Thetford Mines, Quebec – The Secretary of State (Agriculture) and Member for Mégantic−L’Érable in the House of Commons, the Honourable Christian Paradis, today announced on behalf of the Minister of Labour and Minister of Canada Economic Development, the Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn, that the Centre de technologie minérale et de plasturgie (CTMP) has received a non-repayable contribution of $170,000.

This funding has been granted so that the CTMP can continue to support the SMEs of Chaudière-Appalaches in developing resinous mixtures (wood plastics and various polymer composites) and industrial processes derived from the micronization of minerals (reduction of particle sizes to a millionth of a metre).

Canada Economic Development is supporting the CTMP’s project because it meets the region’s innovation needs in every respect and is designed to help SMEs become more competitive.

“In making this coaching service available to SMEs, we are ensuring that the CTMP is able to more effectively transfer its know-how to businesses. Access to the appropriate expertise is considered a key factor in enabling the region’s SMEs to build their technological capacity. Furthermore, this project fosters the competitiveness of the manufacturing companies of Chaudière-Appalaches, since the one-time technical assistance they receive helps them improve their strategic capabilities,” said Mr. Paradis.

A member of the Réseau des centres collégiaux de transfert technologique du Québec, the provincial network of college technology transfer centres, the CTMP counts among its achievements an evaluation of the potential for using quarry minerals in various products. The Centre has also done research to define new applications for this rock, other than road building and manufacture of concrete and asphalt. It has in fact determined that it could be used in agriculture (food supplements and limestone), construction (asphalt shingles) and plastics processes (filler and reinforcement). The CTMP has also refined new techniques for developing wood-plastics materials from wood residues and recycled plastics to improve their manufacturing process.

The composite materials and plastics processes sector is a promising niche for Chaudière-Appalaches, as are metal processing, agri-food and secondary wood processing. It is in these niches that Economic Development Canada has decided to focus its development initiatives in this region.