Mapei Canada, renowned manufacturer of products for the construction industry in Canada since 1978 as part of Mapei Group, hosted an inauguration event yesterday evening to mark the official opening of a new powders production and warehouse expansion at its flagship facility in Laval, Quebec.

"Now that the powders and admixtures lines are operational, MAPEI Laval is among the biggest and most technologically advanced plants in MAPEI’s North American network.," Mapei Canada general manager Marco Roma said. “The new facility allows us meet Northeastern Canada’s growing need for construction materials, admixtures for concrete, plus cement grinding aids,” he added.

“By enhancing our ability to shift production accordingly for more localization between our plants in Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia, we can reduce our carbon footprint with quicker deliveries and shorter distances for transport of supplies to construction sites, impacting all regions of the country,” Roma said.

Maximizing the use of locally sourced materials is part of the Mapei pillar for improving sustainability in construction. It is part of the philosophy that has allowed Mapei to help build and renovate some of Canada's most notable buildings and infrastructure, stretching from the Minoru Aquatic Centre in Richmond, BC, to Toronto, Ontario’s Union Station, to the Avenir Centre in Moncton, New Brunswick, among many.

“Our presence in Canada grew out of an opportunity related to the 1976 Montreal Olympics,”  Veronica and Marco Squinzi, CEOs of Mapei Group said. “We were called upon to supply products for the installation of the Olympic athletic tracks. Our impact in the country was so positive that in 1978 we decided to invest and open, right here in Laval, as our first plant outside Italy, starting the internationalization strategy that still characterizes the company today. In the last half decade, we have decided to diversify markets by adding product lines that were not previously in our Canadian portfolio such as additives and industrial flooring, but which were already well developed and rigorously tested by Mapei in Europe, hence the decision to undertake an expansion project.”

The new powder line will produce 30,000 tons per year per shift. The new admixtures line will produce 7,000 tons per year per shift. The expanded warehousing space can now accommodate more efficient distribution of all this product. Overall, an additional 50,750 square feet (4 715 m²) complement the previous 128,000-sq. ft. (11 892 m²) that already house polymers plant, R&D Center for Excellence in Concrete Construction, and Canadian head office, also located at the site.