Government of Canada Supports Start-Up of Services de transformation Becancour Inc.

BECANCOUR, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - Dec. 7, 2011) - The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, announces that the firm Services de transformation Bécancour Inc. (STB), has been granted financial assistance from the Government of Canada to acquire specialized equipment needed to launch operations at its Bécancour plant.

"In facilitating the start-up of Services de transformation Bécancour Inc., the Government of Canada is supporting the development of the secondary and tertiary transformation of metallurgical products, a priority for the Centre-du-Québec economy," says Minister Lebel.

STB, which will specialize in the processing and upgrading of industrial metal by-products, intends to ensure an adequate and quality supply of metallurgical products to a clientele consisting of steel mills, aluminium smelters, refineries and alloy production plants. The start-up, which is hoping to break into the North American market, will be able to benefit from the expertise and exclusive know-how of Minéraux Mart Inc., an affiliate that has been operating in the sector since 1989. STB also plans to capitalize on its innovativeness by becoming the only Canadian company processing silicon metal, a component used in the manufacture of solar panels.

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This $500,000 repayable contribution has been granted through Canada Economic Development's Community Diversification program, an initiative whose aims include sustaining communities through entrepreneurship support and the creation and maintenance of viable enterprises. STB will use this financial assistance to purchase presses and kilns from the former RHI Canada factory, which was closed in 2010. The company's management estimates that the launch of operations will create some 50 jobs in the Bécancour area.

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