Affairs. Specializing in manufacturing plastic things, Proflex Products has had new owners since 1 yearhe is Previous January. The Drummondville company was founded in 1995 by Gilles De Blois and Ginette Dubuc, and was acquired by Annie Lajoie and Rémi Gauthier. As the culmination of nearly 40 years of business experience, they intend to continue the business started by their predecessors.
Annie Lajoy and Remy Gauthier are married for life. They met in the course of work. Soon they knew that one day they wanted to own their own business as a couple’s business. “Little by little, we were in contact with the people at Proflex. We met Mr. De Blois and Mrs. Dubuque and it happened between us because we were a bit of the next generation that they were looking for. And Annie Lajoy testifies, they saw each other a lot through us.
Discussions about the deal took nearly a year to complete. Mr Gauthier and Ms Lajoie have planned to place a bid in March 2020, however, the pandemic will force them to delay their efforts. In August, discussions resumed and at the end of the year everything was concluded.
Today, Jeanette Dubuque is retired, but Gilles de Blois is still at Proflex as a part-time advisor and is sharing his experience with the new owners to ease the transition. “Mr. De Blois is still passionate, his eyes still shine.” Proflex’s HRH&S Officer commented: “His presence is an advantage for us thanks to his knowledge in the plastics field.”
In addition, Rémi Gauthier has already been hired by companies specializing in plastic processing, PVC extrusion, and machining. “A big part of the operations at Proflex is machining. It’s not about processing metal parts, but rather parts of wood and composite plastic.” Remy Gauthier, in charge of the operational component, said, “So I had a certain background in that which allowed me to feel comfortable in this environment. New “.
Growth potential
The wide range of product types that Proflex could manufacture for clients from diverse industries also influenced both Mrs. Lajoie and Mr. Gauthier to acquire the company. Proflex has clients in the medical, railway, aviation, automotive, arcade, aquatic, hydroponic systems, off-road vehicle parts and even funeral sectors, and nearly all of them are from Quebec.
The company’s growth potential also played a role in the deal. “We have 38,000 square feet in the building and only 22 employees. There is scope to add employees or other shifts. There is latent capacity available. In addition, we have enough land to triple the building area. The proprietary product development plan in the medium term is Also in the plans, ”continued Mr. Gauthier, who is originally from Northern Ontario.
The new owners want to cement the values their ancestors set while exploring new avenues. “We want to develop the Canadian markets, in Ontario, the Maritimes and the West, while preserving our relationships with our existing customers. In the short term, we want to ensure that our current team is happy and able to add new elements to it,” added Ms. Lajoy, who grew up at Gaspé. .
The new owners agree that they are starting a huge challenge when they want to grow the business and give it more visibility in the region.
