Quebec honors its own at FEPAC awards

The spotlight shone on some of the best and brightest of La Belle Province’s plastics industry at the annual Federation of Plastics and Alliance Composites (FEPAC) Honoris Innova award presentation on October 22 in Boucherville, Que.

Over a dozen Quebecois people and companies were honored for a variety of plastics manufacturing categories. The “Innovative Business Model” was doled out to injection molder Deflex Composite Inc., of Saint Victor. The company recently completed FEPAC’s IMAC Plastics-Composites initiative, aimed at helping small-and medium-sized enterprises transition to enhanced performance and sustained growth, and used what they learned to design and develop a new plastic composite spa bath.

Flexible packaging and lamination film extruder Balcan Plastics, of Saint Leonard, was selected for the “Innovation and Commercialization” award, in recognition of the company’s new 100 per cent recyclable garment film product, designed for the dry cleaning industry.

Taking home the “Product Innovation” award was Boisbriand-based extruder Plastibec, for its new R2i ready-to-install interior fauxwood millwork and exterior vinyl deck cover solution line of products.

The “Innovative Procedure” award was claimed by East Farnam-based rotational molder Rotoplast, which recently began manufacturing a new high chair for babies, made from 100 per cent recycled polymer.

Four companies basked in the glow of the “Sustainable Development” award: extruder Groupe Royal Inc./Thermoplast, of Laval, won for its ECO line of PVC window products line, described as a complete extruded window system that combines sustainability, high energy performance, high condensation resistance, high structural and water resistance, and recyclability; Premier Tech Aqua, of Riviere-du-Loup, won for its Ecoflo polyurethane septic system, which is designed to be lightweight for easy installation, and guaranteed to hold up under ground for 20 years; mat manufacturer Mat Tech, of Granby, was recognized for its patio and other outdoor carpets made from 100 per cent recycled polymer fibres; and Terrebonne-based Interplast Packaging was selected for a new 100 per cent recyclable PET egg carton.

The individual of the hour was Gunther Weiss, president of Candiac-based precision injection molder Precimold Inc.; the founder of the 45-year-old company was presented with the “Lifetime Achievement” award.   

In addition, a handful of Quebec companies were noticed in FEPAC’s “Tribute to Recyclers”: Cascades Inc., of Kingsey Falls; Enviroplast Inc., of Anjou; Plastrec Inc., of Joliette; Recyc RPM, of Saint-Damien; and Groupe RCM Inc., of Yamachiche.