ALMACO chose Quebec for its expansion

Shipbuilding renovation in the region continues with the arrival of the world leader Quebec, who will soon set up his first subsidiary in Canada.

Group Almaco, which specializes in full turnkey solutions for shipbuilding, has chosen Quebec City to expand its operations.

As a supplier, ALMACO builds and modernizes the interior of all ships for passengers and sailors, such as cabins, superstructures, public spaces or galleys.

In particular, the company provides comprehensive support for shipyards.

Currently, the work is mainly concentrated in Europe, but with the recent investment of the Canadian government the situation may change slightly.

“The choice of Quebec is very simple. We have past experience with Davy and Canadian shipyards, and considering the number of ships we will build, the next ten or twenty years will be busy,” said Joseph Kerbel, Business Development Manager, ALMACO Canada Group.

The big challenge

However, the leader was well aware of the acute labor shortage affecting the entire territory of Quebec.

According to Statistics Canada, employment in Quebec fell in April, but the unemployment rate also fell slightly to 3.9%.

The unemployment rate in Quebec fell from 4.1% in March to 3.9% in April, the lowest rate ever recorded in the province.

This number is even lower in the Quebec region, but the company is not unnecessarily worried.

“We have no problem finding specialized workers, even if they are not in sufficient numbers. This is the challenge we will face in the next two years,” Mr Kerbel added.

Important projects

Founded in 1998, Almaco has operated more than 300 projects on more than 40 sites.

The group has offices in Brazil, China, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Singapore and the United States.

By settling in Canada, ALMACO seeks to bring its knowledge to that region and country, strengthening its existing partnerships.

“Canada is one of the most promising markets for shipbuilding,” said Wilhelm Roberts, executive chairman and principal shareholder of Almaco Group.

In 2020, Quebec won a total of more than $ 793 million in contracts under the Canada National Shipbuilding Strategy (SNCN).

The long-term project aims to restore the Federal Fleet of Combat and Non Combat ships.

The establishment in Quebec of its Canadian subsidiary will eventually allow ALMACO to call in local experts, suppliers and subcontractors.

“We’ll be here for a long time,” Mr. Kerbel hopes.

Almaco Group

• The goal is to get 5 to 10 contracts for his Quebec team.
• The value of these deals could be between $ 50 million and $ 100 million each.
• The company expects to hire 100 to 300 local workers per contract.
• In Lewis, Chantier Davy is one of the sites that can call ALMACO services.