Westaim’s Investments Making Progress

Article Excerpt

THE WESTAIM CORP. $5.40 (Toronto symbol WED; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; SI Rating: Speculative) is developing emerging technologies through two subsidiaries, Nucryst Pharmaceuticals Corp. (Toronto symbol NCS) and iFire Technology Corp. Nucryst recently sold shares to the public, and Westaim hopes to take iFire public as well. Nucryst makes medical products that prevent infections in burns and wounds. It has a licensing agreement with UK-based medical device maker Smith & Nephew plc, which helps offset its development costs. Nucryst’s recent public offering cut Westaim’s interest, from 100% to 75.1%. iFire is currently perfecting a new way to make large-size, flat-screen TV sets. Unlike traditional flat-panel displays, which use gasses, liquids or vacuums, iFire’s process applies layers of chemicals onto glass panels. That speeds up the manufacturing process, and cuts costs. iFire recently spent $46 million on a pilot facility in Toronto to demonstrate the advantages of its technology to TV manufacturers. Westaim hopes to recoup these costs through licensing deals. In…