Being fast and flexible keeps Corbeil injection molder humming.

• Author: Ross, Ian

Don Champagne's first foray into entrepreneurship almost crash landed before it off the ground.

After the Corbeil native established North Bay Plastic Molders out of his garage in 1985, the venture almost came to a screeching halt when his first would-be customer hung him out to dry A local mining supplier had been importing thread protectors used for exploration drill rods from Australia. The purchasing agent told Champagne if he could produce the caps at a cheaper price and deliver in time, he would get the contract.

Champagne mortgaged his house and borrowed heavily to raise the cash for his first German-made injection molding machine, then submitted his price for the molds and parts.

With no word for a month, he phoned the company only to be told that the job went to a Toronto manufacturer even though Champagne's quote was cheaper.

As a novice manufacturer, the company had concerns about his reliability and survivability.

"It was really, really difficult to get started and get customers because nobody would trust me," Champagne remembers. "Nobody knew if we were going to be in business in a year."

Fortunately, he received a phone call from the competitor of that company who inquired if he could, make the thread protectors and design them so they could be pried off in the field without using tools.

Champagne landed that job and has never looked back.

"I should have failed but nobody told Trie. I was supposed to stop," said Champagne, who runs the three-employee eustorn and proprietary injection moulding outfit with his wife, Jackie. The shop is located mere steps from the back door of his Corbeil home, just east of North Bay.

Champagne was introduced to the process while working in mechanical maintenance for Ontario Hydro in southern Ontario.

A hunting buddy, who managed a small Toronto injection molding plant, gave him a tour of the facility in 1979.

"When I walked in, the lights were out and all the machines were running, unattended and fully automated."

It turned on a switch inside Champagne, who left the security of the public sector to bring the technology north. He set up shop close to the farm where he grew up.

"Sometimes you want to do something in your life and you don't want to wait until you retire."

His 7,500-square-foot steel-framed shop and warehouse contains six modern Engel machines.

"I like German machinery because they're extremely efficient," said Champagne, in adding one machine works on the energy of six 100-watt...