Manufacturing

Alberta’s manufacturing sector is quickly growing; manufacturing exports increased by 35% between 2009 and 2014.

 

Central Alberta has a broad manufacturing base, with a large number of fabricated metal and machinery manufacturers. Tied closely to the oil and gas and mining activity occurring across Alberta, central Alberta’s manufacturers provide important services to these operations.

Our manufacturing industry continues to grow and diversify; petrochemicals, transportation equipment, and food and beverage manufacturing are just a few of the areas supported by this industry.

Producing Quality Goods

Alberta is one of Canada’s major metal manufacturing centres, behind only Ontario, and generates approximately $14.5 billion per year.

Alberta’s industrial manufacturing industry currently consists of almost 2,000 firms employing over 50,000 people. The provincial government predicts that demand in Alberta will require more than $200 billion of new construction and maintenance spending over the next 25 years, creating tremendous opportunity for our manufacturing sector in the future.

Manufacturing For Oil & Gas

As Alberta’s hub for oil field production services, oil and gas machinery manufacturing accounts for over $300 million of Central Alberta’s manufacturing shipments. Numerous local operators produce virtually every component used in the oil and gas industry in Western Canada, as well as export them to over 35 different countries.

Major Employers in Manufacturing

Our major manufacturers, primarily producing goods for the energy and agri-foods sectors, include the following:

Manufacturing For Agriculture & Agri-Foods

Estimates for 2015 indicate that Alberta’s food and beverage processing industries represented the largest manufacturing sector in the province, accounting for 21.5% or $14.63 billion of total manufactured goods.

Alberta is the third largest producer and exporter of agri-food products in Canada. The food and beverage products manufactured here have an international reputation for quality and safety.

Central Alberta has the largest amount of farm land in Alberta (3.8 million acres), providing primary feedstock to local manufacturers of food and beverage producers. A number of food and beverage processing companies are located in central Alberta, including pork, beef and malting facilities. We are at the centre of this thriving industry.

PetroChemical Manufacturing

In Central Alberta, the large NOVA Chemicals Joffre Site recently completed the Polyethylene 1 (P1) Expansion Project, part of the greater R3 Project at the Joffre Site. The three-year construction process impacted the local economy, bringing approximately 800 jobs to the site at peak employment and continues to remain a strong presence. NOVA Chemicals stated the main construction contractor, Ledcor, paid out approximately $145 million in wages, with about 35% of those employees being local residents. That equated to approximately $50 million flowing to local residents who worked on the construction site.

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