Owner George Irving, who moved his family to Sarnia in 1999, says his business is ready to take advantage of the growth of the oil sector.
Irving had worked in the sheet metal fabricating and manufacturing industry his whole life and started his own company in England before coming to Canada. In 2005, he opened his Sarnia location specializing in custom design, fabrication, machined components and pilot plants.
Rock Technical Solutions, a member of the Sarnia Lambton Industrial Alliance, has already had successes working on specialized projects in Sarnia. Irving has done specialized worked on projects for companies such as Lanxess, Entropex, Toda, H.C. Starck, and Ceda Reactor. “We have tackled some unusual projects,” he says. That leads to word-of-mouth referrals. “This is a good market to work in,” said Irving, adding that Rock Technical’s expertise in stainless steel work is one of the reasons he is able to land contracts.
But Irving is looking expectantly to the west and the possibility of work which could come to Ontario to help build Alberta’s oil industry.
“We have the key people in place to take advantage of the modular business…from all over the world,” says Irving. “We have a great location, ideally situated right off the Chemical Valley.”
Irving has also put a lot of effort into upgrading his facility and equipment to make sure he can meet the needs of all his clients. With 14,000 square feet of space, Irving says there is lots of room to grow.
“We have a well equipped workshop here,” says Irving, noting the business recently upgraded its equipment to include its own CNC Laser/Plasma Cutting table and a CNC Lathe machine. “We are seeking new projects with the goal to expand our customer base.”
Irving is hopeful a new heavy-haul corridor will help bring that business to Sarnia-Lambton.