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ST. THOMAS, ONT. — Element5’s roots are going deeper and deeper into Ontario as the mass timber manufacturer officially celebrated the grand opening of its $107 million plant expansion in St. Thomas recently.

The move more than doubles the size of the plant from 130,000 square feet to over 350,000 square feet. This means the facility’s production capacity increases from 50,000 cubic metres annually to 100,000 cubic metres annually of cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glued-laminated timber (Glulam) products.

The company’s growth is reinforced by a strategic investment from parent company the HASSLACHER group, as well as from the Government of Ontario, which chipped in $8 million through the Invest Ontario Fund to further support the project.

“This expansion represents a bold step forward for Element5, our partners and the mass timber industry in Canada,” said Chris Latour, president of Element5, in a statement. “We are proud to provide innovative, sustainable building solutions that help address Canada’s urgent need for affordable, climate- friendly housing and infrastructure. With our expanded operations, we are even better positioned to support communities across Ontario and North America.”

Founded in 2015, sources lumber from Ontario and specializes in the design, fabrication and assembly of timber structures for commercial, industrial, residential and municipal projects. When the St. Thomas facility first opened in 2020, it stood on a greenfield site with just 15 employees. Less than five years later, the workforce has grown to 175 highly skilled professionals, the release adds. The support from Invest Ontario will create an additional 150 jobs, growing the company’s workforce to over 325 employees.