More than 150 jobs are coming to Chilliwack with the arrival of a marine manufacturing company.
The City of Chilliwack and the Chilliwack Economic Partners Corporation (CEPCO) announced the relocation of AdvanTec Global Innovations to Chilliwack from its current location in the Township of Langley.
Work has already begun to move AdvanTec’s Canadian marine manufacturing operations into the 80,000 square foot facility at 43676 Progress Way.
The new location in Chilliwack is where Clean Energy Compression Corporation (formerly IMW Industries) was located. And there is a connection between the two companies. Former IMW owner Brad Miller is AdvanTec’s owner, and Miller owns the building on Progress Way.
“We are excited to be part of the business community in Chilliwack once again, and we look forward to growing our business there,” Miller said.
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As for Clean Energy, the company has apparently changed hands again, is moving back to the IMW name, and has built a new facility in the Legacy Pacific industrial area on South Sumas Road in Chilliwack.
In a press release to announce the move issued on Monday, AdvanTec Global Innovations is described as an internationally recognized industrial and marine manufacturer with several locations in the United States and Canada.
The company exports to more than 50 countries worldwide, and is made up of an industrial division and a marine division. It’s the latter that is moving to Chilliwack, specializing in the design, engineering and manufacturing of “specialty closures.”
The company’s customer base includes North American and international navies, governments, militaries, commercial vessel and yacht builders.
Mayor elect Ken Popove welcomed the arrival of AdvanTec to the city.
“We are committed to creating a business-friendly environment in Chilliwack that attracts economic growth and investment,” Popove said. “We are happy to welcome AdvanTec Global Innovations to Chilliwack.”
The company said the move means 130 current jobs will move from Langley to Chilliwack, and they are also looking to fill 25 open positions. According to the listings on www.advantecglobal.com/careers, those jobs include: machinist, welder, fabricators, painters, along with front office jobs such as senior project manager, sales representative, and director of engineering.
CEPCO president Brian Coombes lauded the move of AdvanTec to Chilliwack, pointing out that the manufacturing sector accounts for close to 180,000 direct jobs in B.C. and supports hundreds of thousands of indirect jobs. It’s estimated that for every dollar generated by a manufacturer, another $3.50 of economic activity is generated.
“The manufacturing sector in Chilliwack is a major contributor to our local economy,” Coombes said. “The addition of a global company such as AdvanTec Global Innovations to our community will strengthen this important sector and bring additional job opportunities for Chilliwack residents.”
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