By: Robert Blechl

LITTLETON, N.H.—Looking for work? Rotobec USA Inc. is looking for you. 

On Friday, the company finalized its $1.5 million loan with financial partner Laconia Savings Bank that will enable it to install two CNC, or lave, machines at its Littleton Industrial Park facility and hire 10 employees and possibly more.

"I'm taking applications because I need some good people to come in here and help start this project," said Rotobec operations manager Mike Currier.

Sought are CNC machinists, operators and eventually another person for parts and service.

"Once we get up and going, I'd like to go three shifts," he said.

At its manufacturing facility in St. Justine, Quebec, the Canadian-owned Rotobec Inc. manufactures log grapples, metal shears, loaders, concrete crushers, screening buckets and other heavy handling equipment for theforestry, scrap, rail, construction, demolition and other industries.

The Littleton facility is currently a distribution facility.

But with the company's $1.5 million investment and planned expansion in Littleton, Currier said the goal is to do manufacturing right in Littleton, in addition to manufacturing in Canada, and build complete patented grapples and loaders in the North Country. That would include welding, assembly, sandblasting, complete fabrication - "the whole manufacturing process," he said.

Next summer, Currier said his plans are to expand the Littleton facility and add another same-sized building to accommodate the growth.

By this June, however, he plans to complete Phase I of the project and get the CNC machines installed and functioning and begin to add to the workforce in Littleton. The machines in Littleton will manufacture the parts for the grapples, loaders and rotators that are presently made in Canada.

"We are proud to announce the investment project here," said Rotobec Inc. Finance Director Julien Veilleux. "Business is good and that's the reason we're expanding."

Rotobec Inc. was created in 1975 and has been present in the United States since 1985. The company sells in more than 20 countries, and in addition to its businesses in Quebec and Littleton, has facilities in British Columbia and Brazil and employs a total of 185 people.

In its equipment, Rotobec Inc. uses a hydraulic rotation system technology. The name Rotobec is a blend of the words rotation and Quebec.

Veilleux said Rotobec Inc. recently obtained an exclusive distribution of the complete product line of the VTN Group, an Italian manufacturer of demolition attachments.

"This increases the product line of Rotobec and helps the company to penetrate the demolition industry," he said.
While manufacturing for the forestry industry is a large component of Rotobec Inc., Veilleux said 50 percent of the company's sales are in the scrap, recycling, rail, construction and demolition industries.

Veilleux said Littleton is the first Rotobec facility to receive such a significant investment.

"We have a lot of problems finding qualified workers in Canada," he said. "We cannot find machinists."

In addition to more qualified workers in the United States, Veilleux said the company does 50 percent of its business in The States and having a manufacturing facility in Littleton will be a boon for marketing.

"Mike has built up a good crew here," Veilleux said of Rotobec's Littleton team.

And training will be available for the new employees, he said.

Rotobec USA Inc. has also applied for a Community Development Block Grant through the Grafton County Economic Development Council. The grant of up to $200,000 was endorsed by selectmen March 2, and if approved at the federal level, could contribute funds to the $1.5 million investment project.

Rotobec's Littleton facility currently employs nine people, including four sales representatives.

Pictured in Littleton's Rotobec facility are, from left, attorney Michael Ransmeier, Rotobec finance director, Julien Veilleux, Laconia Savings Bank commercial banking officer Susan Dagoumas, and Rotobec operations manager, Mike Currier.