Cooper Standard, a leading global supplier of systems and components for the automotive industry, opened its 138,000-square foot Canada Industrial Specialty Group facility in Sherbrooke, Quebec. The facility will serve as a dedicated site for ISG manufacturing and warehousing.

According to company officials, the company consolidated three existing ISG facilities and approximately 250 employees to maximize service, quality and cost efficiencies for Cooper Standard's ISG customers.

As part of the $10 million investment, the Company is expanding its ISG product offering with: added expertise in the extrusion of EPDM rubber sealing products for the non-automotive industrial, commercial and specialty vehicle markets; a new enterprise resource planning system; and employee skill enhancement programs.

"Thanks to the province of Quebec and assistance of several local agencies, Cooper Standard is pleased to strengthen our presence in the Sherbrooke area with the opening of our Industrial Specialty Group's new dedicated sealing facility," said Bill Pumphrey, Senior Vice President & President, North America, Cooper Standard.

"While Cooper Standard is traditionally known for our automotive capabilities, we see significant opportunities in the non-automotive sectors and our new Sherbrooke facility will play a vital role in this growth,” he added.

Sherbrooke Innopole worked closely with the Cooper Standard team for the two years required to complete the project.

"We are sincerely enthusiastic about Cooper Standard settling in the Regional Industrial Park of Sherbrooke," stated Josée Fortin, General Director, Sherbrooke Innopole. "This way, the organization consolidates its position as one of the main industrial employers in the Estrie region. Cooper Standard had many options, and together, we determined the most profitable one, as much for the Company as for the region."

The city of Sherbrooke is also pleased to see that a Company of such scale has chosen to grow within the Regional Industrial Park of Sherbrooke.

"This project not only generates significant economic spinoffs and creates and maintains hundreds of jobs, but it also ensures the sustainability of the Company in Sherbrooke," explained Robert Pouliot, Deputy Mayor of the city of Sherbrooke. "This tangible outcome demonstrates that the initiatives of the past years, such as the extensions of De Portland Boulevard and Robert-Boyd Street, the new industrial land price policy and the property tax credit program, are successful."