Ontario Announces $1 Million in Funding for Expansion Project at Distinctive Wood Products

The Ontario provincial government announced on Wednesday (12-13-23) that it was making a $1 million (CAD) investment via the Forest Sector Investment and Innovation Program in Kitchener-based Distinctive Wood Products, a manufacturer of kitchen cabinets and accessories.

According to the press release, the total expansion project is valued at $4.4 million and will increase Distinctive’s production capacity, reduce waste, and allow the company to fulfill orders more quickly. The investment is expected to boost the company’s revenue by 56%.

The project is expected to increase production by 40%, boost US export sales by approximately 300%, and create nine new jobs at the company (and up to nine additional jobs throughout the forest sector supply chain).

To accommodate the increase in production, Distinctive Wood Products will increase its purchases of Ontario-made medium density fiberboard (MDF) by 55%, increasing demand for log harvesting companies, sawmills, and trucking—adding an estimated $4.3 million to the province’s forest supply chain every year.

The province says that projects like this, which build a more competitive forest sector through technological innovation, are critical to achieving Ontario’s goals in its Sustainable Growth: Ontario’s Forest Sector Strategy and Forest Biomass Action Plan.