A $13 million contract has been awarded to MQM Quality Manufacturing Ltd., in New Brunswick to upgrade the 45-yearold Centennial Bridge in Miramichi. The work will include structural steel repairs, upgrades and painting. According to a news release from the Government of New Brunswick, MQM was one of four companies to bid on the project.

The upgrades will take approximately three years, with the first phase beginning in April, and a completion date set for October, 2014, says MQM general manager, Serge Theriault.

The company won the contract by offering the lowest bid and because they had previous experience in such projects, says Theriault. The work is being done less than an hour away from the company’s main office in Tracadie-Sheila, so it will be easy to manage and be on site to ensure things progress smoothly, he adds. The project will create about 25 new jobs.

MQM is also working on the assembly of a stacker reclaimer for EMS-Tech Inc., based in Toronto. MQM will be fabricating some of the components on site, while others will be built elsewhere and shipped to the facility, he says. The final product is scheduled for delivery in March.

Stackers and reclaimers are used in the mining industry to lift and pile products, like iron ore, so they can be shipped or used later. The reclaiming part of the process recovers the product from the stockpile.

MQM was founded in 1993 in response to demand for manufacturing in the construction industry. When that industry slowed down in 1997, MQM focused on exporting products to the U.S., a profitable move that saw the company expanding by 2001. In 2007 they were contracted to build the steel structures to hold up the stands in the Yankee Stadium, New York

By Cathi Stevenson