Pultrall, a fiberglass rebar manufacturer from Thetford Mines, has acquired small US manufacturer Fiberglass Innovations to better insert its rods into the US market.
“The Buy American Act caused us to lose several contracts on which we worked hard, because we did not have American content,” says Pultrall president Bernard Drouin. “We quickly started looking for a company that would allow us to transfer our V-ROD technology, because it is unique. »
The V-ROD is a fiberglass reinforcing rod, manufactured by pultrusion. Similar to extrusion, pultrusion involves pulling glass filaments through a die, into which a thermosetting resin, in this case vinyl ester, is pushed. This process makes it possible to continuously produce long parts of constant section.
The patented particularity of Pultrall’s V-ROD lies in its textured surface, which gives it the essential adhesion with the concrete that it will reinforce.
Its main advantage is its resistance to corrosion. “Unlike steel, we just don’t rust,” says Bernard Drouin. We will last forever in a work. »
Pultrall was born with its reinforcing rod in composite material. When it was founded in 1987, the small company from Thetford Mines wanted to use asbestos as a reinforcing material. Quickly and wisely, she turned to fiberglass.
The company survived until 1996, when its acquisition by the Beauceron company ADS gave it new impetus. When ADS wanted to divest itself of its assets in composite materials in 2005 to refocus on its technical textiles, Bernard Drouin, who had been director of research and development at Pultrall since 2003, convinced his father to invest in buying the business.
“We saw this as an opportunity to solve a problem for Canadian and Quebec infrastructure,” he explains.
Under the effect of road melters, many structures deteriorate prematurely because their steel reinforcements swell under the effect of corrosion and crack the concrete.
In addition to being virtually unalterable, fiberglass rods are three times stronger in traction and four times lighter than steel. But the game was not yet won.
“Until 2019, finding sales for composite frames was rather difficult,” relates Bernard Drouin. We had to convince civil engineers who are still quite conservative. And with good reason. »
The dam then gave way. For several consecutive years, the company has experienced growth of around 50%.
“Last year, there was 72% growth in V-ROD sales, informs Bernard Drouin. We worked seven days and 24 hours. We turned down $10 million worth of orders because we couldn’t deliver. »
This was one of the incentives to seek a partner in the United States. This one was found in Rockford, Illinois.
Fiberglass Innovations is a 40 employee company founded in 1980.
“It’s a smaller company than ours, we didn’t want to absorb bigger than us, underlines Bernard Drouin. What we really liked about this acquisition is that they do pultrusion like us. They have all the necessary infrastructure to accommodate our technology. »
But first it was necessary to overcome the reluctance of its owner.
“These are the same reservations that a Quebecer would have about an American coming to buy his factory here,” describes Bernard Drouin.
The American company is located in a city of 150,000 inhabitants on the borders of the Rust Belt, this zone of traditional industries decimated by globalization.
The manufacturer of corrosion-resistant products had resisted rust removal, but remained wary.
“At the start, the owner was very suspicious, a little fierce around the edges, because he wanted to leave his employees in good conditions,” recounts the Quebecer.
“From the moment we managed to convince him that our project was beneficial for the region and for his team, it was very easy. »
However, the middle of the bridges and roadways knows ups and downs as sudden as a spring flood. Growth in 2023 is almost zero, while Pultrall has just increased its production capacity by 40% at its factory in Thetford Mines, where it employs 200 people at maximum capacity.
“We don’t want to leave our capital dormant for too long, so we are working to improve our sales network,” comments Bernard Drouin.
At the moment, sales are split 50% to the United States, 45% to Canada, and 5% to Europe and the Middle East.
With the new acquisition, “being able to put US content in our products is essential for our continued growth and maintaining our leadership in this market,” says the president of Pultrall.
It also harbors overseas ambitions.
“We quickly understood that we had to produce locally to supply the different markets. Currently, we are in discussions with Europeans and Saudis for the sale of licenses there. »
Even more spice in the life of the creator of La Morin mustard. The original version of “mustard that goes up in your nose” was awarded two stars at the renowned Great Taste Awards 2023, held in Great Britain. “It’s like Michelin. One star is very rare, two stars is extremely rare! says Julien-Maxime Morin, president and founder of Aliments JM. “And since this is the first year we’ve made it from Quebec seeds, it’s an all-Quebec mustard that’s crowned the best mustard in the world in 2023. So that’s really awesome!” The next jars put into production will display the contest logo, which will allow Quebec mustard to expand abroad. “It has enormous credibility worldwide,” comments Julien-Maxime Morin. For the moment, La Morin is distributed in more than 800 points of sale in Quebec. “The next markets are really Europe and maybe the United States,” informs the mustard maker. “It puts us in competition with very big players like Maille and Amora. » Getting into trouble with Maille: a great challenge!
Paradox: a pilot project for urban parking will go ahead. The Quebec application Clicknpark, which connects owners of unused parking spaces and motorists looking for a temporary haven, will be used in a parking pooling project in the borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville. As part of a three-year pilot project, more than 100 off-street parking spaces have been pooled since September 1 in the District Central neighborhood for the benefit of workers and residents in the area. Named Parking without detour, the project was proposed by the young Quebec company Clicknpark, creator of an application that allows motorists to quickly find a free parking space, and to the owner of the said place to monetize it. The application and the Clicknpark company were born around the idea of Liam Garneau who, while circulating around the Cégep Garneau (no connection with Liam), in Quebec, had observed many unused parking spaces in the properties of the district. Its current president, Carl Grenier, joined the team in January 2021.
Manufacturiers et Exportateurs du Québec wants its members to take charge: it is launching a toolkit (online, therefore light) to help manufacturing companies attract and retain more women. While women represent approximately 48% of the Quebec workforce, they occupy only 28.3% of jobs in the manufacturing sector, recalls the organization. Her Women’s Inclusion Project toolkit is now available on her website. Developed with the firm EY, the box includes 19 tools, each in the form of a detailed guide, on topics such as inclusive communication, the recruitment process, unconscious biases, gender diversity or family-work arrangements. . Instructions for using each tool are included in the guide.
$0.66
According to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, every dollar spent in an SME saves $0.66 in the local economy, compared to $0.11 when that dollar falls instead in the hands of a multinational.
