BOUCHERVILLE, Quebec (April 13, 2009)—Groupe Pneus BÃ&Copy;lisle Inc. inaugurated production March 24 at a Michelin Retread Technologies (MRT) retread plant it built in St.-Augustin-de-Desmaures, Quebec, the company's second MRT plant in Quebec.
Boucherville-based Pneus Belisle invested $3.2 million in the 20,000-sq.-ft. plant, located near Quebec City.
Daniel BÃ&Copy;lisle, vice-president of Groupe Pneus BÃ&Copy;lisle and president of the retreading unit, Rechapage BÃ&Copy;lisle Inc., said the investment means the creation of 18 specialized jobs in the Quebec City area. The plant has a potential daily capacity of 300 units, the firm said. Pneus Belisle's existing MRT plant in Saint-JÃ&Copy;rôme, Quebec, is slightly larger, the firm said.
“We are seeing a growing demand for high-quality retreaded tires, and the opening of this plant will allow Michelin to showcase its MRT technology across a larger area of Quebec,” said Bertrand GariÃ&Copy;py, sales manager, eastern Canada, for Michelin North America (Canada) Inc.
Groupe Pneus Belisle operates 11 retail/commercial stores and two distribution centers throughout Quebec and generated $80 million in sales revenue last year, with about 40 percent coming from commercial sales and retreading.
The new plant is the eighth MRT plant in Canada, Michelin said.