By Manac is Canada’s largest trailer manufacturer and the leading North American supplier of specialty trailers. It offers a full range of vans, dumps and flatbeds as well as grain hoppers, chip and logging trailers. They are sold under the recognized brands Manac, CPS, Darkwing, UltraPlate and Liddell Canada.
The company has five manufacturing plants in the United States and Canada, with an estimated workforce of more than 1,000 employees. The firm is headquartered in Saint-Georges, Quebec. Its products are sold in North America under the recognized brands Manac, CPS, Peerless, Darkwing, UltraPlate and Liddell, as well as Trailmobile, which manufactures refrigerated trailers.
Investissement Quebec, the province’s investment arm, showed interest in a potential deal for Manac. The investment arm will assist the company in any possible transaction and will help maintain its manufacturing base in Canada, which currently employs 700 workers.
Charles Dutil, the president of Manac, says he expects the acquisition will have a positive impact on the company’s operations and business plans. He says the Orangeville facility will produce Manac-brand dry van trailers as well as Great Dane refrigerated trailers, bringing large-scale reefer production to Canada for the first time.
He said the deal will allow Manac to grow into a broader market, including the construction and forestry industries, by increasing its product line and expanding its dealer network. It will also allow it to boost its production capacity, allowing for higher volume and greater margins.
The acquisition will enable Manac to expand into the United States by acquiring the intellectual properties of Trailmobile and Liddell, which will become Manac’s subsidiaries. It will also enable the company to build more custom trailers and expand its sales network in North America, which is primarily concentrated in Ontario.
Tervene helps structure Manac’s standard management practices with the assistance of its connected manager platform, which enables frontline managers to reach operational excellence with a stronger daily control, better communication, and faster problem-solving processes. The tool also enables coordinators to keep track of issues and corrective actions and share them with the right department owner, enabling the transfer of information between shift handovers.
According to Rendy Samson, Continuous Improvement Coordinator at manac, Tervene has helped streamline shift handovers between day and evening teams. It has also facilitated the coordination of Gemba Walks and audits and improved team coordination and problem-solving with a digital platform.
In addition, the tool has helped to increase operator motivation by providing feedback and recognition for good work. This is especially important in the context of a shrinking work force.
Lastly, Tervene has helped to accelerate the implementation of the company’s quality and safety standards, which is essential for its operations. The company’s managers have scheduled periods to do Gemba Walks and audits, thereby strengthening their daily control over the factory floor and identifying issues before they occur.
The company is now looking to hire additional people in its innovation and product development process to continue growing. Rodrick Levesque has been promoted to the position of Vice President of Engineering, while Julie Demers was appointed to the position of Vice President, Legal Affairs and Corporate Secretary. She is a former Senior Manager at the Toronto Stock Exchange and has practiced commercial law for a number of years.
