US-based Cooper Standard has officially opened its Industrial Specialty Group (ISG) facility, a dedicated site for ISG manufacturing and warehousing, in Sherbrooke, Quebec in Canada.
The company consolidated three existing ISG facilities and approximately 250 employees to maximise service, quality and cost efficiencies for Cooper Standard’s ISG customers.
As part of the US$10 million investment, the company is expanding its ISG product offering with: added expertise in the extrusion of EPDM rubber sealing products for the non-automotive industrial, commercial and specialty vehicle markets; a new ERP (enterprise resource planning) system; and employee skill enhancement programmes.
Company executives hosted dignitaries, partners and employees at the 138,000-square foot world-class manufacturing facility during the ribbon-cutting and opening celebration.
“Thanks to the province of Quebec and assistance of several local agencies, Cooper Standard is pleased to strengthen our presence in the Sherbrooke area with the opening of our Industrial Specialty Group’s new dedicated sealing facility,” said Bill Pumphrey, senior vice president and president, North America, Cooper Standard. “While Cooper Standard is traditionally known for our automotive capabilities, we see significant opportunities in the non-automotive sectors and our new Sherbrooke facility will play a vital role in this growth.”
Sherbrooke Innopole worked closely with the Cooper Standard team for the two years required to complete the project.
The city of Sherbrooke is also pleased to see that a company of such scale has chosen to grow within the Regional Industrial Park of Sherbrooke.
“This project not only generates significant economic spinoffs and creates and maintains hundreds of jobs, but it also ensures the sustainability of the Company in Sherbrooke,” explained Robert Pouliot, deputy mayor of the city of Sherbrooke. “This tangible outcome demonstrates that the initiatives of the past years, such as the extensions of De Portland Boulevard and Robert-Boyd Street, the new industrial land price policy and the property tax credit program, are successful.”
ISG is a dedicated group within Cooper Standard that serves customers in the power sports, marine, agriculture, construction, commercial vehicle and recreation vehicle markets. The commitment to this segment and customer base extends deep into the organisation and includes dedicated sales, engineering, design, purchasing, manufacturing, launch and programme management teams.
ISG leverages the significant investments in technology and innovation made by Cooper Standard to bring OEM-quality products to markets that require cost-effective and high-quality products.