Manac manufactures and sells semi-trailers in North America. Their products include dump trailers, lowbeds, grain hoppers, chip and logging trailers, and heavy-duty chassis. Their goal is to produce top-quality trailers that are designed for their customer’s specific needs, and they have five manufacturing plants in Canada and one in the United States.
The company is headquartered in Saint-Georges, Quebec and employs about 700 people. Its shareholders include the Caisse de depot et placement du Québec, Fonds de solidarite FTQ, and Investissement Quebec.
In addition to its trucking-focused business, Manac is also pursuing a variety of research and development projects in the fields of functional materials, electronic materials, and pharmaceuticals. Among these, it is engaged in the development and applications research of high-performance polyimides for next-generation electronic parts. It is also involved in the development of raw materials for photoconductor drums of copiers and printers, as well as for information recording materials.
Currently, the Company has a market capitalization of approximately $430 million and its shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX). As one of the largest manufacturers of custom-built trailers in Canada, Manac is expected to experience rapid growth.
With the acquisition of the GDLP Trailer division in 1997,manac trailers has become the seventh largest semi-trailer manufacturer in North America. This move allows it to benefit from the economies of scale that come with larger production capacities.
At the same time, Manac is aiming to expand its product range and improve its competitive position in the industry through the adoption of new technologies such as additive manufacturing. It also aims to increase its share of the light duty truck market by introducing more efficient vehicles.
For this reason, Manac is deploying Tervene to improve its daily management practices by strengthening communication and collaboration among frontline teams. It is also helping to facilitate shift handovers between day, evening, and weekend teams.
The tool enables coordinators to create meeting agendas and keep traces of problems and corrective actions, which helps to streamline escalation from the team to supervisors or to other departments. Moreover, the tool is used to structure standard management practices such as Gemba Walks and daily huddles with the team.
In addition, the connected manager platform empowers the entire company with stronger daily control, communication, collaboration, problem-solving, and improvement processes. This enables the company to reach operational excellence in a timely manner.
Besides the digital tool, the Company also offers a range of other services to its employees, including an employee assistance program, training, and Merit programs for those who find ways to make work better.
The Company’s culture is characterized by a sense of responsibility and respect for each other. This is reflected in the number of social activities that are organized by the Company, such as skating, dragon boat racing, family days, and Christmas parties with the Manac Band.
The Company’s executive team is led by Julie Demers, Vice President of Legal Affairs and Corporate Secretary. She joined the Company in June 2014, a few months after it completed its initial public offering on the TSX. She is a member of the Management Committee and acts as corporate secretary and general counsel for Manac and its subsidiaries.