The manufacturer of vacuum carts and small street brooms Exprolink is preparing for a new stage in its growth with a new plant in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, on the South Shore. The company will have the means to match its ambitions to meet growing demand for electrified versions of its products.
This project, on which the company is working, will see the light of day thanks to support of $9 million from Investissement Québec (IQ), the Fonds de solidarité FTQ and Export et développement Canada. The financial arm of the Quebec state granted an interest-free loan of 4 million while the other two organizations jointly injected 5 million into the share capital of Exprolink.
“Electric or diesel, everything will be done under the same roof [a 50,000 square foot site], says its president Jean Bourgeois. It’s a nice project. We will have the footprint to deliver on time. We will be able to make five times the turnover. »
Details will be announced on Wednesday. The plant is expected to start up next January. In addition to having electrified four of its models, the vocational vehicle manufacturer has also completed the acquisition of the Spanish company Excelway. The objective of this transaction was to get hold of foreign assets to repatriate production to Quebec territory.
After months of work, it will finally be done. It wasn’t just about buying a rival in the multi-function vehicle niche, says Bourgeois.
“We had to rejuvenate certain aspects of the models and adapt them to the North American market,” he says. In one case, the engine of a model was changed. It is in a way Americanizing the intellectual property of a competitor. This accelerates the development of our product portfolio. »
With a new production facility, Exprolink believes it will be well equipped to handle growing demand for electric versions of its products. Slowly but surely, public organizations and businesses are making the leap. In 2024, more than 40% of sales will be made by selling vacuum carts, street sweepers and other electric-powered vehicles.
“Our customers order between one and five electric models and after that they accelerate their conversion. We feel that we are in front of a significant [ascending] curve. When we look at our order book, the demand for electric is growing. »
Customer interest is growing, but customers need to loosen the purse strings. It costs on average 50% more to get an electrified version of a vocational vehicle built by Exprolink. They are not eligible for subsidies offered by the Écocamionnage program, which subsidizes companies that adopt green technologies.
Mr. Bourgeois does not hide it, it is a “brake” for certain potential customers. He would like to see Quebec expand the criteria for Écocamionnage, without however harboring any illusions.