Sherbrooke, Quebec-based De La Fontaine Industries, a manufacturer of steel doors and frames, has received a grant from the federal and Quebec governments totalling $4 million to help the company acquire automated and digital equipment.
The new equipment will allow the manufacturer to automate its full production line, with a focus on the folding and shaping steps and various cutting and gluing phases. To install the new equipment on the main floor, a second floor will be added onto the current building for administrative offices.
The aim of this investment project, valued at over $11.5 million overall, is to enable the business to increase production to meet the demand.
As part of this project, the Government of Canada is granting a repayable contribution of $1 million under CED’s Regional Economic Growth through Innovation program. For its part, the Government of Quebec is granting $3 million through the Appui aux projets d’investissement favorisant la productivité et l’expansion des entreprises component of the ESSOR program, managed by Investissement Québec as the government’s representative.
“Thanks to our government’s financial assistance, De La Fontaine will be able to strengthen its position in the industry and on the markets, which will also help stimulate the regional economy. This support will thus benefit the entire Sherbrooke region and enable the Canadian economy to bounce back even stronger than before,” said Élisabeth Brière, Member of Parliament for Sherbrooke.
The company is a third-generation family business, founded in Sherbrooke in 1968. In commercial settings its doors and frames can be found in famous locations such as the Pentagon, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and the Colorado State University stadium.
