A courtship that was three years in the making was made official today as electronics manufacturer Celestica International Inc. celebrated its grand opening in Newmarket.
The global company’s new manufacturing facility at 213 Harry Walker Dr. in Newmarket’s east end is now home to hundreds of existing employees who were relocated from Celestica’s former Don Mills location. A hiring outreach is already underway to fill new jobs at the plant, including electronics assemblers, shipping and receiving specialists, mechanical assemblers and electronics technicians.
“Over 24 years, our business has changed dramatically, but what remains unchanged is our staff,” Celestica’s Newmarket site general manager, Darryl Sills, said. “I want to thank employees of this new site for their dedication. Their acceptance of change has been our biggest success to date. They’ve had to make many small and large personal sacrifices and I truly appreciate it.”
Celestica’s journey to Newmarket began in July 2015 when it sold its Toronto location in the former IBM building on Don Mills Road and issued a call to area municipalities about potential relocation facilities.
The Town of Newmarket answered that call and, over the next year, persuaded Celestica that it offers the most attractive option for its employees, business and customers.
Newmarket Mayor Tony Van Bynen said the high degree of collaboration and partnership on behalf of the company, town officials and local business community are the hallmarks of Newmarket.
“These are the values that Celestica can rely on going forward,” Van Bynen said. “Newmarket is home to a network of technologically advanced businesses that are leaders in innovation within their industry, and Celestica ranks the highest in this area globally.”
Celestica is an innovative supply-chain solutions company with 30 locations worldwide, where electronics are designed and manufactured for the health care, smart energy, aerospace and defence industries. Canada is home to its corporate headquarters. About 27,000 employees are spread out across 13 countries globally.
“What makes us special is the bond our employees have in the community in which they live in, with each other. I thank the Newmarket team for opening up their hearts and their minds and welcoming our employees to this town,” Celestica CEO Rob Mionis said.
Regional Councillor and Mayor-elect John Taylor welcomed Celestica’s staff to Newmarket and assured them the Town would support them in the future.
“Obviously, this is an incredibly exciting day for the Town of Newmarket, to be here after this long journey,” Taylor said. “I want to say to the employees, welcome to Newmarket, we’re here to support you, to make sure you have a place to live, and to enjoy the community. The support we believe we’ve shown, and open communication, will continue.
Celestica reported $6.1B(US) in revenue in 2017.
