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People with an artistic bent and a world of patience could be ideal candidates for training at Ontario's first diamond cutting and polishing plant to open in Sudbury.
Dylan Dix, worldwide marketing director for Crossworks Manufacturing, said his company prefers to hire suitable people and train them in the company's patented cutting and polishing techniques rather than hire those with experience in other methods.
Dix was speaking from Crossworks Manufacturing's office in Vancouver on Tuesday after returning from Sudbury and Monday's announcement that his company's bid to establish an Ontario facility was accepted by the Government of Ontario
Crossworks will set up a manufacturing plant in a central area of Sudbury, "hopefully within the next couple of months," said Dix. Its location will not be made public because of security concerns.
It will feature between 4,000 and 5,000 square feet of space in which 40-50 employees will work.
Crossworks is a subsidiary of the HRA-SunDiamond Group of Companies whose history goes back 50 years to Antwerp, Belgium, one of the world's diamond capitals.
It was announced Monday that Crossworks will receive 10 per cent of the diamonds being mined by De Beers Canada at Victor Mine, about 90 kilometres west of Attawapiskat First Nation. It was estimated that that 10 per cent would be worth about $25 million.
But Dix estimates the Sudbury plant will have manufactured $75 million to $100 million worth of diamonds two years from now.
The cutting and polishing will be done both by trained artisans and with state-of-the-art robotics. Part of the appeal of Sudbury is its expertise in the area of robotics, said Dix, particularly at Cambrian College.
The robotics his company uses can only cut diamonds in certain shapes and it is looking to expand its options.
The HRA-Sun Diamond Group of Companies operates diamond-polishing facilities in Vietnam, Namibia, Vancouver and Yellowknife. The Vancouver facility has been in operation for 10 years. The company has trained more than 500 people in its patented diamond techniques.
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Dix said Crossworks will bring some trained staff with it to start the polishing plant, but it will hire many local employees.
There are also opportunities for secondary industries related to diamond polishing such as grading or appraisal laboratories.
All of the diamonds cut and polished in Sudbury will bear a certificate certifying that they are Victor Mine diamonds, mined, cut and polished in Ontario, a requirement of the provincial government, said Dix.
In a news release Dix issued last night, he said Crossworks Manufacturing looks forward "to working with De Beers Canada, the Government of Ontario and the local community in making our new factory an absolute success."
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