Forest City Castings Announces Major Expansion to St. Thomas

The St. Thomas Economic Development Corporation (EDC) today announced that Forest City Castings of London, Ontario has entered into an Agreement to purchase the Lear Seating property at 10 Highbury Avenue in St. Thomas, Ontario.  Over 70 skilled employees currently make up the Forest City Castings team and that number is expected to grow as they relocate and expand from a 25,000 square foot location in London to a 100,000 square foot building with room to grow in St. Thomas. 

Established in 2004 in London, Forest City Castings is a privately-owned company that specializes in quality zinc and aluminum castings for manufacturers in the United States, Mexico, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Singapore and anywhere that their product is required.  Recognized around the world for their quality, workmanship and service, the company provides a turnkey service for their customers by offering in-house mould making and custom CNC machining.

Mayor Heather Jackson-Chapman said “We are pleased that Forest City Castings has chosen to move their business to St. Thomas. We welcome them and we look forward to their future growth as an exciting part of our business community.”   

“The addition of this world class manufacturer to our community helps to further diversify our economic base and places even more emphasis on the fact that St. Thomas is the home of a new Industrial Revolution”, commented St. Thomas EDC President Dennis Broome.

Owners Michael Vandenboom and Scott McRae have over 20 years experience with graphite permanent mould technology, sand casting and the manufacturing of zinc and aluminum castings.  The company offers a wide range of casting products and supplies to a number of different industry sectors, including electrical, mechanical hardware, medical, high tech, nautical and others.

“The decision to move our business to St. Thomas was not difficult as we knew we would be able to retain our current high-quality employees while growing our business in a community that is very supportive to industry”, said Vandenboom.

Forest City Castings is expected to move in during the first quarter of 2012.

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Robert Wheeler, General Manager