8 March 2013

PRESS RELEASE – After 55 years of operation, Ideal Combustion is proud to inaugurate its new facilities in Sherbrooke’s regional industrial park. The expansion will enable the company to continue growing and to strengthen its reputation for excellence in the design and manufacture of boilers and heating systems.

Ideal Combustion was founded in 1957 by Patrick Dubé and is now managed by his grandson Daniel Rivard. It moved to its new facilities last November, motivated by strong growth and a need for more production capacity. The strategic location, near the corner of highways 10 and 55, is another reason for the move, giving the company greater access to its clients.

The dream of expansion and a new location led to the purchase of new production equipment that enables assembly directly at the plant. “It’s much easier for shop employees to work in a space that now measures 10 000 square feet,” said Ideal Combustion president Daniel Rivard. “Everything is better organized for more efficient manual work. We are very pleased with this innovation.”

Taking both floors into account, the plant has more than 23 000 square feet. Production, warehouse, and office space have all been expanded, while two overhead travelling cranes enable work on several pieces of equipment at once.

With its in-depth knowledge of the industrial, institutional, and commercial sectors, Ideal Combustion is a true specialist in boilers and heating systems. Its products are constantly adapted to customer needs and realities. In its ongoing effort to ensure quality, the company also provides diversified installation, maintenance, repair, and replacement services for heating equipment. Ideal Combustion carries out large projects throughout Quebec and the Maritimes.

This expansion involved investments of more than $2.3 million, while at the same time consolidating 30 existing jobs and creating about 10 new ones. Ideal Combustion was assisted in the project by Sherbrooke Innopole, the Bank of Montreal, and Gaz Métropolitain.

“We are extremely proud to have contributed to this major project, which will allow the company to continue growing,” said Pierre Bélanger, director general of Sherbrooke Innopole. “Ideal Combustion is a leader in its field, and I congratulate its managers for their sense of innovation and development, as illustrated by their new biomass boiler. It’s a good example of growth in the clean technology sector.”

Ideal Combustion is taking advantage of its official inauguration to present its latest project, which is ready for shipment. The immense forestry biomass boiler will soon leave for the Lower Saint Lawrence region for the CSSS Montmagny-L’Islet. It has a capacity of 3 megawatts or 300 HP (10 200 000 BTU/h).

“We build boilers that surpass industry standards (150 mg/m3)—they emit five times fewer particles per cubic metre of combustion gas. We are the only ones in the region producing biomass boilers, giving us a competitive advantage while at the same time benefiting the region,” said vice-president Guy St-Amand.

Assembled in the middle of the plant, the company’s latest boiler weighs no less than ± 80 000 lbs. (± 36 000 kg or 36 metric tonnes). It stands 17 feet tall (5.1 metres) and burns recycled wood chips with a moisture content of about 35%.

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