Good neighborhood pays off. Dozens of Quebec companies of all kinds made the trip to Las Vegas in early January to take part in the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Their goal: not to be left out of an increasingly regionalized North American economy.
Quebec is well represented this year at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Led by Investissement Québec International, a cohort of some sixty business people from the province criss-crosses the aisles of the Las Vegas Convention Center… when they have the time. Prepared for a long time, their visit to this huge industry exhibition where clothes dryers rub shoulders with humanoid robots and flying cars mainly takes the form of numerous meetings with potential business partners.
No big booths with oversized dimensions or futuristic light effects here. A few gray tables, fleur-de-lis on blue posters and a soft rug. For others, it’s flashy, says IQ International’s US export manager, Dominic Cousineau. “For us, the size of the booth is less important than the number of meetings we can have there,” he said in an interview with the To have to.
This commercial strategy differs from those of other countries. France arrives every year with its many kiosks grouped under the French Tech banner. Israel, Korea, Germany and others are unrolling large banners from the ceiling of the Venetian Hotel pavilion where the national delegations gathered to present their new technologies at CES.
Quebec is visually more modest, but the business development potential of its companies is not. Especially since the annual exhibition has become, over its 56 years of existence, a world-class event as much for everyday electronic devices – such as a dishwasher – as for video game technologies or advanced artificial intelligence. To this must be added the entire transportation sector, at the dawn of an electric and connected shift that makes road, air or water vehicles so many small technological showcases where Quebec can also shine.
“Technology has become multi-sectoral. We see it in health, in the environment, in transportation,” notes Dominic Cousineau. Of course, there are Quebec companies that can benefit from this diversification… provided they are well positioned. “CES has evolved from an exhibition showcasing products for consumers to an event for the industry. The Quebec companies that we bring here also come to present technologies that can be integrated into those of other American companies. »
Material shift
A particularity of the Quebec cohort at CES this year is the greater place given to manufacturers of specialized or electronic components. However, Quebec is more recognized for its software and applications. The pronounced disinterest of the United States with regard to the production of components in China does, however, represent a business opportunity for the Quebec manufacturing sector.
The Eastern Townships manufacturer of haptic components Boréas Technologies is in a special position. The company has developed, in recent years, solid surfaces that can react to the touch like a keyboard key: it emits a click whose intensity can vary according to the force of this pressure. This is the kind of components found in personal computers, on smart phones, on board modern vehicles… in short, pretty much everywhere.
As a Quebec company, Boréas could carve out a place for itself in the North American supply chain, both in transportation and in information technology. It can also meet the needs of Chinese manufacturers who want to get rid of American suppliers, as both countries are clearly trying to regionalize their high-tech industries.
Regardless, Boréas needs to meet its business partners in person to better present its technology. “Coming to CES in person is essential for us,” confirms Nicolas Duchesne-Laforest, its marketing director. “After all, our touch technology has to be touched. »
Quebec in the water
Some technologies are more flamboyant than others. Akisens’ multi-dwelling water leak detector falls into the second category. This system developed in Terrebonne, on the north shore, is designed to be very discreet… most of the time. Its sensors stick behind toilets, at the foot of water heaters and in the walls of apartments or condominiums whose management is centralized. Occupants do not need to access it.
The manager who must supervise a few hundred dwellings at the same time can be alerted quickly if the flush of a toilet is broken or if a frozen pipe has broken.
It sounds trivial, but there is a huge demand in Canada and the United States for this type of building management solution. The three representatives of Akisens at CES seem satisfied with their visit. “Our booth neighbor told us that he would recommend our product to his brother-in-law, who heads the Montana Plumbers Association,” explains Jimmy Bérubé, Akisens’ business development director. Our market is fairly new, but already we feel that there are not enough suppliers to meet demand. »
For companies like Akisens, visiting CES is, in a way, setting out to conquer this demand.
This report was financed thanks to the support of the Transat International Journalism Fund.The duty.