ABB Canada is constructing a new $130 million manufacturing and research and development facility in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, representing the company’s largest investment to date in Canada. Groundbreaking for the 340,000 square foot facility took place on August 27th, with completion anticipated by 2027.
The new plant will consolidate ABB’s existing operations from Iberville and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, increasing its footprint by approximately 33% compared to the combined area of the current facilities. According to ABB, the facility will integrate cutting-edge automated and digital production technologies. The project aims to address growing demand in key sectors including utilities, renewable energy, transportation, residential projects, and infrastructure projects across Canada.
The investment includes a conditional grant of $16 million from the Quebec government, announced on August 7th. Mike Shenouda, regional leader for ABB Canada’s Installation Products division, highlighted the collaborative effort involving ABB leadership, including Khalid Mandri, president of the Installation Products division, as well as representatives from the provincial and municipal governments. Louis Lemieux, Member of the National Assembly for Saint-Jean, and Andrée Bouchard, Mayor of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, were present at the groundbreaking ceremony.
ABB anticipates the new facility will support 600 existing jobs in the Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu area. The company stated the new building will be equipped with state-of-the-art energy-efficient technologies, potentially reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions by nearly 95% compared to its two existing Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu plants. The new site will house ABB Canada’s Installation Products division headquarters, manufacturing operations, a research and development center, engineering, testing, and support functions.
This project follows a similar consolidation of ABB locations in Saint-Laurent, Quebec, in 2017, where six production and research sites were combined. That campus, too LEED certified, currently houses approximately 700 of ABB’s 3,000 Quebec employees. The Iberville plant is known for producing the “Iberville MD” electrical box, a standard in the Canadian electrical industry since 1920.