{"id":16124,"date":"2026-07-02T20:08:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T20:08:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=16124"},"modified":"2026-07-02T20:08:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T20:08:52","slug":"ottawa-backs-a-quebec-steelmakers-52m-automation-bet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=16124","title":{"rendered":"Ottawa backs a Quebec steelmaker&#8217;s $52M automation bet"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 300px 160px; gap: 2px; width: 460px; background: #eee; padding: 2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u6574\u884c\u5bbd\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876674\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 90px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876676\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u5de6\u4fa7\u7ad6\u6392 -->\r\n  <div style=\"height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876672\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"height: 500px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876680\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u53f3\u4fa7\u6469\u5929\u697c\uff08\u548c\u5de6\u4fa7\u5b8c\u5168\u5bf9\u9f50\uff09 -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-row: 3\/5; height: 750px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876678\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  \r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e6\" data-zoneid=\"5876682\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-right:0;padding-left:0\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ADF Group has been automating steel fabrication for 15 years. Now Ottawa is writing a cheque to help it go further.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The federal government announced a $12.5 million investment today through the Strategic Response Fund in ADF Group Inc.\u2019s $52.3 million project to upgrade its fabrication plants in Terrebonne and M\u00e9tabetchouan, Que.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cCanada\u2019s steel industry is a cornerstone of our economic strength and a driver of our industrial future,\u201d says Minister of Industry M\u00e9lanie Joly. \u201cThis investment in ADF Group Inc. aligns with our government\u2019s plan to support Canadian workers, strengthen domestic manufacturing and build economic resilience.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Terrebonne facility is getting new equipment to fulfill a multi-year Hydro-Qu\u00e9bec power pylon contract. The M\u00e9tabetchouan plant, home to recently acquired subsidiary Groupe LAR, is being modernized for heavy steel structures in the hydroelectric sector. The government says the project will create at least 100 jobs and maintain more than 525.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What the press release doesn\u2019t mention is the technology foundation underneath. ADF has invested $30 million in robotization over 15 years and says it became a North American pioneer in automated steel fabrication.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Its Terrebonne plant has 10 production bays, one of them fully automated. The company says its robotic equipment is meant to increase productivity, use raw materials more efficiently, and expand production capacity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Its most recent quarterly earnings disclosed $9 million in capital expenditure that included an ERP software overhaul alongside the physical expansion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ADF\u2019s backlog is now 72% Canadian, a useful shift after the company said tariff uncertainty weighed on revenues in the comparable quarter last year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Groupe LAR acquisition, which closed in September 2025, brought an order book of $104.5 million and positioned ADF for Hydro-Qu\u00e9bec\u2019s Action Plan 2035, which calls for up to $185 billion in total energy infrastructure investment over the next decade.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn the current context of U.S. tariffs, it\u2019s more important than ever to strengthen our supply chain and support our manufacturers so that they remain among the best performing in North America,\u201d says Quebec Minister of Economy Bernard Drainville.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The federal money is flowing through the Strategic Response Fund, which backs automation, AI, and advanced technologies alongside traditional industrial capacity.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In May, the same fund put $76.2 million into Tenaris for a $305.9 million steel modernization at Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. In each case, the federal money followed private capital that was already committed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Across the broader economy, only 12% of Canadian businesses used AI in production between mid-2024 and mid-2025, while 27% of manufacturing workers are 55 or older, with 40,000 retirements expected annually through 2031.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The federal co-investment followed 15 years of robotics spending. ADF had the automated floor when the contracts came.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-final-shots\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final shots<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>ADF Group has invested $30 million in robotics over 15 years. The $52.3 million upgrade extends a technology foundation that was already in place, not a greenfield bet.<\/li>\n<li>The Strategic Response Fund backs automation, AI, and advanced technologies alongside physical industrial capacity. The Tenaris and ADF investments show the money is moving.<\/li>\n<li>Tariff uncertainty hurt ADF\u2019s comparable quarter last year. Its latest backlog, now 72% Canadian, shows why domestic capacity is becoming more than a political talking point.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- \u603b\u5bb9\u5668\uff1a\u6700\u5927\u5bbd908px Grid\u7d27\u51d1\u5e03\u5c40 -->\r\n<div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 728px 160px; gap:2px; width:908px; background:#eee; padding:2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u901a\u680f\u9876\u90e8\uff1a\u6700\u5927\u6a2a\u5e45 908x258 \u8de8\u6574\u884c -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column:1\/-1; height:258px; background:#ff6b6b; display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n    <!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114307\" data-width=\"908\" data-height=\"258\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114307});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u7b2c\u4e8c\u901a\u680f\uff1a728\u00d790 \u901a\u680f -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column:1\/-1; 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background:#ffe066; display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n\t<!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114299\" data-width=\"300\" data-height=\"250\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114299});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n    <div style=\"height:250px; background:#ff9ecd; display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n\t<!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114305\" data-width=\"250\" data-height=\"250\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114305});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n    <div style=\"height:139px; background:#c792ea; display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n\t<!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114302\" data-width=\"133\" data-height=\"139\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114302});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n    <div style=\"height:125px; background:#91e7ac; display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n\t\r\n<!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114303\" data-width=\"125\" data-height=\"125\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114303});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u53f3\u4fa7\u7ad6\u680f\uff1a160\u00d7600 \u6574\u5217\u9ad8\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-row:3\/8; height:600px;  display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n    <!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114301\" data-width=\"160\" data-height=\"600\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114301});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<br \/> Ottawa backs a Quebec steelmaker&#8217;s $52M automation bet<br \/>\n<br \/>#Ottawa #backs #Quebec #steelmakers #52M #automation #bet<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ADF Group has been automating steel fabrication for 15 years. Now Ottawa is writing a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16125,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[2505,13031,2917,1982,13646,13647,13648],"class_list":["post-16124","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-52m","tag-automation","tag-backs","tag-bet","tag-ottawa","tag-quebec","tag-steelmakers"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/fdaf47e65928ebea3efb465d4c111c692ae224b1-e1741982351725.jpg",768,518,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/fdaf47e65928ebea3efb465d4c111c692ae224b1-e1741982351725-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/fdaf47e65928ebea3efb465d4c111c692ae224b1-e1741982351725-300x202.jpg",300,202,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/fdaf47e65928ebea3efb465d4c111c692ae224b1-e1741982351725.jpg",640,432,false],"large":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/fdaf47e65928ebea3efb465d4c111c692ae224b1-e1741982351725.jpg",640,432,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/fdaf47e65928ebea3efb465d4c111c692ae224b1-e1741982351725.jpg",768,518,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/fdaf47e65928ebea3efb465d4c111c692ae224b1-e1741982351725.jpg",768,518,false],"covernews-slider-full":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/fdaf47e65928ebea3efb465d4c111c692ae224b1-e1741982351725.jpg",768,518,false],"covernews-slider-center":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/fdaf47e65928ebea3efb465d4c111c692ae224b1-e1741982351725-768x500.jpg",768,500,true],"covernews-featured":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/fdaf47e65928ebea3efb465d4c111c692ae224b1-e1741982351725.jpg",768,518,false],"covernews-medium":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/fdaf47e65928ebea3efb465d4c111c692ae224b1-e1741982351725-540x340.jpg",540,340,true],"covernews-medium-square":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/fdaf47e65928ebea3efb465d4c111c692ae224b1-e1741982351725-400x250.jpg",400,250,true]},"author_info":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?author=1"},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?cat=7\" rel=\"category\">Stories<\/a>","tag_info":"Stories","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16124"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16124\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16124"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}