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From left, Brantford-Brant MP Larry Brock, Brantford mayor, Kevin Davis, IKO vice-president of North America operations, Guy Tremblay, Henry Koschitsky, IKO director Yekutiel Koschitsky, IKO regional manager, Chris Brown, IKO CEO David Koschitsky
Canadian roofing, waterproofing and insulation products manufacturer, IKO, held a groundbreaking ceremony at the location of its future extruded polystyrene (XPS) insulation plant in Brantford, Ont. The $50 million, 70,000-square-foot facility will produce 60 to 80 truckloads of XPS panel products for use in above- and below-grade applications. The new plant marks IKO’s first foray into XPS panel production in North America, though the company has produced similar products in Europe. The plant will employ 30 to 40 staff and is slated to begin production in 2027.
From left, Yadin and Yekutiel Koschitzsky, Davis, Henry and David Koschitzsky.
Henry Koschitzsky, 91-year-old son of IKO founder Isidore Koschitzsky, was on hand for the groundbreaking, one of three generations of the Koschitzky family in attendance. Henry is still active in the company and led the design of the Brantford plant. He participated in the design of IKO’s original shingle manufacturing facility in Brampton, Ont., in 1958.
“I always find a groundbreaking like the magic and birth of a new family member,” Brantford mayor, Kevin Davis, said in his remarks. “This creation is part of a large business enterprise but this product – certainly for Ontario where we’re looking at expanding radically the amount of housing – I think you’re going to find a great market.”
“I don’t know if we’re having a baby or just getting pregnant,” IKO vice-president of North America operations, Guy Tremblay, quipped. “It feels like we’re just starting with a lot of work ahead for us. I want to thank our sister companies because we now have three of the IKO group companies in the same place.” This was a reference to Sun Gro, a horticultural peat moss manufacturer, and Roofmart, a low-slope roof system supplier, both of whom are owned by IKO and share the 70-acre plot where the plant will be built.
“I know the challenges this country is facing,” Brantford-Brant federal MP, Larry Brock, said. “Unfortunately there are too many small and medium-sized businesses that have lost confidence in the direction this country is going in and are moving to the United States. So when I hear of companies such as yourselves who are prepared to go into the long run and commit to Canada and commit to this community, that is deserving of my applause and recognition.”
IKO CEO David Koschitzsky said he is often asked why IKO chose Brantford. Then he noted that the company’s first manufacturing facility was in Brampton, followed by a wrapper production facility in Barrie, Ont. So the next Ontario location had to start with a “B.”
IKO director of consumer and corporate affairs, Derek Fee, offered a possibly more serious reason, noting Brantford’s proximity to major transporation routes and being within commuting distance of Toronto without being inside the big city. Familiarity with the region through the Brampton facility, however, did play a big role. IKO Regional manufacturing director, Chris Brown, noted that they are hoping to hire a plant manager soon so that they can participate in the plant construction process. Brown says the company would prefer someone from the local area who could bring knowledge of the regional manufacturing network and community ties to the job.
“We’ve spent a lot of money the last five years,” David said. “My grandfather, who started this business, said you can either get bigger or smaller but you can’t stay the same. We’ve spent a lot of money on capital expansion and more importantly bringing new jobs to areas and we’re very excited about that.” IKO has invested about $1 billion building new production facilities across North America.
“We’ve been fortunate that when we’ve opened up facilities, we’ve stayed for many, many years,” David continued. “The plant my uncle built Brampton, it’s no longer there…because it’s a brand new facility built in the same place. We take a lot of pride in the fact that most of the communities we’ve been in, once we get there, we put down roots and we stay there.”