Wednesday, February 22, 1989, Page 6 1989 BUSINESS SHOWCASE Cobi: By Debbie Luchuk Cobi Foods, one of the oldest corporate citizens in Whitby, pro- duces retail canned and frozen foo>ds under the names Avon. Graves, Libby's, Honey Dew, Nature's Best and Stokely Van Carnp, as well as Cobi. Cobi's Whitby.operation is a canning plant primarily engaged in the production of canned peas corn, kidney beans, pumpkin and beans with pork. Although the Whitby staff in- clu des 20 salaried employees and more than 100 union staff there are between 250 to 300 addi- tiorial employees hired during the busy harvesting season of 1988. The 1988 growing season may have been a drought disaster in sorne areas of North America, but not in Whitby, where crop yields were only slightly below normal. The Whitby plant was ori- 1988 drought had little effect onlocal yields gnally owned by Metcalfe Foods, oened in 1934. Stokely-Van amp (a leading Maritime can- ned food manufacturer) pur- chased Metcalfe Poods in 1949. The Stokely organization pur- chased the W.W. Graves com- pany (another Maritime canner) in 1969, and most recently, Stokely Canada was purchased by the Jodrey family of Nova Scotia. Amalgamation of Stokely-Van Camp, W.W. Graves, Avon and Har dee Farms followed, and the Libby vegetable label was added later under a license agreement. Recent corporate senior management changes within the company have taken place, and management has designated a team to undertake a comprehen- sive corporate analysis for in- creased efficiencies in all ope- rations and at ail levels. Cobi's gross sales for the fiscal year ending in 1988 were around $150 million. Customers are worldwide, and include Japan, the Middle East, Europe and the United States. Although many internal changes have taken place at Whitby, thephysical structure remains static. However, there are production expansion changes within the plant to meet the company's goal to meet the increasing demand for canned corn in Europe. Part of plant improvements has been the installation of com- puter information systems in- cluding $1 million in manufac- turing resource planning (an operational system to control in- ventories as the demand cycle fluctuates). The Whitby Cobi operation was the first local industry to receive Mayor Bob Attersley's "Corporate Citizen of the Year" award. JOHN FERET, vice president of Hanet Plastics, checks the polyethlylene packaging as it comes of an extruder. Guide cookie containers made by Hanet Plastics Move by Blackstone will help Whitby Metal looks to future A proposed move by Black- stcone, manufacturer of crushers, conveyors backhoes and cement mixers to Whitby is good news to Jeff White of Whitby Metal Products. Blackstone, for which Whitby Metal Products has done much wcork including a special 120-ft., $300,000 conveyor, plans to lease a 7,000-sq. ft. building next door to Whitby Metal Products on Watson St. E. Jeff White, one of the remain- ing family members who took over the business two years ago after father Luke's death, says the extra work will likely mean ernploymentof 12 to 15 people. "-lil be getting the payroll back,"he says. "We're not big, but we've been here for a long time," he says of the business begun by Luke White in 1957 in what used to be a slaughterhouse. "My dad was well-known," says Jeff, 27, recalling work, since he was 17, with his father. "But he had his own way of doing things. "I always said to myself, if I was running it, I'd be making a lot of money. But when I took it over, I found out about all the expenses. "We're not rich but we're still here." There has been a wide range o clients for the 'Whites over the years, some of the most recent inluing car seat manufacturer Lear Sieler (mezzanines, seat racks), aramount Packaging, Eastglen Properties ("We took out 70 tons of steel at Eastglen" (former.Dunlop Tire plant), Ajax GO train station, CTI (supplier for GM in Montreal), Dillon Vibrating Screens, Bailey Amusement Rides and Whitby General Hospital. Whitby Metal does all manner of machine shop work and metal fabrication, including custom work. The firm has, in particu- lar, built a number of conveyors. NEl) IT? 1IENT IT! "Building our reputation on service." NEED IT? RENT IT! Those girl guide cookies you may have recently purchased are packed in a plaster container made by a Whitby company, Hanet Plastics. Located at 111 Industrial Dr., Hanet Plastics produces high density polyethlylene trays and liners for the food and cookie industry. "It's a very competitive busi- ness," says John Feret, vice pre- sident of Hanet. and a former Heart of Gold winner. Haney was founded in St. John, Quebec in 1973 by Richard Hanak. Whitby was chosen as a location when the business expanded in 1981. The Whitby facility was 5,000 sq. ft. in size when started, and has since expanded to 20,000 sq. ft. Feret says there are plans for further expansion. "I can see some future expan- sion but we want to stay in Whitby." Hanet produces microwave covers and other plastic packag- ing items but it is the cookie B Adam Sikora Located at 12-2001 Thickson Rd. S. for more than 10 years, Oshawa Valve manufactures iron valves mostly for northern min- ing operations as well as con- struction industries. Selling their products to large industrial wholesalers, some of Oshawa Valve's customers in- clude Emco Supply, Acklands Ltd., Crane Supply and West- burn Industrial, probably the lar- gest industrial wholesaler in the world, with a multitude of inter- national branches. Founded by owner Dean Hen- ley in 1978, Oshawa Valve is a spinoff of the old Fittings Ltd. (Bruce St.) in Oshawa. Under the watchful eye of plant manager Roger Wigley, Oshawa Valve has seen its up and down periods. During the 1982 recession, Henley was for- ced to sell the plant to Ward Found of Blossburg,-Penn. and entere their employment. When Henle was stationed at other posts elonging to Ward through- out Cana a, Wigley ran the entire Whitby plant in Henley's absence. However, when Ward ran into financial trouble of its own, Hen- ley was able to buy his company back from them in 1985. Oshawa Valve currentlv employs a full- business that is Hanet's main focus. Clients are Christie Brown, Pec Freans and Dare Cookies. Hanet is now producing five million liners for Christie Brown for the packaging of girl guide cookies which went on sale Feb. 11. "That used to be four million, so the cookies are sellirg better,» said Feret. Hanet now employees between 15 and 20 people, depending on business, compared to five employees in 1981. "1988 was a ver good year for us," said Feret. e past year also saw Feret himself earn a Heart of Gold Award, given to outstanding community volun- teers, for his coaching in minor hockey. "Free trade won't hurt us but it should help open new areas to the United States for our clients," said Feret, noting that cookie sales determine produc. tion levels at his companv. time staff of 12, hiring more as busy periods demand it, and in the past has hired students for the summer. With Oshawa Valve currently specializin in plug valves, Hen- ley says t at the possibility of also expanding into the large- scale manufacturing of ball valves is being explored. The ball valve has broader applications and can be used in other indus- tries. Although there are no current plans to expand Oshawa Valve's present facilities, Henle com- ments that he would love to acquire or merge with another company to share expertise and "to have another shoul der to lean on." Henley has high hopes for Oshawa Valve in 1989, hoping it will experience as much growth and success as it did in 1988, but admits that so far this year, it has been comparatively slow. However, he expects business to pick up around April and May. On a final note addressing free trade, Henley predicts it will prove beneficial for Oshawa Valve, as they still.acquire most of the raw materials for their products from Blossburg. "It opens doors on bothsides of the border for marketing." Plug valves specialty of Oshawa Valve Invest in short term rentals for long term profits. )o Renting in-plant equipment can mean bigger profits. Because renting guarantees top-of-the-line equipment without the bottom line cost if initial investment and high interest rates. When you rent tools, scaffolding, and other in-plant needs, you are assured of less downtime and more productivity. You also eliminate storage and maintenance fees and pay only for the time the equipment is in your possession. So improve your bottom line with top-of-the-line rental equipment. Stop in and see us today. Or call for information on available equipment. DURHAM EQUIPMENT RENTALS 428-0880 668-0880