The Launch of Genap Canada    

Genap Canada in Chatham-Kent has been up and running since the end of 2022! Genap has already built a good reputation in Canada as a supplier of high-quality, sustainable water storage solutions such as tank liners, pond/lagoon liners, tanks and covers. Until recently, these products were shipped from the Netherlands to Canada. Due to increasing transport costs and times, and the increasing demand for products in North America, it was clear that there was a need for a manufacturing facility in Canada. The central location in Ontario allows the products to be shipped easily and efficiently across Canada and the United States.

Customization  

Operational Director Remco van Oers was present at the start-up of manufacturing the first products, together with our mechanic Rob Snelting and our Canadian colleagues Willem Ligthart (Manager), Brent Pilon (Production Manager) and Melissa Pilon (Office Manager). Van Oers says: 'Steel tanks and liners for the horticultural sector are being made here. For the liners, two frames are used; one for liners up to 8 meters in diameter and one for liners between 8 and 17 meters. In this way, we can hang tank liners up to a diameter of about 17 meters in the relatively small production hall, making it much easier to circular weld the bottom wall. Also in the facility, plates for the steel tanks are corrugated, punched and bent. We use smaller panels here that are easy to handle in production, during transport and in the field.'

The start  

'We started with a tank cover made with the small frame, that went entirely according to plan. After the cover was made, we made a tank liner with the latest material, Aquatex® Supreme. The liner was skillfully assembled and folded. Folding requires a little more attention because the material is stiffer than PVC or PP. On the last day, the steel machines were tested for the manufacturing of the tank plates. Here we corrugated the flat steel plates, punched bolt holes and bent the plates to the desired tank diameter. All in all, it was a great kick-off! Recently, the first orders were transported to customers. A nice basis for a successful further rollout.'

The images below give a quick snapshot of the process and the people! To be continued!