Transformix, from humble beginnings to manufacturing success 2015

Following her graduation from the Commerce program and a brief stint at Unilever in 1995, Peng-Sang Cau joined three Queen’s electrical engineering grads, Martin Smith (’94), Ken Nicholson (’92), and Richard Zakrzewski (’93) - whom Peng later married - to launch Transformix.

The co-founders started small, with a contract to produce 2,500 boxes to encase apartment building alarms. One contract led to another, until the company had found its niche as a producer of automated machinery to enable customers to manufacture small plastic parts or products at high speed. In 2015, the company had grown to employ nearly 50 workers housed in two facilities totalling 90,000 sq.-ft. on the outskirts of Kingston. Its innovation, CNC Assembly – a flexible, high-speed assembly technology -– was the subject of an episode of ‘How It’s Made’ on the Discovery Channel and was the runner-up in the 2014 Most Innovative Technology chosen by the U.S. Medical Device Briefs magazine.

The company and its products have also been showcased on the world stage. In 2014, Peng participated in Canada’s trade missions to the Netherlands and China. Led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the tours brought together cabinet ministers and Canadian business leaders invited by the government, for the purpose of increasing Canada’s exports abroad. On both trips, Peng was one of only a few women, and the only female CEO of a manufacturing enterprise.

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