The Canadian office furniture manufacturer Artopex is investing around € 20 million over the next 3 years in the improvement of the production facilities by modernizing its processes and automating production. With this the company wants to increase her productivity and support further growth. The modernization will proceed according to the principles of industry 4.0, i.e. the possibility to deliver tailor-made solutions at the speed of mass production.
First in North America
Daniel Pelletier, CEO of Artopex, explains: “We have reached agreement with a European manufacturer for automation, which has already set up four factories worldwide in this way. We will be the first in North America ”
Part of the transformation of the company is also a doubling of the office space, redevelopment of the common areas and the canteens. The planned investments are the result of the 2014 target to double turnover in 2020.
$10 mln funding for Artopex
Through the ESSOR program, the Government of Quebec has provided the enterprise a total of $8 million (€ 5 mln) in funding, including an interest-free loan of $7 million and a non-repayable contribution of $1 million. Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED) has granted the company a repayable contribution of $2 million under the Quebec Economic Development Program.
Pierre Breton, MP for Shefford says “The manufacturing industry needs to focus on innovation and adopt new technologies, which is exactly what Artopex is doing. This company is a source of pride for the region, not only because of its success on the North American market and its high-quality products, but also because of the importance it places on sustainable development. I congratulate the entire Artopex team and wish it much success with this major project, which will generate significant spinoff for Granby, Sherbrooke and Quebec as a whole.”
150 extra jobs in Quebec
Currently, exports to the United States account for 40% of the company’s operations, while the rest of the sales are made in Canada. Daniel Pelletier would like to see this ratio reach “50-50”. “We are not far from our goal,” says the Artopex CEO
Founded in 1980, Artopex provides work for more than 740 people in its five factories in Quebec. Up to 2020, an additional 150 jobs will be added as a result of modernization and growth
all images: (c) Artopex