2015 OBAA Finalist Profile: Swenco Limited

Swenco Limited has been nominated as a finalist for the Ontario Going Global, Small Business Award, to be presented on the evening of November 25 at the 2015 Ontario Business Achievement Awards. Make sure to get your seats today!

About Swenco Limited:

Swenco Limited is North America’s largest manufacturer of safety footwear components with manufacturing facilities in Waterloo, Ontario. They are also the majority shareholder in a steel toe cap and shank manufacturer in Dongguan, China. The organization also designs and manufacturers engineered plastic products for commercial HVAC systems and farming industries.

Swenco spent over a year searching for the correct manufacturing process that would allow the organization to keep production in Canada without causing any significant change to their existing factory or increase the health risks to their employees. Eventually, Swenco found a company in Ontario that manufactured XY cutting tables out of their factory in Burlington.

As a Canadian manufacturer, it was very important for Swenco to support local businesses and it was an added bonus that doing so didn’t lessen the quality of their product or service. By incorporating this new manufacturing process, Swenco was able to increase their full-time workforce by 20%.

Swenco is on a continued growth plan that projects double digit growth each year over the next five years. This continued growth will lead the organization to a new manufacturing facility that will include innovative and new manufacturing capabilities. This growth will likely lead to a 100% increase in their full-time factory workforce in five years.

Swenco hopes to revolutionize the safety footwear industry with new products and production methods that are currently in the research and development phase.

About the Ontario Going Global, Small Business Award: 

Sponsored by the Government of Ontario, the Ontario Going Global, Small Business Award is awarded to a business that has implemented an export strategy that has positively affected its bottom line.

What Ontario business leaders are saying about Swenco Limited: 

“Swenco Limited is a Canadian manufacturer whose success is built on their ability to innovate and provide quality products that meets their customer’s needs. Manufacturing is an essential component of Ontario’s diverse economy and I’m looking forward to celebrating Swenco’s role in this space at the OBAAs this year.”
– Allan O’Dette, President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce

“For more than fifty years, Swenco Limited has been North America’s largest manufacturer and most trusted supplier of engineered safety components used in most recognized brands of safety footwear including Honeywell, Kodiak, Timberland, Dakota, Terra, STC, Red Wing, Baffin and many others. As a small company that has transitioned many times through their history to meet changing markets demands, Swenco has provided stable and well-paying employment with a significant percentage of their staff working over 30 years and many more approaching twenty and ten year anniversaries.”
– Art Sinclair, Vice President of the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce

“My father’s mantra to me was always two things: Build a great team around you and have an undying devotion to continuous improvement and innovation. At Swenco, we always ask the question…Why not in Canada? Why can’t we make it here?”
– Paul Sweeny, President and Owner of Swenco Limited

The Ontario Going Global, Small Business Award is generously supported by