Company History

The history of Hi-Lite Systems, originally Jasco Sales Inc.,  is about more than the transformation of a company from regional producer to world leader. It’s also a history of the use of aluminum in building form systems and it shows how the marketplace always responds to design excellence. 

A “better mousetrap” 

Jasco Sales originated on the west coast of Canada in Vancouver, British Columbia.  In 1952, our founder – and still the president – George W. Jackson successfully addressed a need in the industry by inventing the “single leg scaffold”.  That year, our company began operations as Jackson Scaffolding Limited, manufacturing and selling his design.  It became a standard and the single leg scaffold is still used extensively in British Columbia today, over a half-century later.  Thus began our tradition of using innovation and design to meet the needs of our customers and to exceed contractor expectations 

The next level - aluminum

In the early 1970’s George Jackson’s design genius asserted itself on a much wider scale.  He had long been convinced that aluminum could be used for wall forming and the many benefits of the lighter weight material inspired him to test and re-test his concept.  The 12K aluminum shoring system that resulted became the most advanced system in North America.

Now called Hi-Lite Systems,  the company soon was leading the market in Canada.  Global producers adopted our design, first conceived in Western Canada.  Our company moved to Ontario in Canada’s industrial heartland in 1982.  There we were able to serve both the North American and the international marketplaces. It was also then that we began using the trade name Hi-Lite. High strength and light weight had been a contradiction.  Now, as the world concrete forming industry recognized, it was a reality that our company had made possible.

Company expansion - 1992        

Hi-Lite Systems had a major expansion in 1992.  With the launch of each new product line, we provided a solution that had eluded other designers.   We continue to do so and now manufacture:

• Aluminum heavy load frame shoring in three sizes with a safe working load of up to 50,000 lbs.
• An aluminum telescopic fly forming system, capable of flying from one floor to the next without using the large cumbersome lowering jacks that are common in the marketplace.
• Three separate styles of wall forms, which range from all aluminum to a combination of aluminum and plywood, either handset or gang formed with specially designed aluminum beams and strongbacks.
• Exciting new products such as an aluminum bridge overhang bracket, an aluminum column hung system and a unique tie-rod system.The use of aluminum components allows strength where required, realizing savings in weight, labour, crane time and employee fatigue.  They have the flexibility of multiple uses, re-usability and longer life.