Reko Marks 50 Years with $6.3 Million Investment in Ontario Manufacturing

Business

Reko Marks 50 Years with $6.3 Million Investment in Ontario Manufacturing

2026-10-02 00:00 Last Updated At：00:11

LAKESHORE, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 1, 2026--

At a time when manufacturers are navigating significant economic and trade uncertainty, Reko International Group Inc. is marking its 50th anniversary by doing what has sustained the company for five decades: adapting, investing and preparing for what comes next.

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Reko is investing approximately $6.3 million in advanced manufacturing equipment and related improvements at its Concorde Precision Machining operation in Lakeshore, Ontario. The investment includes a new FPT Dino Star machining centre that will enable Reko to at least double its production capacity for a specific component supplied to its customer in the power generation space with a manufacturing operation also in Ontario, while also delivering productivity improvements through newer machining technology.

The Government of Ontario is supporting the investment with approximately $1.3 million through the Ontario Together Trade Fund (OTTF).

The project will help Reko protect 172 existing jobs and create four new positions, supporting a total of 176 Ontario jobs.

“This is a good-news story for Ontario manufacturing at a time when there is a lot of uncertainty,” said Diane Reko, CEO, Reko International Group Inc. “We can't control everything happening around us, but we can control how we respond. For 50 years, Reko has responded to change by finding new opportunities, improving how we work and continuing to invest. This investment is another example of that.”

The additional machining capacity will support growing demand from customers including power-generation and other critical applications.

By increasing its capacity to manufacture large, complex engine components in Lakeshore, Reko is helping strengthen an Ontario-based manufacturing supply chain — supporting employment both at Reko and at its customer’s site.

“This investment isn't only about machining more parts,” said Reko. “It's about making them more efficiently and keeping Ontario manufacturers competitive. When an Ontario supplier can invest to support the growth of an Ontario customer, the benefits extend well beyond either company.”

Investing in Productivity

The FPT Dino Star represents a significant advancement in Reko's large-component machining capabilities.

For a specific component manufactured by Reko for their customer, the new equipment will allow Reko to at least double production capacity for a specific customer product. The machine also incorporates newer technology expected to improve machining efficiency and overall productivity.

The investment will help Reko support its customer’s growing requirements while creating additional flexibility within its manufacturing operations.

The increased capacity will allow Reko to support customer growth while creating additional flexibility to pursue opportunities in other markets.

50 Years of Change

Founded in 1976, Reko has experienced dramatic changes in manufacturing during its five decades in business — from changes in technology and global competition to recessions, changing customer markets and today's uncertain international trade environment.

The company's business has evolved along with those changes.

Today, Reko operates Concorde Precision Machining, specializing in the machining of large and complex critical components, and Reko Automation Group, which designs and builds custom automation equipment.

Reko believes that willingness to change has been fundamental to reaching its 50th anniversary.

“Celebrating 50 years is certainly about recognizing the people who helped us get here,” said Reko. “But we don't want our anniversary to be only about looking backward. The best way we can celebrate 50 years is by continuing to invest in our people, our technology and our future.”

Reko will officially recognize the investment and its 50th anniversary at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its Lakeshore facility attended by employees and Anthony Leardi, MPP for Essex.

QUICK FACTS

$6.3 million
Total Reko investment

Approximately $1.3 million
Ontario Together Trade Fund support

172 jobs protected

4 new jobs created

176 Ontario jobs supported at Reko

At least 2× production capacity for a particular customer component
Expected from the new equipment and investment

50 years
Reko was founded in 1976

ABOUT REKO INTERNATIONAL GROUP INC.

Reko International Group Inc. is an Ontario-based manufacturing company operating through Concorde Precision Machining and Reko Automation Group. Concorde specializes in machining large, complex and critical components, while Reko Automation designs and builds custom automation systems for industrial customers.

SpaceX launches 4 astronauts on a fast track to the International Space Station

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Four astronauts rocketed into orbit Thursday on a space station mission that will stretch until spring, among them a Canadian whose wife will give birth while he’s away.

SpaceX launched commander Jessica Watkins and her crew for NASA after a three-week delay to fix the capsule’s leaking fuel system. Thick clouds threatened all morning to halt the countdown but in the end, the skies cleared enough to allow for a safe liftoff.

Although their stay at the International Space Station will last a long six months, the flight there promised to be the quickest yet for Elon Musk’s company: a mere eight-hour transit with an arrival well before bedtime.

With the late morning liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Watkins became the first Black woman to lead a crew to orbit. A geologist who worked with NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity a decade ago, Watkins is making her second trip to the space station following a lengthy stay in 2022.

“Thanks for an amazing ride,” Watkins radioed after reaching orbit.

The others are newcomers to space: NASA’s Luke Delaney, a retired Marine; Canada’s Joshua Kutryk, a colonel in the Royal Canadian Air Force; and Russia’s Sergey Teteryatnikov, a former submariner. They will replace four astronauts who have been living at the orbiting laboratory since February.

“We feel like some of the luckiest people in the world,” Kutryk said ahead of the launch.

This was the 13th crew launched by SpaceX for NASA, not counting 2020s test flight. All four embrace their Crew-13 designation that pays homage in their mission patch to Apollo 13. The harrowing 1970 moonshot ended with the astronauts’ safe return.

“We really wanted to honor their legacy, honor their resilience and their grit, and bring a little bit of that with us,” Watkins said. She and her crewmates rode to the pad in black Teslas bearing plates that read “Lucky 13.”

Kutryk will become the fourth man to become a father while orbiting Earth. Wife Heather is due to give birth to their third child in late November. The Canadian Space Agency promises plenty of support for the entire family when the big day comes.

“A lot of life-changing things can happen over six months,” NASA manager Dana Weigel said on the eve of liftoff, noting that the space agency will do its best to keep Kutryk looped in to his family.

In 2004, NASA provided a radio link between space station astronaut Mike Fincke and his wife’s delivery room during the birth of their daughter. Five years later, Randy Bresnik, commander of next year’s Artemis III mission, dialed in to his wife’s hospital from orbit.

The happy news traveled more slowly for Austrian astronaut Franz Viehbock. His daughter was born a few hours after he launched to the Soviet Union’s Mir space station in 1991. He was not informed until the next day.

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