London-based Abuma is supplying equipment for nuclear power plantsA London precision manufacturing firm has found promising new markets in nuclear plants and environmental control equipment. Hank Daniszewski |
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 [ 2009-09-23 ] |
Business development manager Larry Gooder watches a laser cut a pattern out of steel panels at Abuma Manufacturing Ltd.
Business development manager Larry Gooder said it's a big, lucrative market, but one that is tough to enter.
"Even to get on their bidder's list we had to increase our certification," he said.
Abuma is starting out by supplying rod handling equipment and minor replacement parts, hoping to work its way up to contracts for major components on the CANDU reactors.
"As with anything, they allow you to do baby steps at first," he said.
The work in the nuclear energy field has already given Abuma the expertise and credentials to tackle other challenging projects, such as a machine that turns sulphur into pellets at an Exxon Mobil refinery in Germany.
Once a polluting waste product, the sulphur is valuable when shipped in a pelletized form.
Abuma was founded in 1982 by Jan Maarschalkerweerd, a vice-president of Trojan Technologies and associate of founder Hank Vander Laan.
Abuma started out making parts for Trojan Technology UV water purification systems and prospered along with its main customer.
Trojan is still a customer, but Abuma soon developed dozens of client companies who need complex metal components for military, medical and environmental devices.
Abuma has a global market, including customers in China, Germany and Great Britain.
The company opened a 100,000-square-foot plant on Admiral Dr. four years ago.
The plant had an automated shelving system, which uses robotic cranes to retrieve specific sheets of stainless steel and other metals to laser cutting machines.
Components are cut from the sheets using the computer- guided lasers and then assembled.
Abuma has about 50 employees, including highly skilled welders. The company also provides co-op learning opportunities to Fanshawe College students and trades schools.
Gooder said Abuma is looking forward to future growth in energy and environmental projects. "There is going to be expansion of nuclear energy capacity around the world. . . . These CANDU projects are putting manufacturing jobs back in Ontario."
Hank Daniszewski is a Free Press reporter. hank.daniszewski@sunmedia.ca
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