Duravit Chooses Matane for First American Factory, Investing $90 Million and Creating 240 Jobs

INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT

This factory will be the first in the world in the field of sanitary ceramics to be eco-responsible. The Matane plant will be Duravit’s first to use an electric tunnel kiln to fire the ceramic needed to manufacture bathroom fittings. This method reduces annual CO2 production by 9,000 tonnes compared to a conventional natural gas furnace. The proximity of the port of Matane will also save 2,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year for deliveries.

Duravit visited three potential locations in Canada with the aim of settling on the other side of the Atlantic and it was in Matane that the company decided to build its 376,000 square foot factory. “Between the three, Matane really stood out. There are success factors here, like the electrical power, the people involved in the project, and the logistics of the production. The nearby port is also an important factor,” said Duravit Canada President Thomas Stammel.

Of the $90 million committed in this announcement, $11 million comes from Investissement Québec International and $19 million from Canada Economic Development. The city of Matane offered Duravit a five-year tax holiday, ie three years at 100% and two years at 50%. The federal Minister of Sports and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development, Pascale St-Onge, mentioned that by supporting Duravit, the government is helping a company to make the leap towards technologies of the future and to make winning choices for our planet. . For his part, the president of Investissement Québec International Hubert Bolduc indicated that he and his team have been working on the file for years and that this is the start of a business relationship that will generate major economic benefits for the all of Quebec.

The arrival of the company, which had a turnover of more than $900 million in 2021 in our region, was a team effort carried out by the governments of Quebec and Canada, the city of Matane and Développement Économique Matanie. . “We have drawn up a prospectus where we describe the advantages of our region and we work with people all over the planet to say who we are and what we can do to attract them to us. We canvassed and we were proactive. Today, it is the fruit of six years of work in partnership with Investissement Québec International,” indicated the general manager of Développement Économique Matanie, Jean Langelier.