SKARB’s new Stratford plant to revolutionize construction with prefab wall systems

A rendering of the new 30,000 square foot SKARB Inc. manufacturing facility planned for 9 Humber Street in Stratford. The plant will produce prefabricated wall systems designed to speed up residential, commercial, and industrial construction while supporting local skilled jobs and sustainability goals.

SKARB Inc., an innovative building materials company, is pleased to announce it has received a minor variance approval from the City of Stratford, paving the way for a new 30,000 square foot industrial manufacturing warehouse at 9 Humber St.

The facility is expected to produce prefabricated wall systems designed to accelerate construction across residential, commercial and industrial sectors.

"This is an important step in bringing modern manufacturing into the construction industry," said David Cambria, chief executive officer at SKARB. “By building components in a controlled facility, we can improve quality, reduce delays and help get new housing and infrastructure built faster and more sustainably.”

These wall systems are a key component of modular construction, enabling buildings to be assembled faster and more efficiently while reducing waste and on-site labour.

The project is expected to generate 20 to 30 skilled jobs in the local manufacturing and construction sectors, thereby supporting the community’s economic growth.

“This is just the beginning for us,” said Cambria. “We will need 20 to 30 skilled workers; individuals who work on online processes that actually fabricate the interior walls as well as skilled millworkers. We will be having a job fair for Stratford and surrounding area residents.”

Made from fibre cement – a sustainable alternative to drywall – they require less finishing and offer superior resistance to moisture, fire and pests. This durability helps create high-quality, efficient buildings with less waste.

“Speed becomes one of the key aspects to our system,” said Cambria. “Secondly, our environmental impact is very important. We're able to reduce the waste that you see on a typical job site as we're able to keep that in-house. Almost all of our products are sustainable, reusable and non-combustible.”

The prefabricated wall systems are also very sought after in northern Ontario and cottage country due to their quick and efficient building techniques.

“We've seen a great deal of interest in the northern Ontario cottage country with our modular home systems,” said Cambria.

“Now we're able to come in and basically fabricate a secondary building in two to three weeks, whereas you'd have the tough time getting labour and materials up there in that amount of time. This is also important because it doesn’t disrupt the environment in the same way.”

Once fully operational, the facility will be capable of producing a 10-foot section of interior wall every minute, continuously on the production line.

Each panel will include built-in electrical wiring, plumbing setups, and insulation. Every wall is time-stamped, recorded and barcoded, allowing inspectors to access detailed photos of its internal components for streamlined approval processes.

“We are proud to support SKARB’s new manufacturing facility, which brings cutting-edge construction technology and new skilled jobs to Stratford,” said Joani Gerber, CEO of investStratford.

“This project will strengthen our local economy, expand manufacturing capacity, and support faster delivery of building projects across residential, commercial and industrial sectors.”

The committee of adjustment approved a minor variance to reduce the required setback for a parking area from an arterial road at its June 18 meeting. The next step in the planning process is site plan approval, which will review the detailed design and layout before construction can begin.

The new facility is expected to be fully operational by late 2025.