The Injection Molding Leaders

Kemflo Canada Inc.
Written by Robert Hoshowsky

Established in 1988, Kemflo Canada Inc. has become known for its expertise in the world of high-quality injection molded products. Providing timely and cost-effective solutions, Kemflo Canada’s industry-wide reputation continues earning the company business from new and repeat customers alike.

Serving a diverse range of markets including agricultural, leisure pool & spa, medical, environmental, electrical, industrial, chemical, construction and building products, Kemflo Canada works with customers on projects from concept and prototyping to mold design and manufacturing.

Kemflo’s injection molding capacity
Kemflo has a machine range from 60 to 1200 U.S. tons, which allows the company to manufacture parts weighing as little as five grams up to parts weighing seven kilograms. This gives Kemflo the range to produce a large variety of products.

Kemflo has over 50 years of experience working with engineered thermoplastic resins and has become a leader in its industry. Today, the company’s biggest markets include high-rise construction, fittings for chemical fluid handling, mass transfer filtration media, and agriculture.

People and technology
To ensure the highest possible quality and in keeping up with customer needs, Kemflo Canada has invested over $20 million in tooling for proprietary products, custom automation, and other capital equipment over the last 30 years. “Along with the financial investment, we have invested heavily in acquiring and retaining qualified technical personnel,” explains company President, John Kehren. Kemflo currently employs approximately 60 skilled people within its 100,000 square-foot facility, located in the city of Richmond Hill Ontario, all with a dedicated mindset of product quality and continuous improvement.

Kemflo Canada has retained many of the same clients for the past 30 years and counting. “We’ve heard from customers that they appreciate how we’ve gone the extra mile and do a great job servicing them,” says John.

Kemflo Canada makes many OEM products, such as fittings for fluid handling in the pool and spa industry as well as industrial applications where there are high temperatures or high operating pressures in highly corrosive environments.

There are also agricultural products—such as lids and tank adapters for plastic holding tanks used by farmers—and products for the commercial sector, where customers need to store everything from water to hazardous chemicals. The materials used for holding tanks in the chemical process industry must be highly resistant to corrosives and made from exotic resins.

“We’ve seen our business grow over the last decade. Products such as agricultural products and Mass Transfer Plastic media have been major products that have contributed to our growth,” shares John.

Quality
Kemflo is an ISO 9001:2015 certified company and has met specific certifications to meet industry standards specific to the products made. The certifications are National Sanitation Foundation (NSF/ANSI 61), Underwriters’ Laboratories (UL), and Canadian Standards Association (CSA) and these are industry standards that Kemflo is approved for to validate products made.

“As well,” says John, “we have a committed Quality Inspection department which understands the importance of quality and how important implementation is in a 24/7 production environment.”

Diverse capabilities
With decades of in-depth engineering experience in mold making and custom assembly
automation, Kemflo Canada provide clients with turnkey solutions that are effective and cost-efficient to compete in a world market. Along with producing a variety of molds, tooling
department specialists will perform repairs or modifications of molds to avoid unnecessary
downtime to service customers in a timely manner.

Using the latest software and technology, the engineers at Kemflo Canada provide a total range of design services using 2D and 3D platforms like Siemens PLM (Unigraphics NX), SolidWorks and Pro/Engineer (Creo Elements/Pro). John states that, “Kemflo’s 35 years of experience in engineering combined with the latest in software technology allows us to provide our customers with the best engineering solutions.”

For clients requiring prototyping, Kemflo uses the best available technology, including the
Dimension 1200 Series 3D printer. By using 3D printing, Kemflo can produce conceptual parts
before going into the mold design and production phase.

A great place to work
With many long-term and dedicated employees who value the company’s integrity and
commitment to excellence and social responsibility, Kemflo is constantly seeking professionals in the areas of design, processing, and automation. Like other companies in the manufacturing sector, Kemflo Canada has experienced some challenges filling positions, especially technical ones. Part of the reason, says John, is that, “many Canadian colleges no longer offer courses for injection molding and processing plastics.”

In Ontario, the Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning closed its Canadian Plastics Training Centre 13 years ago, while other colleges in Alberta, British Columbia, and Quebec shuttered their programs in the mid- to late-2000s.

Ongoing growth
Turning 35 next year, Kemflo Canada plans to mark the anniversary with a celebration toward the end of 2023 and advertise the milestone on social media. Continuing to grow its operations, the company recently bought a location in Houston to expand its mass transfer packing line. Houston is known for its prominent chemical market, which requires products for chemical use and chemical processes.

“Our plans are to grow existing products in the markets we’re already in and work on this strength. We have increased our U.S. sales dramatically and by having a presence in the U.S., we have been able to capitalize in the market we’re in,” says John.

Committed to providing quality products and services, the team at Kemflo looks forward to working with its large base of existing customers and welcoming new clients. “Kemflo Canada is a diverse turnkey operation with over 35 years of experience in many types of thermoplastic resins, including specialty engineered resins,” says the President. “Kemflo offers quality service and cost-effective solutions with resources to do more than just injection molding. We look forward to the challenges in the future and are very excited to be a part of this.”

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