Cleantech manufacturer receives $2.6M from feds for production scale-up

Kingston Aluminum Technology (KAT), a cleantech manufacturer in Kingston, Ont. is receiving $2.6 million from the federal government to support scale up of its production technology.

KAT is a family-run manufacturer of custom aluminum bottles. The company uses patented blow-molding technology to produce reusable bottle shapes for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical markets.

With the repayable contribution from FedDev Ontario, KAT will further commercialize its blow-molding technology, enabling the company to implement an in-house production line to fulfill custom orders as well as manufacture and licence the use of its aluminum technology.

“After completing the blow molding technology, our next goal was to redesign the production process of an aluminum impact extrusion line to reduce the carbon footprint of the preforms needed in the manufacture of our custom shaped aluminum bottles,” says Betty Pilon, president, Kingston Aluminum Technology Inc.

“We wanted an energy-efficient small footprint production plant for entrepreneurial run beverage companies to produce their own cost-competitive small batch orders, close to their home markets. The funds provided by FedDev Ontario have helped us achieve these goals, and will help continue the development of the technology using the rich knowledge base that resides in our region and our country.”

The company will also be able to increase the rate at which it can transform raw aluminum, producing 100 per cent recyclable aluminum bottles, helping reduce the need for plastics.

Additionally, funding will allow KAT to boost its efforts to use BPA-NI free powder coatings, an environmentally conscious alternative.

The investment, which is in addition to $11.8 million in private sector investments, will create 29 new jobs in the region.