Plessisville, Quebec – Acting on behalf of the Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Minister of Labour and Minister of Canada Economic Development, the Honourable Christian Paradis, Member of Parliament for Mégantic–L'Érable and Secretary of State for Agriculture, today announced that the firm Carbotech International will receive $310,950 in repayable funding to raise its productivity and develop its United States and European markets.

Carbotech International specializes in the design and manufacture of lumber handling and conveyor equipment for the sawmilling and planing industry. Already a leader in its field, the enterprise has also branched out into various related activities such as the custom manufacture of replacement parts and installation of machinery and equipment, as well as the provision of engineering consulting services.

The first part of the Carbotech International project centres on productivity enhancement through the acquisition of equipment that will help the firm reduce its costs and manufacturing turnaround times while improving the quality of its products. With the second part of the project, foreign market development, the company intends to take part in trade shows and develop promotional materials. These marketing tools will help support the efforts of Carbotech's sales team, whose members will thus be better equipped to adopt a more proactive approach on foreign markets.

“This contribution from Canada Economic Development has been awarded through the Business and Regional Growth program, which seeks to, among other things, help enterprises increase their capabilities to innovate, improve their performance and face the competition, all of which are critical to sustainable growth. Completion of this project will lead to the creation of some 20 jobs in the first year and ultimately generate a $3 million rise in export sales for the company,” stated Mr. Paradis.

“Through their diversity and dynamism, small and medium-sized enterprises contribute to the wealth of the Canadian economy and play a significant part in fostering the vitality of numerous Quebec communities. That is why the Government of Canada is committed to helping these businesses improve their productivity, a key factor in ensuring their success in the marketplace. This Carbotech International project is consistent on all fronts with one of the objectives laid out in the Advantage Canada strategic plan, namely to build a strong economy capable of ensuring all Canadians a better quality of life,” commented Minister Blackburn.

This financial support illustrates the Government of Canada's determination to set the kind of conditions in Canada that are conducive to the success of entrepreneurs and the expansion of the companies they head. To that end, the Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, announced in his February 26th budget that the manufacturing sector will benefit from an additional $1 billion in tax relief with the three-extension of the accelerated capital cost allowance for new investments in machinery and equipment.