With the government modernizing The Law on Respect for Work Accidents and Occupational DiseasesGroupe Atwill-Morin decided to supply builders with outbuilders. Quebec hopes to attract talent by adding this technological innovation so far dedicated to soldiers and patients with anorexia.
Construction workers at Groupe Atwill-Morin will be able to continue restoring prestigious buildings, such as Montreal City Hall, Viger Station and the Supreme Court of Canada, while preserving their joints and avoiding injuries to the shoulders and elbows as well. Tendinitis.
“Innovation is such an important value to us that we didn’t even calculate profitability before purchasing the exoskeletons,” said Matthew Atwell Morin, president of the company, which has 800 employees and $ 100 million in sales.
Photo provided by ATWILL-MORIN GROUP
During a conference in Las Vegas, two years ago, the three brothers from the family company Groupe Atwill-Morin saw the exoskeletons.
The Quebec Corporation ordered six units at $ 12,000 each from a California company, which employees will wear from shoulders to ankles, reducing the impact of heavy loads and repetitive movements.
While waiting for the order to be received, which has been delayed since September 2020 due to the pandemic, builders use an arm mounted on a frame near them that allows them to support their heavy tools.
Reducing the physical consequences
“The mason trade and the repair trade are very difficult physically. Doing it for four hours is not a problem, but after a 2000-hour season and after a career, this is where you’ll feel in the arms, muscles and general fatigue,” says Matthew Atwell Morin.
For a company like ours, the human and dollar costs of health and safety are astronomical costs. Even if I don’t take advantage of productivity with exoskeletons, if I successfully reduce the risk of accidents or occupational diseases, this is an investment that will pay off for us.
Matthew Atwill-Morin, Groupe Atwill-Morin President
In normal times, away from a pandemic, the three siblings of the family business travel the world in search of innovations in construction and restoration.
“We are a new generation of entrepreneurs who believe in new technologies and robots,” says Matthew Atwell Maureen. We went to China, Germany and France, and during a conference in Las Vegas we saw the exoskeletons two years ago. We are the only company in Quebec that has requested this. “
In addition to attracting young people with new technologies, the president hopes to position Groupe Atwill-Morin as a company that cares about the health and safety of its employees.