DMI opens Ontario’s first fully
dedicated wind tower facility
The first fully dedicated wind tower manufacturing
plant in Ontario is now operational and filling orders. DMI Industries,
an operating company of Otter Tail Corporation officially opened
its newly refurbished facility in Fort Erie, Ontario.
DMI is a West Fargo, North Dakota-based diversified
heavy steel manufacturer with a primary focus in wind tower fabrication.
According to DMI president Lars Moller, the Ontario
facility not only positions DMI to better support wind energy development
in Canada and the northern tier of the United States, but also will
result in additional jobs at its West Fargo plant.
DMI acquired the Fort Erie plant in October 2005
and immediately began renovating and modernizing it for heavy steel
wind tower fabrication. The company hired a local workforce and
trained the Canadian employees in its West Fargo facility.
Tower manufacturing began in Fort Erie in May
2006. The plant has an annual capacity of 400-500 wind tower sections
with potential to double that. The facility positions DMI closer
to its customers, helping to lower the costs of delivery to site
and reduce the overall expense of wind energy development.
The Fort Erie plant employs 110 people. DMI expects
to hire 10-15 additional employees for the facility by the end of
2006, and there is potential for up to 100 more by the end of 2007. |
