Michigan companies travel to Canada to expand export opportunities

Business leaders from six Michigan companies are headed to the Canada Trade Mission

LANSING, Mich. – Business leaders from six Michigan companies are traveling in Canada next week to meet with prospective partners and customers to increase export opportunities.

The mission takes place May 13-17 and will make stops in Montreal and Toronto. The Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s International Trade Program in partnership with the Michigan Canada Center, located in Toronto, is coordinating the trade mission.

Canada is an ideal first market for new-to-export companies and those seeking to expand their business and distribution networks. The US-Canada trading relationship is the largest in the world, trading more than $2 billion in goods and services daily. Michigan ranks No. 2 in terms of U.S. states for volume of exports to Canada. The Detroit-Windsor border is the busiest border crossing in North America.

“As our largest trade partner, Michigan has ties with Canadian companies that continuously generate opportunities for growth, and we look forward to further strengthening these relationships,” said MEDC Chief Executive Officer Jeff Mason. “This trade mission will open doors for these companies by helping them identify and enter into new relationships, ultimately growing their businesses and bringing additional jobs to Michigan residents.”

Participating companies on the Canada Trade Mission are:

Barron Industries (Oxford) – Manufactures critical aluminum precision components utilized in missiles, aircraft, and drone technologies including a canard section for a 2000lb. jet launched ordinance, and fuel and HVAC components on the Apache helicopter and Boeing 767.

Buckland (Southfield) – Provides single source customs brokerage, trade managed solutions, freight forwarding, trade technologies, and warehouse/distribution services.

McKeon Products, Inc. (Warren) – Manufactures hearing protection, sleep aids, and swimmer’s ear prevention products. In addition to earplugs, Mack’s® line of health care products also include sleep masks, ear dryers, lens wipes, nasal dilators, earmuffs and earwax removal eardrops.

Synthetic Lubricants, Inc. (Greenville) – Manufacturer of high-performance metalworking fluids including pure synthetic, EDM fluid, environmental absorbents, and more.

Viking Satcom, LLC (Albion) – Manufactures a wide selection of satellite communication products ranging from antennas to related RF components.

Altus Inc. (Walker) – Develops mobile sit-to-stand technology workstations that create customized workflow solutions for the healthcare industry.

This mission is the second MEDC trade mission of which Altus Inc. has participated.

“Working with MEDC has allowed Altus to greatly expand our international focus in Canada and other key target countries. Our involvement with MEDC on both the Canada and U.A.E. trade missions has been like adding a few extra team members to the Altus family,” Sarah Leitz, Altus’ director of product marketing, said. “Without them, we would not be able to take on such a daunting task without significantly larger investments in both time and resources on our end. From travel arrangements to vetting potential customers and distributors, to understanding the market and language, working with MEDC has been crucial.”

In 2018, Michigan export sales totaled more than $23 billion to Canada – 7.4 percent of Canada’s total U.S. imports, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Canada is Michigan’s number one export destination and Michigan sells more goods to Canada than to its next seven largest foreign markets combined. Companies participating in the MEDC International Trade Program reported export sales of $128 million to Canada in fiscal year 2018.

Since its inception in 2011, the MEDC International Trade Program at the MEDC has worked with Michigan companies to support more than $2.8 billion in export sales and 13,287 jobs across the state.

About Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is the state’s marketing arm and lead advocate for business development, job awareness and community development with the focus on growing Michigan’s economy. For more information on the MEDC and our initiatives, visit www.MichiganBusiness.org. For Pure Michigan® tourism information, your trip begins at www.michigan.org. Join the conversation on: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn, and Twitter.