CO EDC | Invest Here - Industry Statistics → Manufacturing

Manufacturing activity in the Central Okanagan is extremely diversified and reflects the importance of agriculture, mining and forestry as well as the arrival and growth of new industries such as metal product & plastics manufacturing. Manufacturing is one of the largest contributors to job creation in the region, employing 6,945 or 8.1% of the labour force in 2006.

Manufacturing jobs are typically well paying jobs that are not seasonal in nature. Major employers in this sector include Kelowna Flightcraft (525 employees) Tolko Industries (258 employees), and Sun-Rype Products Ltd. (368 employees). The industry is also well represented by producers of fabricated metal products, food manufacturers, wine producers, aerospace industries, and other value added manufacturing.

The Kelowna Flightcraft Group of Companies, founded in 1970, is an award winning AMO and operates two full service MRO facilities in Kelowna, BC and Hamilton, ON Canada. These facilities are powered by 900 skilled and experienced staff that fly, maintain, modify, engineer and paint aircraft. Kelowna Flightcraft is a one stop-shop servicing the Aviation Industry worldwide. Kelowna Flightcraft Air Charter Ltd. is the exclusive air cargo carrier for Purolator Courier Ltd. They ship up to 600,000 lbs. of freight nightly on their fleet of B727’s and CV580 with a staff of over 130 dedicated to flight operations. Kelowna Flightcraft’s subsidiary, Allied Wings, operates the Canadian Forces Contracted Flying Training and Support program. This 20 year contract with the Government of Canada is located near Winnipeg, MB, Canada.

Tolko Industries is a manufacturer and processor of softwood veneer and plywood products which are sold into the Canadian, American, Asian, Middle Eastern and European markets.

Other, secondary value added manufacturers include wood window and door manufacturers, prefabricated logs frame buildings, wood kitchen cabinets and counter tops as well as other furniture manufacturing. Norelco Cabinets and Westwood Fine Cabnetry are two of the larger manufacturers in the area.

A small but significant number of firms manufacture various chemical products (e.g. lubricants, health products, and soap and cleaning products), plastics (e.g. motor vehicle or truck accessories), and other mouldings (e.g. Kelowna Industrial Plastics and Whitewater Composites), computer electronics (e.g. aircraft management systems and wireless communications products), as well as medical equipment and supplies.

Other examples of the diversity and strength of the manufacturing sector in the Central Okanagan include Doppelmayr Lifts Ltd., who are a major supplier of ski lifts to mountain operations worldwide, Western System Controls who produce control panels and pneumatic systems and parts for aircraft, and Campion Marine who have been building boats in the Okanagan for over thirty years.

BC Manufacturer’s Directory - Firms by NAICS 2009

Description (NAICS)	# of Firms	Percent
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (Machine Shops, Metal Window and Door Manufacturing, Metal Valve Manufacturing, Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating and Allied Activities, etc.)	32	15%
Food Manufacturing (Fruit and Vegetable Canning, Pickling and Drying, Rendering and Meat Processing from Carcasses, Commercial Bakeries and Frozen Bakery Product Manufacturing etc.)	30	14%
Wineries and Distilleries	15	7%
Wood Product Manufacturing	15	7%
Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing	14	6%
Transportation Equipment Manufacturing	12	5%
Machinery Manufacturing	12	5%
Non-metallic Mineral Product Manufacturing	11	5%
Miscellaneous Manufacturing & Other Services	10	5%
Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing	9	4%
Printing and Related Support Activities	8	4%
Chemical Manufacturing	7	3%
Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing	7	3%
Software Publishers & Computer Systems Design & Related Services	7	3%
Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing	6	3%
Sign Manufacturing	5	2%
Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing	4	2%
Periodical Publishers	4	2%
Grain and Oilseed Milling	3	1%
Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing	3	1%
Paper Manufacturing	2	1%
Dairy Product Manufacturing	1	0%
Mining (except Oil and Gas)	1	0%
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing	1	0%
Total	219	100%

Note: Listing in the database is voluntary and not all firms in the sector are included in the database of firms by industry classification.

British Columbia Manufacturer’s Directory, List by Regional District, http://www.made-in-bc.ca/bcmd/servlets/bcmd.BcmdAdvSearchServlet, (Accessed April 15, 2009)