20 December 2013

PRESS RELEASE – Office-furniture manufacturer Logiflex continues to invest in automation and computerization, with the Sherbrooke-based company investing close to $1M to acquire and install three new pieces of equipment and systems to improve its competitiveness.

In the fall, Logiflex installed an automated packaging line and invested in creating a panel production cell. It also implemented a computerized information system to collect floor-space data. These most recent investments come on top of those made by the company since embracing the shift to technological innovation in 2005, specifically an almost fully automated production line at the cost of $4.5M three years ago.

“Automation is key to competitiveness,” pointed out Logiflex president Yan Sinclair. “We are one of the most automated plants in North America’s office-furniture sector,” said Sinclair, “and we are continuing to focus our financial and technical efforts in this direction. Automation of our packaging department will yield substantial productivity gains for us. And the creation of the new production cell will enable us to increase our production capacity in anticipation of the US market’s recovery in 2014.”

Indeed, Logiflex already has contracts with American universities and recently furnished the administrative offices of the Cleveland Browns of the US National Football League (NFL).

At the same time, 2013 was a banner year with respect to product development for this Sherbrooke company celebrating its 20^th anniversary. Logiflex launched its collections of office furniture (Level), reception-area furniture (M-Brace), and modular seating (Sit). As of January 2014, it is also preparing to introduce a new family of reception-area furniture, Inbox, and in the spring, a revamped version of the Level line.

“We are also currently studying a major plant-expansion project that would enable us to reconfigure our made-to-measure manufacturing department,” added Sinclair.

According to Nathalie Prince, Director of Industrial Development with the Advanced Manufacturing sector at Sherbrooke Innopole, Logiflex has been a pioneer in the area of automation. It is primarily thanks to this culture of technological innovation and its concern for quality that the company is able to compete with competitors from emerging countries. “We are proud,” explained Prince, “to see Logiflex stand out in this way and thus contribute to the vitality of Sherbrooke’s economy.”

With over 300 distributors in Canada and the United States, Logiflex is positioned as a major player in the North American office-furniture industry. The company, which is located on St-Roch Road North, employs 225 people and is currently looking to fill various positions, particularly in industrial design, cabinetmaking, and administration.