Groupe Réfraco is a leader in manufacturing refractory parts and equipment, mainly for aluminium smelting, foundry, mining and other industries operating in aggressive and high-temperature environments. It is now looking to move into the automation market. Through its subsidiary Robexco, Groupe Réfraco has been working for several years on developing robotic technologies specialized in complex processes that will allow its customers to increase productivity and partially alleviate the problem of labour shortages. The company intends to play a key role in the transition of manufacturing companies to Industry 4.0, a necessary step in which Quebec lags globally.
Mélanie Larouche, Communication & Public Relations at Groupe Réfraco
As a major player in the refractory industry, Groupe Réfraco has built its reputation on the quality of the raw materials it uses, the know-how of its teams and the impeccably finished products it delivers to its customers. "Réfraco's expertise makes it the go-to supplier for lining industrial furnaces used in the production of aluminium, steel, cement, and pulp and paper. The company is involved wherever there is a heat and extreme condition," explains CEO Jean-Benoit Pineault. "On the manufacturing side, we make all types of parts. We engineer these parts, which are destined to go into industrial furnaces, and we manufacture them. And on the service side, we maintain this equipment 24 hours a day, seven days a week."
A family business
Groupe Réfraco has its origins in a masonry company founded in Chicoutimi in 1954 by Benoit Pineault, father of the current president, Alain Pineault, and grandfather of Jean-Benoit Pineault and his brother Carol, who serves as director of large-scale construction sites. "In the 1960s, my father was asked to participate in constructing anode baking furnaces through workforce participation," recalls Alain Pineault. "Then, in the 1980s, he was asked to take on the maintenance of these furnaces. The plant then gradually took on other contracts for small industrial furnaces. In 1995, realizing a gaping hole in the local refractory market, Alain Pineault and his brother Rémi decided to officially add this new line of business to the company's range of products and services, and it proliferated from there."
In 2012, Réfraco formed a company in the Sultanate of Oman to refurbish and maintain Sohar Aluminium's anode baking furnace. This contract lasted six years and employed about 50 local workers as well as some supervisors from Quebec. This Middle Eastern aluminium smelter approached Réfraco because of its good reputation.
Since 2014, Réfraco has undertaken the construction and refurbishment of its plants and satellites, as well as seeing the arrival of the next generation, including Jean-Benoit and his brother Carol. "Our aim at that point was to go further into refractories," notes Jean- Benoit Pineault. "We stopped doing architectural masonry in 2017. Even though it was what gave birth to this company, it is no longer our vocation. Still, the company has remained dedicated to industrial furnaces construction, repair and maintenance. Today, Groupe Réfraco has a great team, young and motivated. The next generation is getting ready to take over, with many ideas and energy, and to move in a strong and innovative direction."
The company now employs close to 250 people at its two plants in Chicoutimi and its satellites in Baie-Comeau and British Columbia. Human resources management is one of its priorities, and it spares no effort to ensure the well-being of its employees, both physically and mentally. Its reputation as a quality employer gives it substantial advantages when recruiting and retaining its valuable workforce.
Moving into automation
Réfraco's main markets are in Quebec, the northern United States and British Columbia. But the company is developing a new niche to compete in the global market. "Five years ago, we developed a robotic technology for automating various stages of production in aluminium smelters in response to the labour shortage," explains CEO Jean-Benoit Pineault. We plan to move from a refractory industrial company to a technology company specializing in the industrial sector. This is precisely where our next phase of innovation lies."
According to Pineault, not only does this new line of business represent a means of reducing the number of workers required to run the plant, but it also increases productivity and reduces the risk of injuries caused by repetitive movements. "We developed a technology platform for the installation of refractories. We started with anode baking furnaces and plan to move on to electrolysis tanks. Our goal is to automate wherever there is repetitive work in refractories. This technology is now part of our core competencies. Clients who hire us for our services can count on us to automate their facilities."
Birth of Robexco
In order to establish itself in this new market niche, Groupe Réfraco has created Robexco, with about 15 employee shareholders. "Robexco will devote half of its time to meeting Réfraco's needs to improve its installation methods through automation and the other half working with Quebec companies that need help with their complex processes," says Jean-Benoit Pineault. "Réfraco has made complex processes its speciality. We review the process to automate it from start to finish, including integration into the customer's ERP systems. We have vision specialists and mechanical and electrical engineers, and we have assembled a great team to propel Robexco forward. This new expertise offers great technological challenges. Quebec is behind in terms of automation. We want our companies, Réfraco and Robexco, to help all of Quebec by improving the level of automation in the manufacturing sector. We want to share and develop standards, and set up a test bench so that companies can come and do tests and proof of concepts. We want to become the reference for automating complex processes related to refractories."
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