Soucy Techno expands facility, develops Soucyprene

CLEVELAND—Soucy Techno Inc. invested about $35.3 million into an expansion of its facility to increase its custom mixing abilities and patented a new compound.

The expansion includes adding 80,000 square feet across two floors, bringing the Sherbrooke, Quebec, facility's total up to 180,000 square feet, Mary-Ann McCarron, sales and product development manager, said at the recent International Elastomer Conference in Cleveland.

The expanded area contains a temperature-controlled area for raw materials. It also includes a 270L internal mixer, giving Soucy three mixers to work with, she said. The company has a second 270L internal mixer and an 11D mixer.

Within the last year, Soucy has hired about 60 new employees, related to the expansion and growing business, McCarron said. About 10-12 of those hires were connected directly to the new development, adding a third shift. Of those 60 new hires, most came from the Elastomer Valley's training program. Soucy Techno has been a member of the Elastomer Valley group of rubber companies in Quebec that works together on development programs since its formation.

Soucy currently has about 200 employees, including a research and development department staffed with 12 chemists, McCarron said.

The firm patented a new rubber compound called Soucyprene, which incorporates Kevlar aramid fibers and nanotube technology to strengthen the compound. The material, which completed its development four years ago, came about in response to military requirements for continuous track pads.

"Originally, we could only support a vehicle of up to 20 tons," she said. "But through the design and through Soucyprene development, we were able to support a 40-ton vehicle."

The product was introduced into non-military markets about two years ago, she said. Soucy has introduced Soucyprene into its mining industry applications, including increasing the durability of surrounding inserts for chutes.

"It's for very aggressive applications," McCarron said.

The company is producing more Soucyprene now than it was two years ago when it was released to the commercial markets. The product is part of a continued growth for Soucy, which usually does mostly custom mixing, and more new offerings could be on the way, she said.

"It's a big step," McCarron said. "Part of who we are is branding more of our own products, even within other companies, so it's important. You should be looking for more things like Soucyprene with that investment."

The company has seen growth during the last year, with gains in the hose industry and in calendering, among the company's 13 divisions, she said, with much of the company's growth coming from the U.S.

About 15 percent of what Soucy Techno does is for other Soucy businesses, including Soucy International, Soucy Plastiques Inc. and Soucy Baron Inc. The rest goes to the outside market, she said, with the biggest markets being mining or energy, hose and military.

Soucy's next expansion would be internationally into the U.S. for its custom mixing efforts, McCarron said. The company is examining a facility stateside, and currently has a warehouse in New York.