Our Company
Octopus is a division of Canada Metal (Pacific) Ltd. and has been Designing, Manufacturing and Marketing Autopilot Drives for over 20 years, and they hold patents on several unique devices that enhance drive performance. In the OEM market, the drives are supplied to most of the Marine Industry’s leading Autopilot manufactures for resale within their Autopilot Packages.
Autopilot Drives are a major component of all Autopilot systems, they can be considered as “dumb muscles”. They are either Hydraulic or Mechanical devices and are powered by 12 or 24 volt DC motors; there is a range of sizes to fit most applications. They attach to the vessels steering system and are controlled by the Autopilot or “brain”. In all cases they are subject to wear over time and need to be either serviced or replaced. The frequency of the service or replacement is a factor of how much use, what kind of use and the environment the unit is used.
Originally owned by Cominco and NL Industries, this Vancouver based operation first began foundry operations that serviced the plumbing and forestry industries during the early 1900’s.
The company’s non-ferrous capabilities allowed it to expand its product offering to include the manufacture of gravity cast zinc and aluminum anodes for the commercial marine industry. The innovative development of new alloys and casting techniques enabled the company to gain an international reputation of superior quality for its Martyr brand of sacrificial marine anodes.
Building on the success achieved in the commercial marine market the company was able to offer the utility of their performance enhanced alloys to the worlds leading marine engine builders. Here the company was able to use the process of pressure diecasting to produce the more intricate castings that were needed by this fast growing “pleasurecraft” industry.
During 1987 the then majority owners purchased the Canada Metal Company from Cominco and continued to pursue opportunities in the traditional lines of marine, plumbing and forestry sectors. In 1991 the company acquired a 50% interest in Pacific Diecasting, a custom pressure diecast company. In 1993, the remaining 50% of this business was purchased.
The purchase of Pacific Diecasting provided the company with the necessary resources to improve the manufacturing efficiencies for its marine customers to such an extent that today it stands as the world’s largest producer of diecast marine anodes. The acquisition also provided the company with a very loyal base of “custom diecast” (standard zinc and aluminum castings) customers who added a new and exciting market focus for the management team.
In 1993 the Vancouver operation was incorporated as a separate legal entity under Canada Metal (Pacific) Limited. Under this name our company enhanced its capabilities yet again by purchasing Comprehensive Manufacturing Technologies Inc. (CMT) in the spring of 2000.
CMT manufactures and markets the Octopus line of marine autopilot drive systems. The synergies of the product lines as well as the expertise of their Engineering and Machining divisions ensured that this acquisition would further strengthen our company’s abilities to service the ever expanding needs of our customers.
To enhance its position in the OEM anode, custom die cast and lead construction markets, Canada Metal (Pacific) Ltd. has relocated Canadian operations to a new, modern engineering facility in November, 2006.
The 40,000-sq. ft. building contains extensive engineering resources, metallurgical testing laboratories and production capabilities. Combining on-site modern, die-casting equipment with an engineering focus, the new facility can produce custom OEM anodes from several ounces to 725-pound units for offshore oil pipelines.
The new Vancouver facility complements another 45,000-sq.ft. manufacturing plant in Ningbo, China, which is owned by CMP Global, the company's international trading arm. The facility opened in 2005.
Canada Metal ‘s new engineering-focused plant in Vancouver and CMP Global's facility in China allow it to act as both importer and domestic manufacturer. We want our customers to know of the breadth and the diversity of our products and operations."
All of us at Canada Metal (Pacific) Limited are dedicated to customer service and committed to product quality. We look forward to providing you, our valued customer, with proof of our dedication and commitment.
