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1989 BUSINESS SHOWCASE Page 11, Wednesday, February 22, 1989 International market for Burcan's soil drains By Adam Sikora Burcan Industries Ltd. of Whitby has a unique innovation to offer the rest of te world. Burcan creates a soil drain for specialized types of construction in areas where there is soft soil with high water content and very fine particles (for exam le, clas and silts), and the soil hbas tob e settled quickly to allow construc- tion. Examples of projects are a highway embankment or an approach to a bridge, that cannot wait the required number of years for natural settlement of soil. A drain, composed of a plastic core wrapped in polyester filter paper, when implanted in the ground forms a small flow chan- nel for water to travel up and out of soil by pressure, and diffuse into a layer of sand. This provides a faster, more economical alternative to other soil-draining processes such as the use of piles or sand itself, according to Burcan president Vicko Von Stedingk. Starting in 1974.as business contractors, specializing in in- stalling drains outside Sweden, Burcan imported a product made in Sweden and found weaknesses in it. That prompted a redesign and then a patent on their own drains, the Aliwick and the Alid- rain. The latter is the superior of the two, due to more free surface on it and allowances which allows it to be placed further apart when implanting them. In Whitby since 1977, Burcan started at 111 Industrial Dr., using, two bays. The company has since expanded and now bas VICKO VON STEDINYK (right), pre- produced at the Whitby plant at 111 sident of Burcan Industries Ltd., exa- Industrial Dr. ,e- cpress photo mines with an employee some Alidrain <;iv haveý.. J.C. Brodeur, chairman of the board and principal owner, ori- ginally from Montreal, establ- ished Burcan in Whitby when the Quebec government posed too many problems for a Mon- treal-area location, says Von Ste- dingk. Brodeur's next logical option was to look for soniething in the Toronto area, and a big welcome was extended by Whitby and the Re ion, relates Von Stedingk. 'k would take something very, very major in terms of other business considerations before we'd uproot ourselves from Whtb, saidVon Stedin k. Infact, with 1988 sales dou- bling those of the previous year, there may be future expansion plans involving the opening of a manufacturing operation in the United States, in a joint venture with Contech of Ohio. The height of Burcam's season is when construction is at its peak, in the spring and the early summer months. During such periods, employm ent has reached 26, compared to 10 .to 12 employees during these slower months. Dealing largely on an inter- national evel, Canada has only accounted for about 8 to 10 per cent of Burcan's total production volume since its inception. Some of Burcan's contracts on the homefront have included some highways in Quebec and a dam site at Estenan, Sask., which req uired the use of more than a million metres of Aliwick. An interesting international project was the export of Burcan products to a German contractor building a highway from Bastra to Bagdhad through Iraq during the h eght of the Iran-Iraq war. Anot er prospect showing eat promise, says Von Ste- in , will be to Provide 30 milion metres for a Hong Kong airport, if Burcan is chosen. Burcan's standard drain size - with a width of four inches, thickness of a few millimetres and varying length - competes with about 25 other brands worldwide, although Von Ste- dingk says only five of them Burcan benefits by free trade agreement provide serious competition. And Burcan sees benefits in the Canada-U.S. free-trade agreement, as it will further open un the U.S. market. Anot er type of drain Burcan offers is known as the 'hitek.' Licensed to be used by an Aus- tralian company, this allows Burcan to make plastics of vari- ous sizes and strengths with the same machinery, using different tooling. The standard strength used is 5,000 lbs. pr square foot. However, says on Stedingk, this process gives Burcan te greatest flexibility of any com- pany in the world, with the widest range of types of drains offered, a distinct market advan- taLl. 'Jnheard of 15 years ago but now considered normal, more uses of plastic drains are being implemented every day. One such use is on the walls of excavation sites. For Von Ste- dingk, this can spell nothing but pros erity for Burcan, Pioneer. and leaders in the ever-c angmn field of geo-technology. Success due to continued innovation says Ingram By Adam Sikora With yet another successful year completed, Makita Power Tools Canada Ltd.-on Forbes St. in Whitby anxiously awaits the future. Offering more than 180 cord and cordless power tools on the Canadian market, the plant, and Canada's head office, recently doubled in size with the comple- tion of a 500,000-sq. ft. addition. A regional sales oflice/ware- house in Richmond B.C. is Mak- ita's other Canacian location. Both are wholly owned sub- sidiaries of the Anjo, Japan based Mikita Electric Works. Makita also has several branches in the United States, including another head office in California and a new manufac- turing plant in Buford, Georgia. In anada for 15 years, Mikita was oniginally located in Scar- borough, but moved to Whitby about six years ago for more manufacturing and warehousing space. With a stable workforce of approximately 120, Makita's sales figures have grown steadily and there have been vast im- provements over previous years. Sujpplyin tools tù hardwarz stores, in ustrial warehouses and lumber and building material outlets, Makita's tools have gained a rep utation for being durable and well-built since they were at first designed for professional use. Built for tradesmen and professionals, it was decided that their high 9ua- lity would do well on t he 'do- it-yourself" market, which Mak- ita entered about three years ago. According to Richard Ingram, general manager of sales and marketing, a contributing factor to Makita's success is that it remains innovative, recognizing the needs of the marketplace. One example, he points out, is a recently developed battery- powered pruning shear for vineyards. Ingram says Makita is acknowledged as a cordless tool leader, with convenience as the key factor encouraging sales. He says buyers recognize high quality and are inclined to pay more as long as a hi level of satisfaction is delivered. With Makita power tools, it is a rare instance where the old s*n "You get what you pay rings true. éARAYMOND STEEL LTD. Brnch es 1750 Harbour Street P.O. Box 179, WhitbyOntario LN51 4163430350 FAX 416.430*1146 3419 Hawthorne Road Ottawa, Ontario K1G-4G2 613.5218644 REINFORCING STEELMDIVISION Estimating Detailing • Fabrication •Installation WIRE MESHI Supplied • Installed jour ýý7ýhaKîtaýýý