The Québec Manufacturing Fund L.P. Begins investing – An initiative of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec

The Québec Manufacturing Fund L.P. (QMF), a partnership sponsored by the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (“Caisse”), has made its first two investments. The mission of this $100 million Montréal-based private investment firm is to find profitable Québec manufacturing companies that present attractive business opportunities and have the potential to quickly make significant improvements to their operations.

The first transaction, involving Les Produits Fraco Ltd., will focus on optimizing production and speeding up growth, while the second, involving Triton Électronik Inc., will position the company as a Canadian leader among electronic contract design and manufacturing service providers thanks to the synergies generated by consolidating two competitors.

QMF combines the financial acumen of the Caisse as well as the skills of three seasoned managers with expertise in business development, operations management and financial management, which will be channelled to help Québec leaders execute their growth optimization projects.

“The creation of the fund, dedicated to helping competitive Québec manufacturers optimize their production and the growth of the industry as a whole, will not only meet our depositors’ return objectives but also generate solid economic spin-offs,” said Normand Provost, Executive Vice-President, Private Equity, at the Caisse. “The current context demands that manufacturers optimize their production through synergy and better resource utilization. And that’s precisely what the two QMF transactions aim to do.”

“The Caisse’s financial acumen rounds out the operations and sector expertise that we have built over the years through supply chain optimization, market development and financial management and that will be put to work for the manufacturers we back,” added Marc Dufresne, a partner of the Québec Manufacturing Fund L.P.

About the Québec Manufacturing Fund L.P.

The $100-million Québec Manufacturing Fund L.P., sponsored by the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, is an investment partnership that has a mandate to identify profitable Québec manufacturing companies that present attractive business opportunities and have the potential to quickly make significant improvements to their operations. The QMF combines the financial expertise of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec with the operational expertise of three experienced managers. The Fund assists entrepreneurs in Québec’s manufacturing sector with their projects by providing financing and expertise for business development, operations management and financial management.