Métal Duquet: Growth driven by women’s leadership and innovation
In Saint-Côme‒Linière, Métal Duquet has been processing stainless steel for nearly 40 years. Under the direction of Peggy Duquet, the family business continues to innovate, making a name for itself in the manufacture of tailored equipment for the food sector. Through its leadership and CED’s support, Métal Duquet is pursuing modernization and strengthening its competitiveness.
Summary
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Organization: Métal Duquet |
Métal Duquet.
Natural succession
“I painted the business’s first poster with my father at the age of six. I have the impression of always being here,” recounts Peggy Duquet. Founded in 1986, Métal Duquet has multiplied its projects and expansions to the point of becoming a reference in Canada in the manufacture of tailored stainless-steel kitchen and restaurant equipment.
Before becoming President in 2011, Peggy Duquet was involved in several aspects of the business, from tidying the factory and cleaning construction equipment to reception and purchasing. She then held key positions such as Estimator and then Estimation and Contracts Director, an experience that enabled her to understand the business from within and to gain the trust of her team.
Breaking into a manufacturing industry that is still very male-dominated has not been without its challenges.
“It has always been a question of gaining credibility. Often, clients would address my father, even when I was the one with the answers. Happily, he always let me speak. This made all the difference.” — Peggy Duquet
Today, Peggy Duquet ensures she remains accessible, works in close collaboration with her employees and fosters a growing role for women, who are present both on the floor and in key positions.
Major support from CED
With 11 expansions behind it, the business has always been able to invest to remain competitive. The most recent shift marks a key step in its transformation to Industry 4.0.
Through CED’s funding, two pieces of cutting-edge equipment have been acquired and installed: an automated folding centre and a fibre-optic laser cutter with automated loading and unloading. These technologies have changed how components are produced.
Training an operator on a conventional folding machine could take several years. With the new automation, four weeks is enough for an employee to become autonomous. The folding rhythm is more constant, more precise and less demanding physically. The laser cutter and its automated supply and output system provide increased efficiency, unparalleled precision and a significant gain in the time it takes to prepare components.
These investments have made it possible to modernize the production chain, increase productivity and diversify projects. “The funding is not just important; it is essential,” emphasizes Peggy Duquet. She also highlights CED’s guidance, which has enabled the business to make enlightened decisions and move forward with confidence.
Duquet.
Tangible impacts
Thanks to these modernizations, Métal Duquet can now respond more quickly to requests and complete a wider range of projects.
Its products attest to this: large dishwashing conveyors installed in facilities across the country, refrigerators designed from A to Z based on clients’ needs, high-end counters and bars delivered even to trendy restaurants, sometimes as far away as Los Angeles. Each accomplishment illustrates the team’s creativity and precision.
This vitality also benefits the community. Métal Duquet works with the region’s teaching institutions and, each year, welcomes a cohort of students. They come to visit the plant, attend demonstrations and discover trades such as welding, technical design and even project management. These experiences enable young people to better understand opportunities available in the manufacturing sector and to consider careers where manual labour and creativity are given the spotlight. For Peggy Duquet, it is essential to restore to their former glory categories of jobs too often forgotten, and to demonstrate they offer real possibilities for the future.
Staying grounded, aiming further
If Métal Duquet is contemplating new markets, it remains deeply attached to its community. “We want to sell everywhere, but from right here in the Beauce region,” states the President.
Next steps include new investments, the integration of greener technologies, and ongoing improvements to job quality. For Peggy Duquet, success is not measured only in terms of growth. It is also expressed through local impacts and the opportunity to encourage other women to follow in her footsteps.
“I hope that my journey will inspire other women to take their place in the business world. When you believe in what you are doing, anything is possible.”