A former packaging plant in Chatham, which closed a decade ago, will be back in business producing hundreds of millions of units, thanks to a Quebec company.

Ideal Can, the largest producer of food cans in Canada, plans to invest about $80 million to establish a new production facility in the former Crown Metal Packaging plant on Irwin Street next year, company president Erick Vachon told The Chatham Daily News.

Vachon likes the fact the local plant once produced food cans, because it signals there is an experienced workforce in the community to fill the 100 jobs that will be created when Ideal Can’s Chatham plant reaches full capacity.

“We need good people,” said Vachon, who encourages former Crown Metal Packaging employees to apply for jobs.

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