Progressive Components International Corp.'s newest global focus has a familiar accent.
The Wauconda, Ill., mold components supplier is placing a new emphasis on Canada, hiring industry veteran Cy McGrath as its first general manager for Canada.
``There is a big opportunity to develop the market, to develop more of a presence in Canada,'' McGrath said in a May 20 telephone interview.
A resident of Windsor, Ontario, McGrath came to Progressive after 39 years with Madison Heights, Mich.-based D-M-E Co., the past 11 years as director of North American sales.
Progressive has been building its international capabilities, with an Asian headquarters in Singapore, an expanded presence in England and moves under way to increase contacts throughout Western Europe.
``Our expansion into Canada is part of our commitment to grow globally and ensure that our products are available everywhere that tooling is built and run in the world,'' said Vice President Don Starkey.
The bulk of Progressive's sales into Canada have been in proprietary items such as its Side Locks, UniLifter, Cam Actions and other systems, said Mark Malloy, manager of sales and marketing.
McGrath plans to start his activities with the mold-making community in Windsor, spreading out from there. The company may add a permanent office in the region and more staff.
``There is still a lot of opportunity left in the Canadian tooling industry,'' McGrath said.
