On-going maintenance of the British Columbia Manufacturers' Directory by BC Stats is fully supported
by sales of directory products and yearly funding of the project by the Ministry of Small Business,
Technology and Economic Development. The Ministry is dedicated to helping build a strong provincial
economy that supports job creation and maximizes economic opportunities. The Ministry's activities
include marketing and promoting British Columbia to expand trade and investment opportunities and
increase sales and exports of goods.
The BCMD provides a listing service to manufacturers in British Columbia and has been produced
by the government of British Columbia since 1922, when the listing was only 58 pages. Since then
the manufacturing sector has grown and there have been over 30 editions of the current series published.
Over the years, information and sections have been added to the directory to improve its usefulness.
The BCMD is available as a published book or as an electronic file. In Keeping with technology,
in 2001 the directory also became available as a free, online searchable database. Today the BCMD
is available online, as a published book or as an electronic file.
For the purpose of the Directory, "manufacturing" is defined as production generally destined
for the wholesale market or interplant transfer, rather than direct sale to final consumers.
The directory does include companies who do custom production. This distinction implies,
for instance, that we do not list bakeries selling only to in-store customers; however, we
include some custom products such as log homes that may be made-to-order for the final customer.
The BCMD does not contain information regarding leasing, distribution, or service companies;
it does, however, include publishers which encompass software development/publishing.
Listing in the Directory is provided free-of-charge to manufacturers who do some or all of their
manufacturing in British Columbia. All listings are voluntary. The directory is kept up-to-date
by contacting the listed manufacturers each year, and by comparing the BCMD with similar directories
to ensure the coverage is as complete as possible.
For a description of the key sections used in the BCMD, see our Glossary page
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