Why a Quebec food can maker reshored its supply chain back to Canada from the U.S.

With U.S. tariffs still weighing on Canada's steel and aluminum sectors, a Quebec-based food can manufacturer is expanding its operations — and bringing the American portion of its supply chain back home.

Ideal Can, a steel can maker based in Saint-Apollinaire, Que., is expanding its production capacity in Ontario next year, bringing it closer to clients like Sun-Brite Foods, Nortera and Weil's Food Processing — and giving it a larger presence in a major food-processing region.

Established in 2008, the company began by importing cans from China for the Canadian food industry. Roughly a decade later, it started manufacturing cans domestically, first for maple syrup before expanding into other products.

"The independence from American [production] is very important at this moment," said CEO Erick Vachon in an interview with CBC News. "So why [don't we] use Canadian steel with Canadian food, and a Canadian can maker?

As the Canada-U.S. trade war continues, Ideal Can is one of many domestic companies looking to move their supply chains back up north and maximize on the Buy Canadian movement. While some experts say that the trade war leaves little choice for those businesses, others say it might not be an economical one.

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https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/quebec-food-can-maker-ideal-can-reshoring-supply-chain-1.7617190