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Delivery is part of a $50M contract from Irving Shipbuilding, $25M to be spent in Quebec.

Bronswerk Group, a leading provider of complete Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Solutions (HVAC-R) for the merchant marine, military and offshore industries, announced today that it reached an important milestone with the delivery of the last pieces of equipment for the Royal Canadian Navy’s first two Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) being built by Irving Shipbuilding Inc. at the Halifax Shipyard.

Bronswerk was awarded a $50M contract by Irving Shipbuilding to supply AOPS with marine-grade HVAC-R as part of Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS).

Irving Shipbuilding and its major suppliers currently have more than $1.7 billion in spending commitments across Canada, including more than $250 million in Quebec. Bronswerk is currently the third-highest value supplier to Irving Shipbuilding under NSS.

Irving Shipbuilding is constructing six ice-capable AOPS for the Royal Canadian Navy which will be capable of sovereignty patrols, maritime domain awareness, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and counter-terrorist operations.

Irving Shipbuilding and Bronswerk started working together when Bronswerk was contracted to deliver the HVAC-R system for the Canadian Patrol Frigates back in the 1980s and 1990s, and since then they have maintained a strong working relationship.

A tangible and lasting impact in the Greater Montreal Area

The design review, the manufacturing and the procurement of the HVAC-R system equipment and components were all carried out at Bronswerk’s head office in Brossard.

The range of equipment includes: efficient modular chillers, domestic refrigeration rooms, fire and smoke dampers, control panels as well as a range of special equipment to cool communications rooms and munitions.

Bronswerk has already committed $17.5M on local procurement (materials, manufacturing, engineering), $7.5M of which is being contracted to some 35 Quebec-based small and medium-sized businesses.

Direct investments resulting from the Irving Shipbuilding contract with Bronswerk will be distributed between Montreal and Halifax, with a greater portion in Montreal for the creation of fifteen permanent highly skilled positions and investments of more than one million dollars in Bronswerk’s facility.

On the path of international expansion

Two years prior to the contract being awarded, Bronswerk conducted extensive research and development on two types of chillers with both the combatant and non-combatant ships in mind. These efforts helped to better position the company as a prime partner for the NSS project.

Since the first contracts have been awarded, Bronswerk has grown its Canadian operations by more than 25%, including two new facilities located in the shipbuilding epicenters of Halifax and Vancouver (the installation will be performed by its branch in Halifax which was inaugurated last year specifically to facilitate the NSS).

The AOPS contract has also acted as a catalyst for more international exposure as the HVAC-R leader. Bronswerk is pursuing several export opportunities; Turkey has already placed orders for the new shock tested Navy Chiller and they are about to award 4 new ships HVAC-R system contracts that Bronswerk is expected to sign in August. There is also strong interest from the UK, Australia and the Netherlands for equipment and engineering services for their ship-building programs.

“We are very proud to partner with Irving Shipbuilding as a major supplier and to leverage Bronswerk’s 36 years working with the Canadian Navy. We are even more proud of our ability to contribute to the economic vitality of the Greater Montreal Area and to Quebec by involving 35 Quebec SMEs in this program.”

- Geoff Maitland, President, Bronswerk Group

“Our team at the Halifax Shipyard are pleased to work with industry partners across the country as we build Canada’s future fleet. Our partnership with Bronswerk in Montreal is a great example of how the Quebec industry is contributing to the National Shipbuilding Strategy. This is a strategy that benefits all Canadians, from coast to coast to coast.

- Kevin McCoy, President, Irving Shipbuilding Inc.