Actualités

Two regional [Mauricie] companies, Hydrexcel and Johnston-Vermette Construction, the construction division of Johnston-Vermette, are announcing the creation of a joint-venture that will offer a complete range of services for the design, manufacture, installation, and commissioning of machines tailored for the industrial sector.

The two entities, which have been collaborating for several years, had the idea for the Hydrexcel/Johnston-Vermette joint venture project during meetings organized by GROUPÉ, a Mauricie - South shore economic partnership. The two company executives, Joaquim Blanchette and Luc Vermette, envisioned this association in order to better serve their clients, an overall objective also promoted by GROUPÉ.

For the past 20 years, the two companies have specialized in the design and manufacture of machines customized for the specific needs of clients. “At Johnston-Vermette, we are working on project definition, feasibility studies, design, programming, and construction management. We needed a good partner capable of manufacturing industrial grade equipment”, says Luc Vermette, President and CEO of Johnston-Vermette.

Hydrexcel, a mechanical manufacturing facility in Bécancour, specializes in the design, manufacture, repair and installation of industrial equipment. It is a well-organized company capable of working with steel, aluminum and stainless steel. “Since Johnston-Vermette Construction has a general contractor license, we are able to fully implement the projects, offering a turnkey solution to our clients. When choosing Hydrexcel/Johnston-Vermette, our clients save time on deadlines and avoid multiple bidding stages. As a result, project costs and quality assurance are optimized because fewer people are involved”, adds Mr. Vermette.

“The advantage of our formula is that we can get a better understanding of our client’s needs from the start of a project and can bring in our manufacturing expertise. This keeps us from having to make changes during the manufacturing phase. Using our industrial experience, the customer saves time and money”, says Joaquim Blanchette, Hydrexcel’s Engineer and Business Development Manager. With more than 35 years of experience, Hydrexcel manufactures industrial equipment for clients such as Alcoa, Sural and General Cable. For the past several years, Mr. Blanchette has taken over the management of the company in which his father, Mario Blanchette, is still present and active.

Alexandre Ollive, the coordinator of the GROUPÉ economic partnership, is proud of this new alliance. “Thanks to GROUPÉ's initiative, two local companies have decided to create a strategic alliance that will benefit our region. I hope that other organizations can explore such avenues and thus be regionally stronger”, declares Mr. Ollive.