BY JOSEPH QUESNEL
Northern Ontario Business
Sudbury could become the “North American manufacturing hub” for a Finnish environmental and waste management company within the next few years, says Kelly LeBreton, a sales associate with Puzer Canada, a subsidiary of Puzer Pro of Finland and a division of Laari Construction in Sudbury.
Laari entered into an agreement with the Finnish company three years ago to distribute its product line.
LeBreton says the company has already purchased land in Sudbury’s Walden Industrial Park. Within a couple years, Puzer intends to build a manufacturing facility on the site and expects to employ between 20 and 30 people, says LeBreton.
Aki Tarvudd, a Finnish-born Canadian and president of Laari Construction, visited Finland several years ago on a business trip and was impressed with Puzer Pro’s technology.
“The Europeans are about 20 years ahead of us in terms of environmental technology. We’re just seeing this now in North America,” says Tarvudd.
Puzer Canada will distribute three main products through its proposed Sudbury manufacturing centre: the Puzer Pro central vacuum cleaner system, the Puzer VacuShred and the Puzer Xmit system. The central vacuum system is designed to suck dust from a room and remove all the impurities, something a conventional vacuum cleaner does not do.
The shredder system operates along a similar principle, says LeBreton. Paper dust is filtered from the airflow after paper shredding and is collected into a container. The shredder also sorts the paper into separate containers for recycling. The Xmit system involves the sorting of waste into waste bags that are then taken to a waste station, where they are transported in a pipeline to separate containers.
The key innovation, LeBreton says, is that waste is separated at the source, instead of being sorted later.
The system, he says, is used mainly in new building developments, such as condominiums and apartments. With increasing environmental regulations and a higher tenant demand for cleaner air quality, the need for the product will only increase, he says. Already, many businesses and homes are moving towards central vacuuming system as a way to improve environmental quality.
When Tarvudd entered into negotiations with Puzer Pro to market in Canada, he approached LeBreton, a Sudbury area resident, to handle the promotion and marketing of the company. LeBreton had a personal interest in environmental quality and improving air quality in particular, factors which made him a prime candidate for the job, according to Tarvudd.
“I’ve always had an interest in environmental issues,” LeBreton says. “Improving living space and waste management are important. I have several children now who will have to live for another 70 to 80 years. Air quality is becoming a big issue.”
In the meantime, LeBreton hopes to promote what Puzer has to offer in the Sudbury area. With new housing construction all over Northern Ontario, he is already seeing opportunity, he says.
The only challenge is that the system is designed for larger buildings, such as hospitals, hotels and multi-dwelling units. The system must be installed in new buildings or buildings being renovated. The cost of retrofitting a building with Puzer systems is extremely high, he says.
LeBreton has already approached Days Inn in Sudbury and has entered into negotiations with Delta Fairmont Hotels, a chain with 80 hotels across Canada.
“We’re all shooting to improve the environment, so this is a great step forward,” says LeBreton.
