Two Chatham-Kent businesses are signing an agreement to work together.
Hike Metal Products Ltd., a ship building company out of Wheatley, is partnering with ATMIS Protective Equipment lnc., an Indigenous manufacturer based out of Chatham and Windsor.
The two companies plan on working together on different marine and defence sector projects in Canada.
"By leveraging our core strengths, we believe we can strengthen both companies' presence in the Canadian marine vessel market," said Steve Ingram, Hike Metal President.
According to Scot Magnish with ATMIS, the partnership will help each company enter new markets. This is because ATMIS works very little in the marine sector, while Hike Metal typically works on civilian ships.
Magnish also has high hopes the partnership will create jobs in Chatham-Kent.
"There's a lot of work coming for the marine world, especially from the federal government as they're making commitments," he said.
Both companies say this agreement, connecting companies in Canada's marine and defence sectors, is a first of its kind across the country.