Innovative companies win 1995 Canada export awards.
Moving aggressively into a new marketplace helped Macro Engineering & Technology Inc. of Mississauga, ON, boost its export sales by 333 percent in just three years.
"We realized the vast potential of moving into China," said Mirek Planeta, the company's President. "It is literally an untapped and exciting market."
Macro Engineering designs, manufactures and installs the machinery that is used to make plastic film. Plastic film is used in essentially every aspect of our daily life -- from the shrink-wrap that covers salami to garbage bags and plastic fencing. Macro sells its custom plastic processing machinery by individual components or complete systems. Post gusseters, extrusion machines, embossing lines and winders are only a few of the heavy-duty machines that Macro manufacturers.
In the four years that Macro Engineering has been producing these machines, the company has increased its staff by 350 percent, now employing 66 people.
Half of Macro Engineering's business is in China. To accommodate its Chinese customers as well as attract new ones, it opened a sales office in Beijing. Exports make up 88 percent of the company's total sales. Other customers include plastic processing factories in the United States, the Czech Republic, Jamaica, Argentina, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Israel.
"Our customers like our machinery because it is reliable," said Planeta. "When it's practical, we can assemble an entire film line in our premises and test-run the equipment to prove its capability before it is shipped. At the same time, we provide the customer with carefully supervised hands-on training so that they can confidently operate the machinery once it has been installed in their factory."
The durability, reliability and advanced technology of a Macro Engineering product keeps customers coming back, says Planeta. "They like how we can specialize a product to suit their individual needs," he said.
Planeta credits the Export Development Corporation for the role it has played in helping the company break into new export markets. "Without the EDC we wouldn't be here today," he said. "They've been very forthcoming in helping us take business risks that have paid off handsomely in the end."
Another Canada Export Award-winning company is Wrebbit Inc. of Montreal -- a company that lets you be the architect of the Eiffel Tower, Mecca, the Empire State Building and Big Ben.
