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Oxford Pallet receives $2M for robotics and vision equipment

Oxford Pallet, a wood products manufacturer, is receiving $2 million from the Ontario government to expand its operations and introduce robotic and vision equipment.

Oxford Pallet is the first company to be approved for funding under the province’s Forest Sector Investment and Innovation Program, which is designed to help Ontario forestry companies develop and implement innovative technology.

The announcement was made Sep. 24 by John Yakabuski, minister of natural resources and forestry, Vic Fedeli, minister of economic development, job creation and trade, Ernie Hardeman, MPP for Oxford and minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs, and Mike Harris, parliamentary assistant to the minister of natural resources and forestry.

“These investments are absolutely critical to support the province’s vital forestry sector and start us down the road to a strong economic recovery,” said Yakabuski.

The investment will create 20 new jobs, double the plant’s production capacity, and increase lumber purchases from regional sawmills and lumber wholesalers in Ontario by more than 30 per cent.

The equipment and technology planned in the company’s expansion is a first-of-its-kind in North America’s pallet industry.

Oxford Pallet provides wood products such as crates, bins and mulch to many industries, ranging from packaging and transport to biofuel and farming.

Investments such as this one are part of the province’s recently released plan to create jobs and encourage economic growth in the forestry industry.