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canadian industry Online - NOVEMBER 2014
Herman Bélanger started venturing
in the “veneer” caskets making to of-
fer a lower cost product versus wood
caskets. After that the company has
always been a pioneer in that market
segment, together with the cremation
market.
Today, every casket company
wants to sell these products.
CIO:
Please outline your product
offering and what makes the company
competitive.
JB:
I would say we are probably
offering the most comprehensive prod-
uct line from the low end cardboard
transport or cremation containers, to
the mid-range solid wood casket and
rental caskets specialty, including cloth
covered cardboard or particle board
caskets, veneer caskets, natural wood
cremation products, and finally wood
urns. The distributor can fulfill a great
number of his needs in a “one stop
shop”.
CIO:
How important is quality in
this business?
JB:
It definitely is of utmost im-
portance. Over the past number of
years, quality has increased in all areas
of manufacturing and the casket in-
dustry is no different. Even in the low
end of the product range, you need to
provide the best quality and service.
What was qualified acceptable 5
years ago is no longer tolerated today.
We are in a business where the end
customer wants to celebrate life of
their loved ones with dignity during a
very emotional period, and service is
also of prime importance. Our mother
company and number one customer
Aurora has been recognized as number
one in the industry and we are proud
to be part of that achievement.
CIO:
How has the company in-
corporated efficiency into manufactur-
ing to better serve customers?
JB:
Our view of a casket company
is the view of a very artisanal wood-
working process and a handcrafted
casket. Nowadays, it is impossible to
compete in such a way. We have in-
vested in process equipment to some
degree over the last years, and have
recently moved into a modern facil-
ity. We are adhering some of the most
efficient production systems and tech-
niques such as lean manufacturing. We
are in a never ending quest for quality,
service, efficiency, safe and environ-
mental friendly work environment.
CIO:
What are the drivers for
change and growth in the company?
JB:
The drivers definitely are
changing market conditions, together
with the ownership structure that
evolved quite a lot with the markets.
This company has always resurfaced
through hard times. It just seems to be
in the culture of the people to adapt to
an ever changing environment, and to
get the appropriate resources and asso-
ciates at the wright time.
The acquisition by Aurora Casket
has been a catalyst, but the most recent
acquisition by Kohlberg has given us
a good boost. The corporate goal is to
grow the business.
CIO:
How has the corporate and
ownership structure changed over the
years?
JB:
It was born a privately owned
very small business, and has now be-
come part of a private equity portfolio
that is transforming the business to
adopt some of the best practices. In
between it has gone thru a number
of stages including; multiple owners
including the community, back to a
privately owned company supported
by “capital de risque”, back to a sole
owner as it grew, and thru a joint ven-
ture between two privately held com-
panies.
CIO:
What is great about the
company culture at Alliance?
ALLIANCE ST-LAURENT
