Prinoth to expand North American operations

An artist rendering of the expanded Prinoth plant in Canada. (Illustration: Prinoth)

Prinoth has announced an investment of $25 million to expand its current factory in Granby, Quebec, Canada. To support the worldwide growth of its crawler carrier business as well as its snow grooming sector in North America, the company said it will increase its North American manufacturing facility from 120,000 sq. ft. to a total of 200,000 sq. ft.

The enlargement will consist of an increase in production capacities. The company said a variety of elements geared toward production modernization and a steadfast dedication to Industry 4.0 practices will be integral to the project. The investment is expected to secure current jobs as well as create new positions.

“Through fresh investments and the introduction of new employment opportunities, we are moving the Granby factory forward propelled by infrastructure growth in the U.S., the development of new markets and new industry specific vehicle developments as well as by having sustained reputable and reliable products that make a real difference in our customers’ day to day operations,’ said Granby Operations Vice President Stéphane Provencher

Left to right: Marc-Alain Guerin (HR manager), Kristof Gyorfi (director of Supply Chain), Patrick Hebert (Director of Engineering), Lyne Lazure (Administrative Services Director), Stephane Provencher (VP of Operations Prinoth Granby Canada), Klaus Tonhaeuser (President and CEO), Julie Bourdon (Mayor of Granby), JF Arsenault (Chamber of Commerce), and Patrick St-Laurent (Industrial Development). (Photo: Prinoth)

The company said its management team puts employee well-being at the forefront of its decision making, as exemplified by many features included in the factory expansion. “We’re always taking into consideration how these new spaces will be occupied by our employees,” said Provencher. “A few years back, we added air conditioning to our production spaces and we will carry on the AC distribution for our worker’s comfort. It makes a big difference for them when you do physical work like they do.”

The Granby plant is home to the Panther crawler carrier vehicle models, the Bison snow groomer and the SW50 snow removal machine. It has been part of the company’s global footprint for 28 years.

“Our Granby, Canada, plant team plays a vital role in supporting our company’s purpose statement,” said Provencher, “of enabling our customers to be successful through our sustainable technology that delivers perfect results in challenging conditions and as such, we are very happy to see this project come to fruition.”

The expansion has already begun, with the entire construction expected to be completed by November 2024.