Fiber Connections Inc. (FCI), a manufacturer of fiber optic cable assemblies used in the communications industry, today officially opened its new facility in Slemon Park, Prince Edward Island. The company is leasing 25,000 square feet in Hangar 3 and began operations on June 19, 2000.
FCI has been based in Schomberg, Ontario since 1995. The company was started by Larry Fingler, Scott Fingler and Geoff Laycock to fulfill a need they discovered while completing an electrical installation for the United States military. Increased demand for FCI's products resulted in the need to expand its manufacturing capacity.
The worldwide market size for fiber optic premises installation continues to grow due to increasing demand and the decreasing cost of fiber. Fiber optic cable allows for faster data transmission for home and office and allows greater amounts of data, including audio and video, to be transmitted over local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs) and the Internet.
"With Fiber Connections Inc.'s focus on growth comes increased long-term job opportunities for Prince Edward Island residents. And, with jobs comes economic growth. The Government of Canada is pleased to be able to play a role in FCI's development," said Mr. Joe McGuire, Member of Parliament for Egmont, on behalf of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC).
To date, FCI has hired more than 50 people at its new location.
"The Province is glad to contribute to this company by investing in the training of the great staff who work here," said the Honourable Greg Deighan, Minister of Tourism. "We believe such an investment will have a positive impact on the manufacturing sector in Prince Edward Island, helping to continue this province's reputation as one of the fastest growing export economies in Canada."
"The work ethic and pride of workmanship that is being demonstrated by our people at the Slemon Park facility is far in excess of our expectations," said Larry Fingler, President of Fiber Connections Inc. "The quality challenge that Fiber Connections Inc. issued to the staff in Prince Edward Island is being remarkably met with dignity."
The P.E.I. facility is modeled after the ISO 9002-certified Ontario operation which has strict quality control features. The process to manufacture FCI's four main products involves: receiving and incoming inspection, cable cutting, termination/connector installation, polishing, testing (visual and electronic), document control, final inspection and packaging and shipping.
In addition to its own product line which includes the patented "gator patch" - the equivalent of a power bar for fiber optic installation - FCI manufactures for other companies. FCI has customers in North America, Australia, Japan and Europe.
For its expansion, Fiber Connections Inc. has received a $312,075 repayable loan from ACOA through the Business Development Program, and a $205,187 contribution from the Canada/Prince Edward Island Labour Market Development Agreement, co-managed by HRDC and the provincial Department of Development and Technology. The Province, through Prince Edward Island Business Development, has also contributed $200,000 to the project.