Cercle canadien : Panel sur l'économie et le manufacturier

Manufacturing Competitiveness: The Risk of Standing Still

Quebec’s manufacturing sector is at a turning point. Amid trade uncertainty, mounting pressure to improve productivity and rapid technological advances, businesses face critical decisions about their future. Artificial intelligence, automation and innovation are opening up new opportunities to transform manufacturing operations, strengthen the resilience of value chains and remain competitive. 

But how can businesses turn technological potential into tangible results? Which investments should take priority? How far can AI transform operations on the factory floor? And, above all, what risks do companies face when they delay their transformation? 

To explore these challenges, the Canadian Club of Montreal will bring together two business leaders with complementary perspectives: Richard Voyer, Vice-President and General Manager of SOPREMA, an international industrial group specializing in building waterproofing, insulation and soundproofing solutions, and Étienne Lacroix, Founder and CEO of Vention, a Montreal-based company developing industrial automation and intelligent robotics technologies. 

The discussion will be introduced and moderated by Mia Homsy, Vice-President, Strategy and Workforce at Investissement Québec, who will provide an overview of the economic and technological challenges facing Quebec’s manufacturing sector. 

Bringing together industrial experience, technological innovation and economic analysis, the conversation will explore the drivers of productivity, the integration of artificial intelligence on the factory floor, the resilience of value chains, and the responsibilities that come with investment and transformation decisions. 

A timely discussion on the choices businesses must make today to ensure their competitiveness and long-term sustainability tomorrow. 

 

 

Please note that the panel will be in French.

 

 

Biographies

 

Mia Homsy

Mia Homsy is Vice President, Strategies and Workforce at Investissement Québec, where she leads corporate strategy and economic intelligence and helps businesses navigate workforce challenges, including the attraction and integration of international talent.

 

Etienne Lacroix

Etienne Lacroix is a business leader and entrepreneur with deep experience in building and turning around industrial and technology-driven companies. He is the founder and CEO of Vention.
Before founding Vention in 2016, Etienne spent five years at McKinsey & Company as an associate partner, leading strategic and operational programs for industrial and high-tech clients. Prior to that, he held various roles in product management and supply chain operations at General Electric as part of the Technical Leadership Program.
Etienne holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS).
 

Richard Voyer

Holder of a PhD in Chemistry and an MBA, Richard Voyer joined SOPREMA—a company that specializes in the production of waterproofing, insulation, vegetated and soundproofing solutions for the construction industry—in 1995 as Director of Research and Development, North America. Richard became General Manager of SOPREMA Canada in 2001 and Executive Vice-President and CEO, North America, in 2011. 

He is responsible for the development of SOPREMA’s markets in Canada, China, Southeast Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and Mexico. Through his vision and leadership, Richard has led SOPREMA to tremendous success by inaugurating several new factories, acquiring multiple companies; an exceptional annual growth, with results exceeding one billion dollars in revenue. He is actively engaged in the shift towards more sustainable and resilient solutions for buildings. Indeed, he wants to influence the construction industry to build in a more environmentally friendly manner, particularly by improving the construction code. 

Richard Voyer has a great passion for life and does not adhere to routines or habits. He turns every moment into an opportunity to do something or learn something. He is known for his ambition, his outspokenness, and his desire to always do better. 

Whether chairing the Board of Directors of QG100 Network, sitting on the Board of Directors of Investissement Québec or participating as a guest “dragon” on the show Dans l’œil du dragon (French version of Dragon’s Den and Shark Tank), he is enthusiastically involved in several business projects and has been promoting entrepreneurship for several years. In Canada and abroad, he contributes to several associations and groups, allowing him to develop an important network in both business and government spheres. He is keen to become rooted in the communities where SOPREMA is established. For that matter, his involvement has also allowed him to be inducted into the Business Hall of Fame of the Chambre de commerce et d’industrie de Drummond as “2024 Builder.” 

Beyond his business commitments, Richard is recognized for his humanitarian and philanthropic efforts and qualities. He is involved in many causes, such as the Daffodil Ball campaign, for which he helped raise $1.5 million, and the Sainte-Croix Hospital Foundation, raising $7.2 million. 

 

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