New Brunswick’s advanced manufacturing sector has a world-class reputation and with good reason. Our companies are leveraging state-of-the-art technologies and processes in the aerospace, consumer products, defense, food & beverage, forestry, mining, oceans, and oil & gas industries. It is the province’s third largest sector by employment, with roughly 8.8 per cent of our workforce employed with one of our many manufacturers.
Firms like McCain Foods, Cooke Aquaculture, Razor Contract Manufacturing, APEX Industries, Moosehead Breweries, Covered Bridge Potato Chips, Imperial Manufacturing, and more, have seen great success manufacturing their products in New Brunswick.
Earlier this week, another noteworthy New Brunswick success story, Sunny Corner Enterprises, announced exciting news, and ONB was thrilled to be a part of it.
Sunny Corner Enterprises – Over 50 Years of Excellence
Established in 1968, Miramichi’s Sunny Corner Enterprises is an outstanding testament to New Brunswick’s entrepreneurial spirit and support for business growth. Over its 50+ years, it has evolved from a small plumbing and heating business to full-service ISO-certified steel fabrication, industrial electrical, and mechanical contracting firm. The company has dramatically diversified its offerings into hydro and combustion-related power, oil and gas, electric power distribution, and the mining sector.
Crucially, it has become a key economic driver by exporting its products globally. Sunny Corner’s success in both domestic and international markets has helped it grow the size of its workforce, support the supply chains of other local businesses, and become a true Miramichi success story. In 2018, ONB had the occasion to speak with CEO Gordie Lavoie ahead of his induction into the Junior Achievement New Brunswick Business Hall of Fame. Be sure to check out that video interview here in which Mr. Lavoie discusses, among other things, how important the people of the region are to Sunny Corner’s decades of success.
Continued Support for New Brunswick Companies
ONB and the Government of New Brunswick recently announced support for Sunny Corner’s expansion of its newly established company Sunny Corner Exploration via a $5M interest-bearing loan. That loan will enable the acquisition of inventory and intellectual property required to manufacture a 700 Series of drill rigs, plus drill rods, and other essential products. For Miramichi, this means 30 new jobs created to support the company’s expansion.
ONB is proud to continue its support for the business growth, productivity, and export potential of world-class companies like Sunny Corner Enterprises. Our team looks forward to seeing it become an even stronger manufacturing success story for Miramichi and for the province of New Brunswick.
New Brunswick is Nurturing World-Class Manufacturers
Like Sunny Corner, so many leading manufacturers have either started in or expanded to New Brunswick. In addition to the valuable support that organizations like ONB provide companies, why have these successful companies chosen our province for growth? Why have they stayed and expanded their workforces here?
It comes down to the New Brunswick Advantage – the winning combination of our people, innovation, infrastructure, and agility.
People: We ensure our workforce is trained to support the industry by connecting manufacturers with our schools to develop tailored curriculum. For example, 2021 saw BWS Manufacturing and New Brunswick Community College (NBCC), in collaboration with Working NB and ONB, launch a successful specialized, in-house training program for welders.
Innovation: In addition to NBCC, the University of New Brunswick, Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick, Université de Moncton, and Research & Productivity Council all provide a variety of research, development, and innovation support to manufacturers choosing to operate in our province. Combined, these groups host labs, programs, and centres of excellence in off-site construction, wood science, robotics, Industry 4.0, 3D printing, and more.
Infrastructure: New Brunswick offers a multi-modal logistics hub, ideally situated to capitalize on world markets. The province gives manufacturers proximity to Europe and same-day access to more than 100 million North American consumers.
We recognize that energy costs and availability are major concerns. Our power rates are among the most competitive across North America and our energy distribution network for natural gas and electricity are ready to support the needs of today’s top manufacturers.
Agility: Finally, New Brunswick’s size is part of its value proposition. Things move quickly here and connecting with decision-makers and stakeholders is easier than in large urban centres.
Moreover, New Brunswick continues to be one of the most cost-competitive jurisdictions in North America due to our comparatively low operating costs, research and development tax credits, and enviable cost of living.
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Keep up with New Brunswick’s Advanced Manufacturing success stories at https://onbcanada.ca/category/manufacturing/ and learn more about Sunny Corner Enterprises at http://sunnycorner.ca/.