Partners
Arbec Forest Products Inc. is one of the leading players in the Quebec forestry industry. The company specializes in the production of Oriented Strand Board (OSB) panels and lumber. Its headquarters are located in Saint-Léonard, and it operates two sawmills in Port-Cartier and L'Ascension in Lac-Saint-Jean, as well as two OSB panel mills in Shawinigan, Quebec, and Miramichi in the province of New Brunswick. Arbec's OSB panels are used for wall and roof sheathing and non-structural projects (utility panels).
The CIFQ is a non-profit organization with over 85 regular members, including 76 from the sawmill sector (120 mills) and nine from the pulp, paper, cardboard, and wood-based panel sectors (30 mills). The organization also includes over 157 associate members who supply various services. It serves as the primary spokesperson for the Quebec forest industry, specifically representing the interests of softwood and hardwood sawmills, peeling mills, pulp and paper, cardboard, panel manufacturers, and engineered wood products and goods and services companies. CIFQ has been mandated by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry to administer the "Panel Innovation Platform" program, providing the Research Consortium with one million dollars in funding.
SACOPAN, located in Sacré-Cœur in the Haute-Côte-Nord region, manufactures embossed door panels and provides permanent employment to approximately 100 workers. With an annual production of around 10 million panels, SACOPAN has primarily developed its market in North America, serving manufacturers of embossed interior doors. Unique in Canada, this company benefits from an industrial environment that grants access to high-quality raw materials (black spruce wood residues) for producing molded wood fiber panels. The factory is integrated into an industrial complex that includes Boisaco Inc. sawmill, with a significant portion of sawmill by-products (wood chips) directly supplied to the SACOPAN panel factory, eliminating significant delays associated with transporting and storing raw materials.
Tafisa Canada is an organization employing over 375 people, with its headquarters located in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec. A globally-renowned company specializing in manufacturing raw particleboard and thermofused melamine panels for furniture and interior decoration. Tafisa Canada has invested significant efforts in developing an eco-responsible supply chain by implementing a technology called RewoodMC, which allows for the recycling of 244,000 tonnes of post-consumer wood fibers annually and the substitution of some virgin wood fibers with recycled wood fibers in the production of its panels. Post-consumer recycled wood materials account for 30% of Tafisa's supply sources.
Founded in 1982, Uniboard® is a leader in reconstituted wood production in North America. As an innovative organization, Uniboard redefines wood with decorative composite wood panels (TFL) and boasts one of North America's most comprehensive portfolios of engineered wood products, ranging from deep and synchronized finishes to ultra-light MDF. Their factories in Val-d'Or, Sayabec, Mont-Laurier, and Laval employ over 850 people.
FPInnovations is a non-profit research and development organization specializing in creating solutions that accelerate the growth of the Canadian forestry sector and related industries to enhance their international competitiveness.
The organization is ideally positioned to conduct cutting-edge research, design advanced technologies, and provide innovative solutions to complex problems at every stage of the industry's value chain, from forestry operations to industrial and consumer products. Its research and development laboratories are located in Quebec, Montreal, and Vancouver, while its technology transfer centers are spread throughout Canada
Forests are ubiquitous in Quebec, covering over 900,000 km2 and accounting for nearly half of the province's territory. Of these, 92% are publicly owned and thus managed by the government. Corepan-Bois has received significant financial support from the Panel Innovation Platform (PIP), which stems from a Quebec government financial assistance program. The Quebec Forest Industry Council acts as an intermediary for the management of funds allocated by PIP for the execution of studies and research and development projects in the wood composite panel sector.
As Canada's primary organization for supporting excellence in discovery and innovation, NSERC backs visionary, interested, and innovative minds striving to achieve scientific and technological breakthroughs for the benefit of our nation. It collaborates with universities, colleges, businesses, government agencies, and non-profit organizations to remove barriers, create opportunities, and attract new research talent, enabling Canada's scientific community to excel. Driven by a commitment to push boundaries and limits, NSERC empowers Canadian researchers and engineers to venture off the beaten path.
