SME Innovation | “Green cabinets” of all colors

Who ?

“A business has several lives,” says Annie Lessard, general manager of Milmonde, a Notre-Dame-des-Pins company specializing in the design and manufacturing of cabinets. “The story began 48 years ago in a garage in Beauce,” she says. Then, a businessman bought it and made it grow until Jean-Michel Talbot [le président de Milmonde] and I’m buying it in 2021. Today, it’s our turn to make it grow. »

The new management is working to “breathe new life” into the company. Milmonde wants to position itself in the custom cabinet industry by distinguishing itself from cheap products often offered in large stores, which use materials with a greater impact on the environment.

The product

If Milmonde offers cabinets made of synthetic materials such as melamine, it is the wooden boxes that set it apart. And the reason is very simple: “We are among the first in North America to have converted to water-based paint. »

A shift which can be explained by the fact that water-based paint “is much more ecological and less harmful to health”, she adds. Not only does it emit less odor, but above all, it emits very few volatile organic compounds (VOCs) compared to the solvent-based paint most often used in the industry.

But if the type of paint does indeed make it possible to reduce VOCs, the entire manufacturing chain must also be optimized, explains M^me Lessard. “In fact, we work hard to establish a recipe. By this I mean that we buy the wood in its natural state and that we have developed our own sanding techniques which go hand in hand with the type of paint developed and the way in which we apply it. »

As an example, she cites the higher number of layers of paint, which ensures increased quality and protection of the products: “We put a total of eight layers of paint, four on each side. Very often, in the industry, it doesn’t exceed six. »

“It’s certain that we are more expensive than what the IKEAs of this world offer,” she says, specifying that the application time is longer compared to solvent paint, which is thicker, which requires fewer layers.

The company recently invested $6 million – including $1.2 million in a non-repayable grant from the Innovation Bois program – to automate its finishing line, says M^me Lessard: “It’s a system where everything is integrated, with sandblasting, ovens and paint application. »

The challenges

“The competition is very fierce,” she says. Not only do large stores and hardware stores monopolize part of the sector, “but there are recognized cabinetmakers in Quebec,” says M.^me Lessard. At the same time, she adds that the economic slowdown of recent years is putting pressure on the budgets of some customers.

To stand out, Milmonde focuses not only on the quality and solidity of the product, but also on the way in which it is designed. The company is focusing on the development of boxes that are very easy to assemble: “We can see that the installers’ choice takes into consideration the cabinets that are the easiest to install. »

The future

In addition to the desire to increase its presence on the American market, Milmonde is investing in research and development. “We want to develop innovative paints, like paints where stains do not adhere. We are continuing research on nanotechnological paints… but I couldn’t go any further, because it is too early to talk about it,” she concludes.