ABB to invest $130M in new Montreal manufacturing and R&D facility

On Aug. 5, ABB announced plans to invest more than $130 million to expand the research and development (R&D) and production capacity of its advanced power protection and grid resilience technologies in Canada. According to the company, the investment will consolidate its Iberville and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu facilities into a new greenfield site in Montreal’s South Shore region. The new 340,000 sq. ft. manufacturing and R&D facility is expected to be more than 33 per cent larger than the two locations it replaces and will incorporate advanced production automation and digital technologies. ABB said the move will bring together more than 600 employees across manufacturing, engineering, R&D, testing and support functions. Additional jobs may be created as new product lines are introduced. The project has received $16 million in funding from Investissement Québec. In a press statement, ABB noted that the new facility will feature energy-efficient electrical and heating systems designed to reduce carbon emissions by over 95 per cent compared to the current operations. The company also reported that more than 80 per cent of its installation products sold in Canada are manufactured or assembled domestically, using 70 per cent locally sourced materials, including Canadian steel and aluminum.