Industrial canvas firm has evolution covered.

Schumacher -- Evolving the product to meet changing markets has kept Porcupine Canvas Inc. in business during the peaks and dips of the mining cycle for 24 years.

Deni Poulin, owner of the Schumacher canvas shop, began his business from scratch repairing snowshoes and tents for people in mining exploration. He left construction and opened his doors in 1982, filling an underserved market in the area at that time.

"It may not seem like a big business, but it permeates every part of the world," Poulin says.

It took five years to develop a stable market base, and with persistence, attending trade shows and learning people's demands, the business grew. Now, with six to eight employees, Poulin works out of 6,000 square feet plus 10,000 sq. ft. for storage. Eighty per cent of their sales are in manufacturing serving the majority of their clients in the mining industry, with the remainder in retail and repairs.

Manager Chris Provonost, who has been with Porcupine Canvas since its inception, says it was the exploration industry that prompted the business to grow.

"They were our customer base to start off with," she says. "If you can sew a tent, can you make a tent?"

In turn, the product line evolved into exploration tools used in the field.

"Everything we ventured into was because of the demand," she says.

In 1989, the government cut back on flow-through shares, which brought the "boom" of the mid-80s to its knees in the early 1990s.

"We went from 150 companies on file to about 50 companies," Provonost says. They saw the writing on the wall, sold out their retail clothing line and focused more on manufacturing products for the mining industry.

Over the years, Poulin's product line has grown and changed with the markets.

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"It's still evolving," Poulin says. "We shut down some lines and open up other ones."

His largest seller is tool bags for miners, but some other examples of his products include tarps, high-heat curtains for welding and fire/heat resistant and waterproof products such as sample bags and tents.

Canvas tipis ranging in size from eight to 26 feet are the most recent product of interest mainly for aboriginals in the ecotourism industry.

Poulin calls them "fun" to make and uses the 10,000-sq.-ft. building to lay them out.

In addition to building a healthy client base, Poulin has built up a solid reputation by providing a quality product. Because the company is small, he gravitates toward better quality fabrics.

"We lean toward overkill," he says, but adds that his products have to last. "If in doubt, we'll quote on the best product that we can."

Poulin has created an online catalog that has opened his markets nationally and internationally. One interesting order he received was to send 3,000 tarps to Jamaica for an insurance company's customers who had leaking roofs after a windstorm.

As the business continues to grow every year, Poulin and Provohost remain focused on their strengths. But keeping an open mind with new products also creates new experiences for Porcupine Canvas in all parts of the world.

www.porcupinecanvas.com

By ADELLE LARMOUR

Northern Ontario Business