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Thomas & Betts, a subsidiary of multinational ABB, is set to invest $19 million in the modernization of its Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu plant in Québec. The company specializes in processing metal used to produce electrical components such as switchboxes.

To complete the project, Thomas & Betts has obtained $1.5 million in financial aid from the Québec government. “We are delighted to be a preferred partner of the Québec government, which recognizes our efforts to make our Québec manufacturing sites more competitive,” said Alain Quintal, Thomas & Betts vice president for manufacturing and technology.

“We have been helping managers at the Thomas & Betts plant for about ten years,” explained Linda Bergeron, project manager with the International Subsidiaries Department at Investissement Québec. “For this project, the first step was to meet with the company to clearly identify their needs and challenges. For example, we had to take into account that the Saint-Jean facility was competing against American and Mexican sister plants in the ABB group, some of which were operating with excess production capacity.”

After analyzing the available financial solutions, Bergeron suggested the ESSOR program, managed jointly by Investissement Québec and Québec’s Ministère de l’Économie, de la Science et de l’Innovation. She then helped Thomas & Betts managers direct their application to the right people in collaboration with the Conseil économique du Haut-Richelieu.

“A well-rounded business plan, the plant’s know-how, and support from the Québec government through ESSOR helped convince ABB to invest in the Saint-Jean plant,” added Bergeron. The plant will be more productive and competitive, ready to meet future sales growth, and able to increase its presence on the American electrical components market.

About Thomas & Betts

Founded in 1898 in New York City, Thomas & Betts has been part of the ABB Group since 2012. The company is a global leader in the design, manufacture, and marketing of essential components used to manage the connection, distribution, transmission, and reliability of electrical power in industrial, construction, and utility applications. Thomas & Betts has about fifty plants in the United States, Europe, Asia, and Canada. Close to 75% of its Canadian operations are based in Québec, where the company has a distribution centre and six plants employing more than 1,400 people.