Technological watch
Polykar expands into Western Canada with new plant
Plastic film maker and recycler Polykar Inc. is now operating out of a second new plant in Canada.
The new 50,000-square-foot plant in Edmonton, Alberta, will serve customers in Western Canada as well as parts of the United States, the company said.
"This puts Edmonton squarely at the forefront in terms of creating value-added products from the raw materials made in Alberta," CEO Amir Karim said in a statement. "It includes a cutting-edge recycling facility, positioning the company to actively participate in Alberta's efforts to divert plastic waste from landfills."
The new Polykar site created 50 new jobs, and the company expects to add another 20 workers I the next two years.
The Edmonton facility becomes Polykar's second plant in Canada, joining the company's existing location in Saint-Laurent, Quebec.
The company broke ground for the new location in July 2021 and said at that time the work was a C$40 million (US $32 million) project.
"As I stated when we broke ground for this facility 15 months ago, we selected Edmonton and Alberta as the ideal location for our second Canadian plant for its dynamism, its openness to the manufacturing sector, and most importantly, because of its highly qualified, skilled and diverse labor force," Karim said. "I am pleased to say that we were not disappointed in those expectations."
Polykar makes film converted by other companies as well as its own finished goods, including garbage bags, industrial packaging and food packaging. Polykar also sells recycled PE resin to other manufacturers.
The company set out to build something more than just another industrial facility in the Discovery Business Park.
"From the outset, it became evident to us that Amir Karim, president and CEO of Polykar, had set incredibly high standards for this new building, encompassing a passion for design with intentional symbolism," said lead architect Noorullah Hussain Zada of FarMor Architecture in a statement.
"We understood his desire to really weave two critical components into our plans for Polykar Edmonton. First, to build an architectural platform that really showcased Polykar as a leader of the sustainable plastics industry, and secondly, to create a hyper-functional structure that -- not only externally, but more so internally -- would inspire curiosity, innovation, a sense of well-being," said the architect who is known as Noor in the statement.
The exterior of the building was designed to convey a sense of motion, according to the architect.
"We wanted to create something very dynamic, replicating the sense of functional and internal movement," the architect said in his statement. "We took a static exterior façade and activated it with diagonal, upwardly slanted aluminum fins. We wanted to draw the eye upwards, from left to right, as a motion of growth and progress, reflecting advancement and development."
The building's interior also was designed to provide "a proper and respectful shelter" to the machinery and workers creating the new products, he said.
"The machinery is fascinating in the way it can transform simple pellets into flexible and compostable packaging. These are some of the most sophisticated and impressive machines in the world and there is a certain beauty in the way they work," Noor said.
A spiral staircase in the facility, for example, symbolizes a circular economy, the company said.
"I truly believe that the intentional design and symbolism of this building has set a new bar for industrial buildings in Alberta," Noor said in his statement.
The new 50,000-square-foot plant in Edmonton, Alberta, will serve customers in Western Canada as well as parts of the United States, the company said.
"This puts Edmonton squarely at the forefront in terms of creating value-added products from the raw materials made in Alberta," CEO Amir Karim said in a statement. "It includes a cutting-edge recycling facility, positioning the company to actively participate in Alberta's efforts to divert plastic waste from landfills."
The new Polykar site created 50 new jobs, and the company expects to add another 20 workers I the next two years.
The Edmonton facility becomes Polykar's second plant in Canada, joining the company's existing location in Saint-Laurent, Quebec.
The company broke ground for the new location in July 2021 and said at that time the work was a C$40 million (US $32 million) project.
"As I stated when we broke ground for this facility 15 months ago, we selected Edmonton and Alberta as the ideal location for our second Canadian plant for its dynamism, its openness to the manufacturing sector, and most importantly, because of its highly qualified, skilled and diverse labor force," Karim said. "I am pleased to say that we were not disappointed in those expectations."
Polykar makes film converted by other companies as well as its own finished goods, including garbage bags, industrial packaging and food packaging. Polykar also sells recycled PE resin to other manufacturers.
The company set out to build something more than just another industrial facility in the Discovery Business Park.
"From the outset, it became evident to us that Amir Karim, president and CEO of Polykar, had set incredibly high standards for this new building, encompassing a passion for design with intentional symbolism," said lead architect Noorullah Hussain Zada of FarMor Architecture in a statement.
"We understood his desire to really weave two critical components into our plans for Polykar Edmonton. First, to build an architectural platform that really showcased Polykar as a leader of the sustainable plastics industry, and secondly, to create a hyper-functional structure that -- not only externally, but more so internally -- would inspire curiosity, innovation, a sense of well-being," said the architect who is known as Noor in the statement.
The exterior of the building was designed to convey a sense of motion, according to the architect.
"We wanted to create something very dynamic, replicating the sense of functional and internal movement," the architect said in his statement. "We took a static exterior façade and activated it with diagonal, upwardly slanted aluminum fins. We wanted to draw the eye upwards, from left to right, as a motion of growth and progress, reflecting advancement and development."
The building's interior also was designed to provide "a proper and respectful shelter" to the machinery and workers creating the new products, he said.
"The machinery is fascinating in the way it can transform simple pellets into flexible and compostable packaging. These are some of the most sophisticated and impressive machines in the world and there is a certain beauty in the way they work," Noor said.
A spiral staircase in the facility, for example, symbolizes a circular economy, the company said.
"I truly believe that the intentional design and symbolism of this building has set a new bar for industrial buildings in Alberta," Noor said in his statement.
This project has been co-funded with the support of the LIFE financial instrument of the European Union [LIFE17 ENV/ES/000438] Life programme
The website reflects only the author's view. The Commission is not responsible for any use thay may be made of the information it contains.Last update: 2022-01-31
