Protect a gigantic refrigerator against the flames. This is in a way the paradoxical mandate obtained by Mongrain, a company specializing in the protection of buildings and their envelopes.
The Mirabel company has developed a system of fireproof panels that it is deploying in the new automated refrigerated warehouse that the transport company Groupe Robert has undertaken to build in Varennes. The building, which will be able to accommodate up to 60,000 pallets of fresh and frozen food products, requires an investment of more than $150 million.
However, the standards require that this imposing steel structure, which rises nearly 50 m in height, be fireproofed.
“It was still a big cost of a few million dollars and it earned us a project where we shortened the timelines by almost 50%,” said Karl Mongrain, president of the namesake company. “We developed a rather unique product and working technique for these fridges: a fireproofing system that interlocks like Lego and is washable. »
Mongrain obtained this contract last fall, when construction of the building was already underway.
“They had difficulty finding a contractor to do the fireproofing work, that is to say passive fire protection,” says the president. They went to tender and they did not find a player. »
Karl Mongrain consulted the fireproofing specifications given on the plans and specifications. “I was far from convinced it was doable due to HACCP food standards. »
The current method of fireproofing consists of spraying a cement paste, a sort of sprayed plaster, onto the steel surfaces.
“They asked in their tender to shape the cementitious product, apply a sealer, then paint with an epoxy so that it is washable. But it was unrealistic, not only in terms of expertise in Quebec, but also in terms of time. »
The company saw this as an opportunity to complete the development of its fireproof panel technology, which it had been working on for a few years. “It led us to give birth to the product, then to set it up very quickly, explains its president. It sped up the process. It is partly thanks to this project that we were able to market ourselves. »
The system consists of rock fibers compressed to form a rigid panel, on which is laminated a washable polypropylene film. Panels are assembled and held in place with concealed anchors.
“This product is a revolution! exclaims Karl Mongrain. “It’s very rare because most construction companies like ours don’t develop products. They don’t have a science behind it: they install them. »
Mongrain has added a mobile workshop, a kind of small factory in containers, where the workers can cut the fireproof panels to measure for their immediate installation in the building under construction.
The method saves considerable time. In a context of labor shortage, Mongrain also found the advantage of better distribution of its precious construction workers.
The mandate with Groupe Robert has already had positive repercussions.
“It led us to do a kind of interview for the GM-POSCO plant in Bécancour,” says Mr. Mongrain. This is another very big project with Pomerleau, again with the development of a product that is revolutionizing the fire protection market. »
Karl Mongrain has been at the head of the company that bears his surname since 1995. It was founded in 1955 by his grandfather Donat, then taken over by his father Raymond.
“I’m the third generation,” he said. And we are a very involved and very passionate generation. This was the case in the past. My dad just passed away on January 10, and he was still in the office two weeks before. »
He hopes to pass this flame on to the fourth generation. His daughter shows interest but, aged 16, she won’t be able to join him for a few years. In the meantime, he is thinking of attracting trusted employees by giving them a share of the capital stock.
“We still have a succession in different business sections, but currently, it is more related to employees than to the family, he observes. And I would like the family to be able to stay there. »
And pass the torch of fireproofing to him.
It is a business mixology. The local Club spirits manufacturer (Les Îles, Cremaglace, Shape, etc.) and Les Brasseurs du Nord (Boréale beers) have joined forces to launch Bluff, a range of alcohol-free cocktails and spirits that will be distributed in supermarkets. The two companies want to fool consumers (their taste buds, at the very least) by offering them the taste of alcoholic cocktails without their disadvantages – a formula that is gaining popularity with young customers. The Bluff range offers a canned margarita and gin and tonic as well as a bottled rum and gin.
In this common cocktail, each company contributes its own ingredients. “These are two companies in two completely opposite fields of expertise, which come together to make a difference in the market,” explained local Club President Sylvain Lague in a telephone conversation. While Club local sells its cocktails through the SAQ, Les Brasseurs du Nord distributes its beers in grocery stores and convenience stores. “The two together make for a solid non-alcoholic portfolio. We are able to place our product well in different banners, with the sales force and reputation of Boréale. »
Miralis comes out of the kitchen cabinet to expand its activities on the counter. The manufacturer of fully custom-made kitchens from Saint-Anaclet-de-Lessard, near Rimouski, is expanding its activities by launching into the manufacture of sintered natural stone worktops, a rare combination of expertise in North America. Miralis creates the Miralis Surface division for the occasion, which is dedicated to the production of this material consisting of natural stone powders agglomerated under high pressure and high temperature.
The plant, located in Quebec, should start production in the next year. Mario Panunto and Rachel Lefebvre, respectively president and vice-president of Granit Castello, a Quebec company specializing in natural stones, join Miralis Surface as president and general manager. The Italian company Lapitec, a recognized specialist in the manufacture of stone slabs, is one of the suppliers and collaborators who contribute to the adventure. Within a year, Miralis will also inaugurate a new plant in Saint-Anaclet-de-Lessard, which will double the company’s kitchen cabinet production capacity. Founded in 1976 in Rimouski, Miralis has 270 employees. Its products are distributed in some 120 points of sale in Quebec, Ontario and the United States.
Planning an amusement park attraction? This is the objective of a new intelligent platform just launched by the Montreal firm Connect
The platform has two elements. Konnect Predictor helps amusement park managers optimize their operations by providing attendance forecasts several days in advance. The Konnect Smart Pricing module, on the other hand, is a dynamic pricing tool that uses data provided by Konnect Predictor to “optimize revenue and traffic”. In other words, it adjusts the prices according to the attendance predictions that appear in Konnect Predictor’s crystal ball. The AttendX solution is also able to predict whether water parks will be submerged or dry of visitors. It will also be implemented as a pilot project this summer at the Super Aqua Club. AttendX cannot, however, self-predict its own market success.
The volume of sales to tourists in Montreal snack bars increased by 132% during the week of the Grand Prix of 2022 (29% increase in total volume) compared to the previous week, according to data collected by Moneris. What does the 2023 Grand Prix promise?
