The provincial government and Investissement Québec grant loans totaling $70 million to Manac. The company, specializing in the manufacturing of custom and specialized semi-trailers, will notably modernize and expand its factory in Saint-Georges.
Manac will also build new sales and service centers in Canada. The total cost of these projects is estimated at $170 million. Provincial financial support includes a first loan from the ESSOR program ($40 million) and a second loan from Investissement Québec’s own funds ($30 million).
“What we are announcing today is a big deal. Manac in Saint-Georges, from 1967 to 1999, involved dozens and dozens of continuous expansions. […] “We maximized the interior space by expanding from the inside. We have reached a point where we need to expand the manufacturing footprint,” mentioned Charles Dutil, President and CEO, at a press conference on June 27.
This project will include several phases, including the demolition and reconstruction of offices, the expansion of the manufacturing area, as well as a relocation of the finishing/warehousing area. The Beauceronne plant site, surrounded by the Famine River, the ski centre and mountainous terrain, limited the options for restructuring Manac’s activities.
“We can’t expand without relocating the offices. We also didn’t want to encroach on the river […] We must dismantle and redo approximately 16,000 square feet of factory, in addition to adding another 34,000 square feet. […] At the same date next year, we want to leave our offices for the new ones, begin the demolition of the factory, the expansion and bring in the equipment,” specifies Mr. Dutil, who hopes the work will be completed by 2026.
Stay competitive
With these actions, Manac wants to increase its semi-trailer production capacity, with automation and the integration of innovative technologies.
“The assembly lines, planned in the 1980s, were for units 42 to 45 feet in length. Today it’s 53 and we’re starting to do 60 feet. […] We faced logistical, material and human problems. […] Our goal is to reach 2,000 units (semi-trailers) per week,” says Charles Dutil.
These works will not slow down the company’s current productivity. “There is a question of timing. Many stages (manufacturing) have been temporarily relocated to our other factories. […] We will experience layoffs in the coming weeks. The industry is slower at the moment,” says Mr. Dutil, recalling that the manufacturing of semi-trailers is part of an economic cycle.
Pierre Fitzgibbon, Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy, was one of the guests at the press conference. “Innovation and automation are essential for our Quebec businesses to remain competitive. Our financial support will allow Manac, a true leader in its field, to modernize its facilities and ensure the growth of its activities throughout Quebec and North America,” he said.
