SNC-Lavalin helping Medicom with N95 mask manufacturing

PHOTO: SNC Lavalin, (autre nom connu: Tour Place Felix Martin), 455, boulevard René-levesque Ouest / 2 Place Félix Martin, Montréal

MONTREAL — SNC-Lavalin has been selected by personal protection equipment (PPE) manufacturer AMD Medicom Inc. to support the establishment of Medicom’s first Canadian mask manufacturing facility that will produce N95 and surgical masks.

The governments of Canada and Quebec have named Medicom as their choice to secure wide-scale Canadian production of masks, starting in July.

Medicom’s new 60,000-square-foot facility will be located in Montreal and the masks produced will be primarily used to supply the Canadian market.

Medicom is headquartered in Montreal, and has medical-grade PPE production facilities around the world in Asia, Europe and the United States.

SNC-Lavalin’s Industrial Solutions team provides engineering services in project management; structural, mechanical and electrical engineering; process and automation; as well as in fire protection. To house the brand new production lines, an existing building has been identified and is being retrofitted to host multiple new machines with an overall capacity of millions of N95 and surgical masks per month. New conveyors, a ventilation system, a compressor, a packaging system and a central palletizer will also be installed.

One of the challenges is the tight timeline, and the preparation of the existing site to properly host multiple new mask manufacturing lines. The SNC-Lavalin Industrial Solutions team will be helping Medicom expedite the installation of the new equipment for early market supply and long-term operational productivity.

“Before the COVID-19 pandemic, our clients from the pharmaceutical, biotechnological, medical device and protection equipment industries never had such challenges. They are required to adapt quickly to the public health emergency needs, which aim to save lives and win against the pandemic,” said Normand Dubuc, vice-president, general manager, Industrial Solutions at SNC-Lavalin, in a prepared statement. “Our specialized resources in the manufacturing sector, and more specifically in the pharmaceutical and agri-food sectors, can be mobilized rapidly with flexibility, agility and precision, in order to meet the quick turnaround and demanding implementation requirements.”

“We are happy to have reached an agreement to be a long-term supplier for N95-type and surgical face masks along with investment in local production,” said Guillaume Laverdure, Medicom president and global chief operating officer. “Diversified supply has been a long-term strategy for us at Medicom and we are happy to be adding a Canadian facility to help supply products that will help protect Canadian healthcare professionals and patients.”