24 August 2021

PRESS RELEASE – Portes Mackie Inc., a major manufacturer of garage doors and hardware in Sherbrooke, announced construction of a new plant in the Sherbrooke Regional Industrial Park, an $8 million expansion and modernization project.  

The project will be carried out on Joseph-Louis-Mathieu Street, where a new 7432 m² (80 000 ft²) building will be erected in spring 2022 on property acquired by the Groupe L & F. Portes Mackie will occupy 4645 m² (50 000 ft²); in particular, the company will develop five production lines with high-performance, adapted, and safe computerized equipment for production employees at a cost of $2M. The additional space will be available for rent to other industrial companies.

The new Portes Mackie plant will be nearly double the size of the current one on Léger Street, thanks to the mezzanines in the 25-foot-high building. The residential, commercial, and industrial garage door manufacturer plans to recover heat emitted by the neighbouring high-purity ethanol production plant, 96 Plus, to fully supply its heating needs.

Established in Sherbrooke since 1960, Portes Mackie currently employs 35 employees and plans to create a dozen additional jobs with the new plant, including positions for welders and day workers.

Daniel Lambert, President and Executive Manager of Portes Mackie, is proud to see the company continue to grow in the city of its founding: “With this major modernization project, Portes Mackie is reiterating its firm commitment to remain a leader in designing and manufacturing high-quality garage doors and hardware systems, using its state-of-the-art equipment and team of experts.”

Portes Mackie products are distributed throughout Québec via its network of distributors. The company also offers garage door installation and repair services.

In its land acquisition processes, Groupe L & F was able to count on support from the Ville de Sherbrooke and its paramunicipal economic development organization serving the industrial and technological sectors, Sherbrooke Innopole.

“We are pleased to see that the pandemic has not slowed the growth of several Sherbrooke manufacturing companies, including Portes Mackie. Improving productivity, through automation among other approaches, still remains a challenge, despite the ongoing pandemic. The project is also in line with the times with a circular economy component that will heat the company using heat recovered from the neighbouring factory; well done!” commented Nathalie Prince, Director of Business Services, Advanced Manufacturing at Sherbooke Innopole.

Sherbrooke Innopole is mainly financed by the City of Sherbrooke through the Bureau de coordination du développement économique (economic development coordination office).

For information on the rental spaces available, contact Raphaël Francoeur at Groupe L & F: 819-560-1414.

Sources: Portes Mackie and Sherbrooke Innopole