Six Saguenay Projects Receive Financial Support from Government of Canada

SAGUENAY, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - April 11, 2014) - Canada Economic Development

The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, today announced that five businesses and one organization from Saguenay have been granted financial assistance to increase their performance.

This support, which totals $3,177,688, has been awarded through Canada Economic Development's Quebec Economic Development Program in the form of five repayable contributions and one non-repayable contribution.

Quick facts

• The recipients of this assistance from the Government of Canada are:
  Industries DODEC Inc., Groupe ID Inc., Intel'eau Pompaction, Les Entreprises Gérard Doucet Ltd, Mercier Industries en mécanique Ltd and Jonquière CEGEP.
• The contributions granted will enable each of the recipients to contribute to the business vitality of the region.

Quote

"By lending financial support to these Saguenay enterprises, our government is investing in projects that will help ensure economic growth and job creation."

Denis Lebel, Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec

Related document

See the related backgrounder for further details on these six projects.

Related link

To learn more about the QEDP, go to: http://www.dec-ced.gc.ca/eng/programs/qedp/index.html

Keep up with the latest news from Canada Economic Development by visiting www.dec-ced.gc.ca or subscribing to Twitter @CanEconDev.

Financial assistance granted through the Quebec Economic Development Program (QEDP)

Bundle announcement in Saguenay

Promoter
Industries DODEC Inc.	Repayable contribution of $624,003 on a total investment of $1,511,006. Industries DODEC has been specializing in the manufacture and repair of machine-welded industrial parts for nearly 40 years. The assistance granted will go to acquiring and installing digital machining equipment, gear and gearbox measurement and modeling software, and welding fume extraction equipment, as well as to outfitting the plant for the new extraction equipment. These improvements are aimed at increasing the company's overall performance and competitive standing with major contractors, thus ensuring it a stronger position in the market.
Groupe ID Inc.	Repayable contribution of $732,500 on a total investment of $1,545,000. Groupe ID has designed and developed CONFORMiT® software to help companies with their occupational safety program management. The assistance will be used to adapt and develop the software for commercialization on international markets and sale to major corporations wishing to implement it across multiple production units. The project involves adjusting and developing the software to increase its capacity to handle mega databases, making it multilingual, incorporating new technologies and adding new functions to appeal to international markets. In parallel with the software adjustments, the project also calls for commercializing the product on the North American market (United States) and preparing for its eventual commercialization in western Europe (France, Belgium, etc.).
Jonquière CEGEP	Non-repayable contribution of $606,360 on a total investment of $855,152. This contribution is for Jonquière CEGEP's Centre de production automatisée (CPA), a college centre for technology transfer (CCTT). The assistance will enable the CPA to acquire high-technology digital equipment that will help increase the expertise of SMEs currently manufacturing, or looking to manufacture, high-precision aluminium products. This project will, among other things, help build the knowledge needed to produce the metal matrix composites used in the manufacture of extruded aluminium parts. The CPA project will thus further support the activities of the Centre de transfert en extrusion (CTE) aimed at accelerating the growth of enterprises operating in the field of aluminium extrusion.
Mercier, Industries en mécanique Ltd	Repayable contribution of $497,500 on a total investment of $995,000. Mercier, Industries en mécanique Ltd manufactures machined and mechanically-welded industrial tools and spare parts, offering its clients long-term support for parts upgrades, repairs and technology development. Mainly serving aluminium smelters, the company is looking to diversify its industrial and geographical markets. The assistance is intended to help the company improve productivity and increase its production capabilities. The project involves acquiring higher-performance state-of-the-art transformation equipment and stems from a strategic planning process aimed at diversifying the enterprise's activities and markets to ensure its long-term profitability.
Intel'eau Pompaction	Repayable contribution of $400,000 on a total investment of $1,366,666. Intel'eau Pompaction specializes is the design, manufacture, installation, maintenance, repair, instrumentation and monitoring of water pumping and treatment systems. The financial assistance is aimed at helping the enterprise improve its performance by supporting the development of an innovation and the implementation of commercialization/export activities. More specifically, this assistance will be used to design and market a single integrated control and monitoring system for water pumping, metering, pressurization, analysis and treatment equipment as well as other related and complementary equipment.
Les Entreprises Gérard Doucet Ltd	Repayable contribution of $317,325 on a total investment of $646,650. Les Entreprises Gérard Doucet Ltd produces, processes and sells blueberry-based products. The assistance is aimed at supporting the firm's expansion through the addition of new agri-food processing activities, the acquisition of equipment and the implementation of a commercialization strategy for the Japanese, German and United States markets.

Summary
Number of projects:	6
Total contribution from Canada Economic Development:	$3,177,688
Total investment generated by these projects:	$6,919,474