its lawsuit basal arsenic imaginable which means investing successful its Sudbury operations, successful the bosom of the mining sector.

"It's bully quality for Canada for sure," said Hurd. "And it's bully quality for Jennmar Canada due to the fact that we're successful power of our ain destiny without immoderate governmental fallouts having immoderate interaction connected our business."