New facility and new jobs planned for Nova Scotia company 

From: Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency

News release

Protocase Inc. expands to meet global demand for digital-storage 

October 16, 2020 – Sydney, NS – Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency

Based in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Protocase Inc. is one of the region’s largest employers with 240 full-time staff. The company provides customized enclosures and mass digital storage solutions for customers such as NASA, Apple, MIT, Google, Boeing and Microsoft. Its streamlined manufacturing and mass customization processes allow the company to build fully finished custom enclosures and parts with no minimum order requirement for customers ranging from budding entrepreneurs to global corporations.

Thanks to increased demand, Protocase is building a new facility to house its rapidly growing data-storage division, 45Drives. The new building will enable the company to expand its manufacturing capacities and add approximately 50 new jobs within the first year.

Today, Jaime Battiste, Member of Parliament for Sydney – Victoria, on behalf of the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages, announced a repayable contribution of $1.3 million through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) to Protocase for the construction of the new facility.

Supporting the accelerated growth of Atlantic Canada’s manufacturers enables them to unlock their full potential and create quality products they can export worldwide, helping to ensure a prosperous economy. This project builds on the objectives of the Accelerated Growth Service, which supports high growth firms in areas such as export, innovation, advanced processes and skill development to build a more competitive Atlantic Canada.

 

Quotes

“Businesses of all sizes have had to rethink how they operate to survive and overcome the effects of COVID-19. We are proud to support innovative, industry-leading companies like Protocase as they adapt to maintain Atlantic Canada’s competitive edge. Projects like this drive business growth, boost exports and create highly skilled jobs, making our communities, and our country, stronger.”

-      The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA)

“Now more than ever, we must ramp up our adoption of digital technologies in the manufacturing sector to remain competitive. We are proud to work with Protocase to scale-up its 45Drives division’s operations and help anchor the region’s economic growth, paving the way for future innovation and quality jobs in Cape Breton-Unama’ki.”

-       Jaime Battiste, Member of Parliament for Sydney – Victoria

"When we started our 45Drives' division several years ago, it was because we listened to a market segment of customers who came to Protocase looking for an innovative solution to data storage. Since then, we have installed more than an exabyte of storage across the world. Through ACOA's support, the construction of a new facility will allow our 45Drives' division to fully engage in growth mode, and expand its manufacturing capacities in order to better serve our customers, while creating meaningful employment right here in Cape Breton."

-      Steve Lilley, President and Co-Founder, Protocase Inc.

Quick facts

  • 45Drives, a division of Protocase Inc., provides IT infrastructure and enterprise storage solutions that are configurable, expandable and affordable.

  • The company serves the growing data-storage needs of a wide range of clients in a variety of sectors, including academia, research, surveillance, law enforcement and finance.

  • Funding for this project is provided through Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency’s Regional Economic Growth through Innovation program.

  • Protocase recently worked with engineers and doctors to create the Nova Scotia Emergency Ventilator to address the shortage of these much needed medical devices during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • The mechanical ventilator is made of locally-sourced parts and can be made quickly in Nova Scotia.

Contacts

Catherine Mounier-Desrochers
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages
catherine.mounier-desrochers@canada.ca

Chris Brooks
Director of Communications and Outreach
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
902-830-3939
chris.brooks@canada.ca

Steve Lilley
President and Co-Founder
Protocase Inc.
902-567-3335
slilley@protocase.com

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