A gaspesian success
… with international outreach
Over the last 10 years, Fabrication Delta has grown dramatically. Competitive on the world stage, it gives us great pride to deliver throughout the world and to be an economic, job-creating force in our region, the Gaspé Peninsula.
Our entreprise
Mission: Manufacture wind turbine towers and innovative heavy steel structures of the highest quality and in all sizes, notably for the wind energy, mining, pulp and paper, and construction sectors, optimise existing structures, and deliver throughout the world thanks to our strategic location.
Vision: Diversify our activities by manufacturing wind turbine towers and heavy steel structures that represent manufacturing challenges and become an essential player in this field on the world stage.
Our team
At Fabrication Delta, innovation is propelled by the expertise and ingenuity of the team. Visionaries, the firm’s managers are very ambitious. They know how to meet the formidable challenges manufacturing represents, supported by a team of professionals who take to heart the success of their clients’ projects.
Every employee takes care to accomplish quality work that meets established manufacturing standards. In addition, with an eye to on-going improvement, they each undergo professional development training to remain abreast of the best manufacturing techniques and the latest quality standards.
Our history
Founded in 1986 in an old forge building in Saint-Siméon (Gaspé Peninsula, Québec, Canada) by François and Alain Arsenault, Fabrication Delta first focussed on repairing farm, sawmill and logging equipment. In 1987, Jules and Gilles Arsenault became minority shareholders in the enterprise, as did Ghislain Barriault in 1988. In 1989, Fabrication Delta moved to a location near Highway 132 and Shop 1 (about 30 m X 15 m) was built.
Beginning in the 1990s, Fabrication Delta repaired, designed and manufactured parts and systems for three major plants in the region: Gaspésia in Chandler, Mines Noranda in Murdochville and Smurfit-Stone in New Richmond. During this period, the company expanded its facilities, adding new shops, administrative offices and a warehouse for parts and tools. It also acquired specialised equipment (boring machine, CNC cutting table, DAVI plate roll. etc.).
Wind energy: Driving major expansion
In the early 2000s, the ACCORD project, a regional economic development policy introduced by the government, designated the wind energy system as a niche of excellence for the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine administrative region and the MRC de Matane. In the wake of the closure of the three major plants mentioned above between 1999 and 2005, Fabrication Delta turned to the wind energy field where it positioned itself as a leader. Moreover, one of its founders, François Arsenault, shared his expertise with the government of Québec in 2000-2002 when Hydro-Québec was preparing its first request for proposals for wind energy production, which incorporated regional content criteria.
The leading manufacturer of wind turbine towers in Québec, Fabrication Delta has erected towers throughout the North American continent from 2002 to today. In 2008, the Gaspesian enterprise even became the first in America to manufacture towers up to 100 m in height for horizontal-axis wind turbines.
International expansion
Since 2004, Fabrication Delta has grown exponentially, doubling its sales from year to year. In 2009, after expanding its Saint-Siméon plant six times, the enterprise leased the former Smurfit-Stone paperboard plant in New Richmond to fulfil a major contract with Enercon. The railroad, which travels directly through the plant, opens the door to the entire continent while the wharf, adjacent to the company’s premises, offers the opportunity to export around the world from Chaleur Bay on the Atlantic Ocean. The proximity of this major maritime shipping route also makes it possible to import specialised parts, from Europe for example.
Think big and wide
Banking on the vast size of the plant it occupies and on its strategic geographic location, an advantage for imports and exports both, Fabrication Delta acquired the former paperboard plant building in 2013 and chose to concentrate its activities in New Richmond. Continuing its growth, Fabrication Delta acquired new equipment in 2014 to increase its production capability. These notably include the addition of a second sandblasting room and a second paint shop. The plant also underwent some general upgrading work.
Fabrication Delta’s projects for the future include capitalising on its location near a major marine shipping route to manufacture oversized wind turbine structures – which cannot be shipped by land – for offshore installation; these offshore wind farms will provide power to large coastal cities.