SME Universe | A network of charging stations for electric boats

This is news that will not make noise.

BCI Marine has just concluded a partnership with the British company Aqua superPower for the installation of a network of fast charging stations for electric boats (thus silent) across Canada.

BCI Marine will be the British company’s Canadian representative.

Its president Patrick Hardy already foresees this year the installation in Ontario and Quebec of two networks of each three terminals distant of 75 nautical miles.

He had hoped to show off the Aqua superPower charging station at the Toronto boat show scheduled for the end of January, but the pandemic has relegated the event to the virtual universe.

“Yesterday, during a call, we set ourselves the objective of having a first installation for the month of May this year,” he says. It’s not just words, there’s action behind it all. It will see the light of day this year. »

Change of direction

Patrick Hardy was leading a successful career in marketing technology solutions when his passion for pleasure craft led him into the boating industry. It acquired BCI Distribution in 2019.

“It was a small company that had a few distribution contracts and I changed the business model considerably,” he describes.

Under his leadership, the company of six employees distributes from Newfoundland to Vancouver a wide range of motorized boats, mostly of European construction. “I have become the largest boat distributor in the country,” he says.

“I become the brand of the manufacturer in Canada. I take care of the marketing, I check that the boats are approved by Transport Canada. I manage transport, customs clearance, to the dealer. »

He entered the electric channel last June when he became the representative of the Swedish manufacturer X Shore in Canada.

“In our growth strategy, it was important for me to be a leader in what all our vehicles will eventually become,” says the businessman.

It plans to add three more brands of electric boats to its lineup in 2022.

The partnership with Aqua superPower is part of this shift towards green waters.

“To facilitate the sale of electric boats, it is important that we have a fast charging network in our marinas, as the car industry has done. The more chargers, the faster the sales. »

This agreement is an important step for BCI Marine, but also for the Canadian nautical industry, he underlines: no one seems to have taken charge of the recharge yet.

Hundreds of chargers

Each Aqua superPower fast charger will provide simultaneous dual DC charging of up to 150kW and will be accessible to marina users using a secure app.

Aqua superPower will finance the equipment and installation on the grounds of the marinas, on a small lot which it will lease with a 20-year lease. Profits from charging will be shared with the marina owner.

Patrick Hardy will establish contact.

“Discussions have already started. It is I who establish the relationships with my experience and my dealer network in Canada. »

By working with boating organizations and marina associations, it will determine where the most favorable markets for the deployment of these terminals are located.

“The ultimate target would be Parks Canada, with all the canals, all the places where there are locks. And we also want to work more closely with municipalities. It is the objective. »

It amounts to hundreds of terminals.

“And that, in my opinion, is doable in the next 36 months. »

Major acquisition of Verre Select

They certainly raised their glass. The Quebec manufacturer of decorative glass and glazed doors Verre Select has been acquired by its American counterpart ODL. Patrice Lamy, President of Verre Select, is delighted that this partnership will allow the Quebec company to improve its product line and extend its reach in Canada, and even further afield. For his part, the president of ODL, Dave Klein, sees the promise of new growth based on two well-known brands. Verre Select will be integrated into the American company, but its structure and its employees will remain in place. The Terrebonne company, founded in 1980, specializes in the manufacture of decorative and tempered glass for doors, railings and showers, as well as in the manufacture of exterior doors molded in fiberglass… fiberglass, of course. Founded in 1945, ODL describes itself as the leader in glass doors in North America. Its headquarters are located in Zeeland, Michigan.

The GM Rental Center is purchased

Their sagacity is undoubtedly to be commended. Le Center de Location GM, a Quebec tool and equipment rental company, announced “the conclusion of a strategic alliance with Stephenson’s Rental Services”. In other words, the second acquired the first. The current directors and shareholders of Location GM, Alexandre Cantin and Jean-François Cantin, see this as an opportunity to significantly increase their presence in Quebec. They will remain in their positions and the company will continue to operate under the GM Location brand. The Quebec company, which employs 125 people, has four branches in Laval and in the North Shore. This is the first foray into Quebec for Stephenson’s Rental Services, which already had 43 branches in Ontario and Alberta. With surprising calculation, the two companies are delighted to now be the only entity in the tool rental sector in Quebec to possess more than 115 years of combined expertise.

The American Salesfloor acquires the Montreal company Automat

Their conversations led to a purchase, that of Automat by Salesfloor. Founded in Montreal in 2016 by Andy Mauro, Erdem Örzcan and Greg Pal, Automat offers a platform that supports online sales through advanced conversational AI. Automat reads retailers’ product catalogs, chats with their customers, and guides them to the products that suit them best. The company’s customers include Unilever, Logitech, L’Oréal and Colgate-Palmolive. Its technology will be integrated into Salesfloor’s mobile virtual shopping platform, which supports becoming the leader in customer profiling and sales automation across all retail e-commerce sectors. For Automat President Andy Mauro, this marriage of technologies has the potential to redefine the entire experience of profiling and virtual shopping.

28

This is the number of large Quebec companies that will help increase vaccination capacity and offer the booster dose. Generally starting the week of January 17, these companies will offer vaccination to their employees and their relatives within their walls. It is estimated that 75,000 doses will be administered in this way – a very timely expression in this case.