Life began for Acrylco in 1971, when it was incorporated in British Columbia as “Acrylco Mfg. Ltd.”

While the company has operated out of its current New Westminster location through all of its 26 years, it first entered the competitive acrylic market as an acrylic sheet casting manufacturer. On an average day, Acrylco would produce 70 sheets of high-grade acrylic for a wide range of clients, including leaders in the signage, fabrication and skylight industries.

The late 1970s witnessed a business boom for both the acrylic industry and Acrylco; the company quickly expanded to include the distribution of a wider variety of plastic sheet items, and it became a cross-linked acrylic sheet supplier for the spa markets.

Having established a significant market share, Acrylco saw itself become a major supplier of acrylic in Western Canada. By the mid-1980s, Acrylco began production of the Chemcraft line of products, which include superior quality coatings, lacquers and stains. In addition to being one of its most trusted suppliers for more than 15 years, Chemcraft also shares with Acrylco a spacious Annacis Island facility.

During the latter half of the 1980s, Acrylco expanded into the supply and installation of ice rinks in hockey arenas, and over the past decade has installed ice rinks throughout western North America.

Expansion has continued unabated ever since — in 1995, Acrylco’s product line came to include a full range of signage and signage supplies, including electrical products and signmakers’ vinyl. On January 1, 1998, Acrylco announced its first expansion with the opening of a new office in Calgary, Alberta.

Today, Acrylco/Chemcraft operates out of a 31,000 square foot facility, incorporating a head office, warehouse and laboratory. The company employs more than 30 people in its British Columbia location. With over $3 million of inventory on the warehouse floor on any given day, Acrylco prides itself on being Western Canada’s major stocking distributor.