At a press conference held in March, at Pooles Corner, Prince Edward Island – Canada, Opacmare Spa announced the signing of an agreement with federal and local governments to begin production of sailboat nautical accessories in the province.

Bureaucratic procedures between Canadian government agencies and Opacmare which began in 2004 have now been finalised and, in view of considerable investments from interested companies, offer economic facilities allowing production activities to be initialised in predefined areas.
Prince Edward Island, north of Maine and Nova Scotia, holds a perfect geographical position for the efficient transportation of goods. The new production site, an 80,000 square-foot (7,500mq) facility, is already undergoing renovations in preparation for the arrival and installation of new marine equipment, which is scheduled to be fully operational before the end of the year.

Opacmare has materialized its commitment to being present on the American market with this investment and will soon begin production at the new facility which, when running at full regime, is expected to parallel production at the Rivalta facility in Italy, producing the full range of Opacmare nautical accessories in steel and aluminium (windshields, boat doors, boat davits, marine gangways, swim ladders for boats, hatchways, stern marine platforms and other smaller components).

The Canadian branch of the company will be run by Italian managerial personnel directed by Giancarlo Adami, who has been with Opacmare since it was established. Approximately 30 people are expected to be employed locally by the end of 2008, a further 50 during 2009 and a total of 100 by 2010.

Opportunities offered by the Canadian government include an investment of 3 million Canadian dollars which, together with the $4.2 million invested by Opacmare, project sales figures of $4.2 million Canadian dollars in 2009, $5.5 million in 2010 and $8.8 in 2011.

Opacmare has had a sales and service centre in Fort Lauderdale (Florida) since 2004 and now, with an upcoming production site in Canada, will be closer to their American customers and be able to cut down on delivery times and production costs. Opacmare Americas LLC is set to become a launch pad for boat for new development opportunities on South American markets while also supporting production in Italy.