Stittsville plant turns attention to COVID-19 test kits

While businesses everywhere are closing their doors and laying off workers, one manufacturer in Stittsvilleis looking to more than double its workforce as it ramps up production of COVID-19 test kits.

"We're starting up seven days a week, 24-hour days," saidLaurie Dickson, owner ofL-D Tool &Die.

Dickson said by the end of April, one million of the needed kits will have rolled off the assembly line at the Iber Road plant, which specializes in plastic injection-moulding and product assembly.

• Why it's so difficult to get tested for COVID-19 in Canada

To meet the demand, Dickson needs to hire 70 new employees in addition to the 30 who already work at the plant.They'll start off with simple tasks like packing boxes before helping out with the more skilled work, he said.

At full capacity, Dickson said the plant will be able to produce 1.5 million test kits per month.

Aworldwide shortage of the kits, coupled with lengthy wait times for test results, haspresented a major barrier in keeping the spread of the virus in check.

L-D Tool &Die willproduceswabs, tubes and packaging for longtime local clientsSpartan Bioscience, whichrecently developed aportable testfor COVID-19based ontechnology similar to itsDNA test kits.

• Ottawa company hopes to develop mobile COVID-19 test in 4 weeks

The new portable deviceswill maketesting easier and faster, and could be used at airports, public spaces and in communities that are not located near major health centres.

Spartan Bioscience CEO Paul Lem said he expects the tests will be approved by Health Canada and ready to ship in a couple of weeks.

Dickson saidit feels good to embark on aproject that will help combat the spread of the virus.

It makes me a very proud Canadian: Stittsville company begins making COVID-19 test kits

5 years ago

Duration 0:39

Laurie Dickson, owner of L-D Tool & Die in Stittsville, says his company, which specializes in plastic injection molding, is hiring new workers and will now manufacture plastic pieces for COVID-19 test kits.

"I feel I'm doing something for my country," he said. "We're very excited and we're very proud that we're able to help with what's going on in the world."

Lem suggestedone of the legacies of this health crisis will be a greater confidence in made-in-Canada solutions.

"Wehad these Canadian innovators who actually helped us solve the problem, and then for the future we can actually have more homegrown innovations that we then export to the world."