Cardinal Manufacturing Ltd., a Summerside-based manufacturer of urethane, vinyl, and plastic products, is securing major contracts in the United States. With an aggressive marketing campaign and a strong emphasis on research and development, the company has targeted two niche markets, the hospitality and food processing industries.
Premier Pat Binns visited Cardinal Manufacturing Wednesday, following his address to the Summerside Chamber of Commerce. Cardinal President, Dennis Arsenault, provided Premier Binns with a tour of the facility, demonstrating how the company manufactures its products.
Cardinal Manufacturing was incorporated in 1995 as a manufacturer of shower curtains, food processing aprons and mattress covers.
"The fabric we use in many of our products is made of urethane, which is unique in that it's waterproof and machine washable," said Arsenault. "Our seamless aprons and mildew resident shower curtains are becoming popular alternatives for food processors and hotel chains. As buyers experience first hand the benefits of using Cardinal products for day-to-day use, they recognize the long-term economic benefits that occur as a result."
Cardinal Manufacturing currently exports close to 90 per cent of its product, much of it to the United States.
One contract for Cardinal involves supplying the Hilton hotel chain with 50,000 shower curtains over a one year period. It is estimated that nearly $170,000 in cleaning bills will be saved as a result of using Cardinal's mildew resistant shower curtains.
Another contract involves a US soap manufacturer called Zep. Cardinal will be manufacturing 20,000 aprons for the company over the next two months. The aprons will be given to the company's sales representatives who will market them across the country. Their objective is to encourage food processing companies to carry non-disposable aprons and to clean them with their detergent. Cardinal's aprons are unique in that they are seamless, resulting in less risk of bacteria becoming trapped during processing.
"This is just the beginning for Cardinal Manufacturing," said the Honourable Pat Binns, Premier of Prince Edward Island. "It is vitally important to the Island economy that companies, like Cardinal, advance new products and ideas and look to develop their export markets. I congratulate Cardinal Manufacturing on their continued growth and anticipate seeing more great accomplishments from this company in the future."