(Boisbriand) Small suppliers in the aeronautics sector gain by growing in order to better serve their customers. This is what led Abipa Canada, a company from Boisbriand in the Laurentians, to merge with the French Groupe ARM.
The aeronautics ecosystem is global and the major contractors have sites spread across the world, explains Jean Blondin, who will continue to act as President and CEO of the new entity which will bear the name of Abipa International. “When you’re small, a small SME, I think you’re very good, but you have limitations in the offer you can make,” he said at a press conference.
Abipa International, whose head office will remain in Boisbriand, will now have 400 employees at six sites in Canada, France and Morocco. Its turnover exceeds $ 100 million, according to the company.
Precision machining
Abipa offers high precision machining, mechanical assembly and kitting of specialized metal components (aluminum, titanium, inconel, steel) for engines, landing gear and aircraft structural parts. Groupe ARM is a subcontractor in precision mechanics in aeronautics, in the defense sector and in the rail industry.
For Suzanne Benoit, president of Aéro Montréal, the alliance between the two suppliers is a model to emulate. “The idea is to strengthen ourselves, to seek out this critical mass which will make it possible to shine internationally. ”
Present in Abipa’s capital since 2012, the Fonds de solidarité FTQ remains the largest shareholder of the merged company. All the shareholders of the Quebec company and of Groupe ARM retain a stake in the new company.
The labor-sponsored fund and Export Development Canada (EDC) injected $ 15 million in new capital into the adventure. The money will not be used to repay debts, but it still keeps the company “very strong financially,” says Blondin.
This new capital will enable Abipa International to “prepare for the future”. “This will allow us at the right time to invest where we need to, to develop new components, to invest in technology and artificial intelligence,” he adds.
The aim of these investments will be to gain market share, continues Ludovic Couillaud, president of the ARM Group and son of the founder of the family business. “If we do that, not only will it create jobs, but it will create opportunities to invest. ”
The transaction demonstrates the importance that the France-Quebec axis has taken on in the aeronautics industry, according to Mr. Couillaud. “Seen from France, the Toulouse-Montreal axis has taken on a lot of relief and has become, forgive me the expression, quite sexy. It was one element among others in the decision to finalize this transaction. ”
With La Presse