Cause célèbre: Motion Composites starts assembly in Plattsburgh

PLATTSBURGH | Motion Composites crew, founders and leadership team were in celebration mode Tuesday with the official opening of their first international assembly site. Based in St-Roch-de-l'Achigan, Québec, about two hours north of Plattsburgh, CEO and Founder Éric Simoneau said they have been thinking about establishing a base in the United States for the past decade. "But we were not ready to do so," he said. "That changed a couple of months ago when our new VP of Operation David Sicotte joined our team. That's when founding a new plant outside our village became a possibility. "Just a few weeks after he joined our team, between Christmas and New Year," Simoneau said, "David and I jumped in my car and we drove to Plattsburgh. On December 26, we visited several sites and we fell in love with this place here. It's beautiful. It's very well located and the folks at TDC have been incredibly supportive." The new Motion Composites assembly site is located in the TDC Air Industrial Park along Route 3 in the Town of Plattsburgh. Simoneau said they set the launch of the MNY -- Motion New York -- factory as the company's number one goal of this year. "And on May 27, just three weeks ago, we really made history here in Plattsburgh. We assembled, for the first time, a Motion Composites wheelchair outside of our founding village in Quebec, St-Roch-de-l'Achigan. "Just to give you a bit of perspective, since 2005, we've been assembling and building manual wheelchairs one by one, up to 200,000 since our beginning. And it was only three weeks ago that we assembled one chair outside St-Roch-de-l'Achigan. So, congrats team," he said, earning a loud applause. The company holds more than 50 percent of the wheelchair market in Canada. Motion is known particularly for the lightweight, easy to maneuver wheelchairs designed by Simoneau and business partner David Gingras. Simoneau said the design was an engineering goal set while they were at university. It later became a passion. The wheelchairs are designed with ultralight carbon fiber materials to weigh as little as 20 pounds. They fold readily with a sling lift placed under the seat cushion. Motion Composites has won numerous awards for innovation and engineering design, including two Mobility Product awards in 2024, with three and four more over the few years prior. They have won Red Dot awards and a prestigious Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec award for engineering design with users in mind. The manufacturing company has an international presence that reaches from Australia to France. Their reputation as a leader in ultralight manual wheelchairs comes in large measure from the fabrication and assembly process. COLOR WITH STYLE In Plattsburgh, some of the first U.S. personnel shared a glimpse of the work they do, building wheelchairs individually to specifications set by the user. There are a variety of chair styles available in 19 colors. And they're not just any colors. The company has created chairs in "Desert Sand" for veterans of the Gulf Wars. Colors include an Army green and deep blue. Patches of each branch of the U.S. military are available to add to a chair. There are colors for children, and flashy tones of bright pink, purple, vibrant red, green or orange, and a Caribbean Sea aqua. Sometimes, wheelchair users want to blend frame and rim colors, and they do. Wheels options include all-terrain tires with tread suitable for rural trails. Simoneau told the Sun that their original idea was to create a wheelchair that would be outstanding and lightweight. As they grew, he said, the connection to their customers made the company something more. "Eventually, we fell in love with the industry. It becomes a vocation." Introducing products online, Motion Composites says the ultralight wheelchairs "echo the love of life that their users demonstrate each day. With our unique approach and distinct attitude, our aim is to enhance lives, nourish a sense of freedom and revolutionize the way people see wheelchairs." IMPORTANT WORKPLACE Vice President of Operations Sicotte said they will bring the company's unwavering commitment to quality here. The 10,000 square foot MNY facility was renovated with help from local vendors, who, he said, "supplied everything we need for success." Sicotte, too, is thrilled with their new presence in Plattsburgh, and is looking forward to a future of innovation, excellence and community. So far, Motion Composites has added 15 staff to this location, with training in Quebec. There are additional hires on the way. The Quebec facility in St-Roch-de-l'Achigan employs 275 people. MNY Plant Manager Todd Ashline, of Peru, guided a very large and engaging crowd on a tour of the facility, pointing out aspects of the assembly process, which is organized around an individual wheelchair and put together in four stations, each with redundant quality control. Motion Composites has engineered lightweight and ultralight models; a rigid style that does not fold; and agile, high performance models that fold handily with a lift strap centered under the seat cushion. Their models are touted for use in wheelchair basketball. And every three months, Motion Composites donates wheelchairs to two persons in the company's Wishes for Wheels project. Ashline said staff hired to work here take pride in and care about what they are building. "People understand the importance of their work," he said. "You can change people's lives one chair a time." The color and individual needs met in each chair speak to accessibility: people who use wheelchairs don't want to be invisible any more. CAUSE CELEBRE North Country Chamber of Commerce officials attended the Motion Components opening, along with town, county and state officials; Molly Ryan, county IDA executive, and Dani King, president of TDC. "Motion is a great company with a remarkable product line and we are pleased to officially welcome them to the North Country," Chamber President Garry Douglas said. "They have already found how ready and productive our workforce is and have remarked about how friendly and supportive everyone has been in the community. This is the foundation of our continued success as a manufacturing hub. "We thank our new friends at Motion for their confidence and commitment and congratulate our partners at TDC on this latest economic development success. Onward and upward!" For Town of Plattsburgh Supervisor Michael Cashman, the day was cause célèbre. "We're proud to welcome Motion Composites to the Town of Plattsburgh as they open their new U.S. assembly facility," he said via email. "Their investment not only brings innovative technology and high-quality jobs to our community, but also strengthens the cross-border collaboration that has long defined our region. This is a win for local families and our economy. It was exciting to tour their new facility. I look forward to watching them grow." To learn more about Motion Composites, visit their website: motioncomposites.com/en_us

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Cause célèbre: Motion Composites starts assembly in Plattsburgh

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