How Cascades Thrives In the Bay of Quinte
January 7, 2022
Cascades Belleville has operated in the Bay of Quinte region since 1974 and for good reason. As a Canadian-owned company, Cascades Belleville is a global leader in manufacturing of corrugated boxes. Cascades Belleville is a converting plant producing containerboard packaging solutions for multiple sectors. Their advanced manufacturing equipment transforms rolls of paper into the corrugated medium which is then layered between the liner board to produce containerboard. At the Belleville plant, the containerboard is printed and then cut to form the specific box shape designed by the team at Cascades. With their products traveling to consumers around the world, why did Cascades choose a site in the Bay of Quinte and stay for almost half a century?
The Bay of Quinte Is Affordable and Talented
Originally located in Quebec, Cascades expanded into the Bay of Quinte region because of its proximity to their customers in major Canadian and US markets. The proximity to the Trans Canada Highway 401 corridor makes it possible for Cascades to meet the high demand for their products. Their location in the Bay of Quinte also allowed them to stay close to their supply chain since the mill at the Cascades Trenton location supplies the Belleville facility with the raw materials needed to create boxes and packaging. Any waste created from the manufacturing process is then sent back to the Trenton facility to create more paper. The sustainable, symbiotic relationship between the Belleville and Trenton locations is one of the reasons why Cascades was named 17th out of the top Global 100 most sustainable organizations in the world by recycling their own paper.
The Bay of Quinte location also allows them to take advantage of the large and highly skilled local talent pool in the region and well beyond. Heather Mack, Cascades’ HR Manager, explains, “We have employees that come as far away east as Kingston, Madoc, and Bowmanville to get here…employees that come from all over.” Cascades employs about 93 highly skilled employees on the manufacturing floor, as well as salaried employees like supervisors and managers. In 2022, Cascades is looking to grow their numbers as they have a number of upcoming projects that will expand their capacity in terms of machines and require additional human resources.
The Bay of Quinte location and residents make the region one of the best places for manufacturing businesses to settle and grow.
The Quinte Economic Development Commission (QEDC) provides information, connections, and resources for manufacturers in the Bay of Quinte. QEDC supports the region’s businesses and entrepreneurs as well as the local workforce.
