A Barrie based manufacture is expanding in order to meet a growing demand on the global market. Innovative Automation broke ground Tuesday for a new 62, 500 square foot facility on Welham Road. Innovative Automation has been in Barrie for 27 years and currently operates out of two plants on Saunders Road. The new facility will allow the company to consolidate its two current plants. “This is big - it gives us stability going into the future,” said Stephen Loftus, Innovative Automation president. “About 25 per cent are below the age of 25 and this cements a future for those people for the next 20 to 30 years at this location.” The company produces robotic equipment for the automotive and medical sectors and is projecting business to grow by more than 30 per cent. The company will now be supply customers in Asia, Europe and South America. “Our expectation is that within a year of having the building up we’ll be adding 30 new high tech engineering or high skilled trades to our staff,” said Loftus. The mayor called the expansion and new jobs a “renaissance of manufacturing” for the city at the ceremonial ground breaking Tuesday. “This is one of Barrie’s really great success stories,” said Mayor Jeff Lehman. “It’s a brand new facility for a manufacturing facility for a company that has been a big part of Barrie’s growth and is now just taking off, they are doubling their workforce in two years.” Construction is scheduled to begin next week with the building complete by within a year.
