A long-time family business in Moncton, N.B., the history of Malley Industries goes back over 50 years. What started with building a single camper evolved into a major manufacturer of ambulances and accessible vehicles. Still making all its products on Canada’s east coast, Malley Industries now exports vehicles worldwide.

Early inspiration

Inspiration for this family business came to A.J. Malley while on a family trip to Expo 67 in Montréal. Noticing a lack of suitable accommodations, he thought a truck camper could be the perfect solution. Upon returning home to Moncton, Malley built a camper from scratch in his basement. After selling his first camper he built another and eventually started getting orders for custom builds. This was the impetus for Malley Industries.

A.J.’s son Terry Malley, the company’s current President and CEO, says his father was a serial entrepreneur: “He was always looking for opportunities.” His creative nature allowed him to learn on the fly and led to several business ventures. But something about recreational vehicles stuck.

While Terry was in university, his father approached him about collaborating to make the business official. After some discussion, Malley’s workshop in his backyard garage was swapped for a proper manufacturing building and Malley Industries was officially established in 1979 in Moncton, N.B.

Growing product line

In the early days of the business, Malley Industries constructed RVs and truck campers and did custom van work. In 1985, the father and son team had an opportunity to build their first ambulance and soon after they also began building and modifying vehicles to accommodate disabilities.

The company slowly grew throughout the 80s and 90s and went all in on emergency vehicle manufacturing in 1999 after signing a contract to provide all ambulances for the province of New Brunswick. This became a major focus for Malley Industries and around this time it stopped building campers and other recreational vehicles.

In the early 2000s, Malley also began creating thermoformed body composites for the interior of its vehicles. The innovation reduced vehicle weight, saving on fuel and wear and tear and dramatically increasing capacity. Vehicle composites have become a significant part of the business. While Malley remains its own biggest customer, it also has a customer base for materials throughout Canada and the US.

Having expanded significantly over the past few decades, Malley Industries has long outgrown its initial 5,000-square-foot building and in 2009 constructed its current 90,000-square-foot facilities.

Still in the family

Today, manufacturing operations for Malley Industries remain in Moncton, N.B., however, the company has customers throughout Canada, and the US and has sold products worldwide. Still family-owned, Terry’s son and daughter now work in the business and are being prepared to take over when he decides to retire.

Reflecting on the company’s success, Terry Malley commented: “My father always said ‘If your name’s on your product, you got to do your best’ and I think that’s what we’ve always done. Focusing on quality and keeping customers has helped us continue growth.”

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