Innovative trailer manufacturer celebrating 26 years in business.

• Author: Smith, Marjie
• Position: Porcupine Trailers Ltd. - Manufacturing Report

Innovative trailer manufacturer celebrating 26 years in business

While Timmins boasts an industrial trailer manufacturer with a fair share of the Canadian logging market, many local residents think it is simply a retail

business.

Porcupine Trailers Ltd., celebrating its 26th birthday this year, manufactures logging trailers, chip vans and flatbeds - in standard and B-train (tandem) style.

Controller Marcelle Fortin says company-designed air-suspension and spring-suspension systems have added to the success of the business.

In fact, new prototypes for spring suspension and air lifts are being developed now and should be on the market shortly.

Fortin says the company started in design because, "We couldn't find a suspension that could meet all the conditions of Northern Ontario - the roads, the ice and the weather conditions."

Despite being designed for the north, the trailers are sold across Canada - particularly in Ontario and Quebec - as well as in the United States and Jamaica.

The company sells its suspension systems and parts to other trailer manufacturers.

Moulds have been made for casting parts, which are more durable than steel-fabricated parts.

This, coupled with custom-designed trailers, has made the company a leader in the logging industry, Fortin says.

"Why buy a copy when you can buy an original?" asks the company's slogan.

"We build our trailers to suit an area," adds Fortin.

Logs are being hauled over increasingly longer distances, meaning trucks need to haul maximum loads while still meeting weight restrictions. Porcupine Trailers tries to find light materials without sacrificing strength.

"Steel is steel, but if you shop around, there are types of steel which will make a difference," says Fortin.

Porcupine Trailers has the ability to manufacture approximately 125 trailers per year. It takes about a week to build a trailer from parts assembly to the...