Spexel factory is indeed closed!

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The Spexel factory is indeed closed!

December 1, 2004

Sylvain Daignault

Trucks entering and outgoing of the ground of the factory Spexel de Beauharnois, closed for several months, have let believe in several people that they perhaps occurred something there the positive one. Had an investor repurchased the factory? Would the workers be pointed out soon? Alas, it of it is nothing.

Former president of the trade union of the factory affiliated to the CSN, Claude Beaulac is positive: the factory of the street Mills and indeed closed. "the contractor finished to dismantle the factory last week. There remain nothing any more inside ", indicate he, the still tinted voice of emotion.

The financial difficulties had by Spexel rise directly from the decision of the federal government to entrust to a German factory the manufacture of Canadian banknotes of $20, $50 and $100. According to the government, the factory of Beauharnois had no possibility to produce these new banknotes comprising several new safety members.

Mr. Beaulac bursts of laughing when one asks him what it thinks of the new cuts of twenty dollars launched last September. "It is true that they are beautiful but I am certain that there are already counterfeit bills in circulation. One week and half after the launching of the new cuts of one hundred dollars there were already counterfeit bills on the market ", ensures it.

According to him, the arrival of an American investor who could start again the factory is currently not very probable because of the high value of the Canadian dollar. "the Americans are not interested to invest in Quebec for the moment."

A new $50 banknote

The Bank of Canada put in circulation on November 17 the new Canadian banknote of 50 dollars. This one will be available everywhere to the country from here a few weeks.

According to David Dodge, governor of the Bank of Canada, the new cuts are sedentary.

The employees of Spexel had expressed against the closing of the factory last April. (Photograph of files: S.D.)

The new banknote comprises several characteristics anticontrefaçon which are easy and fast to use. They consist in particular of a holographic metal coil, a portrait in filigree, a fenestrated wire of color changing woven with same paper and a visible figure by transparency. These elements are similar to those of the banknotes of 100 and 20 dollars emitted recently.

Under the topic To build the nation, the new cut celebrates the way in which the political, legal and social structures were worked to support the democracy and the equality with the country. The back is decorated images which underline the progress made democracy equal rights to Canada. In the recto appears a portrait of William Lyon Mackenzie King, Canadian the Prime Minister who occupied the longest this station.

The Bank of Canada envisages to improve the safety members of the banknote of 10 dollars of the series Canadian in spring of 2005. These improved elements will resemble those of the new cuts of 20, 50 and 100 dollars of the same series. The topic and the images of the banknote will not change.

The closing of Spexel caused the setting with foot of 80 workers with Beauharnois.

Wow, is it ever difficult to read that very obviously translated article!  I think I managed to get the main point of it... some factory in Quebec is closing?

Yes, The factory Spexel de Beauharnois, Quebec is closed....

Bank of Canada wanted to use German Paper company

Wow, is it ever difficult to read that very obviously translated article!

 

Yes, it was!  But it was much, much better than some automatic translations of web articles that I have seen.  I especially guffawed over the word "fenestrated", a variation of the word "windowed", as in "windowed security thread."  Just think of the Microsoft possibilities:  "I was halfway through entering my banknote collection into my collecting software, when my whole computer just crashed.  Darn Windows!  I was, like, totally fenestrated!"

I think I managed to get the main point of it... some factory in Quebec is closing?

Getting back on topic, yes, the factory in question had maufactured the paper used in Canadian government notes since the Dominion of Canada days, IIRC.

PAPER CLIPS - August 2004

BRIEF NEWS AND REVIEWS FROM AROUND THE INDUSTRY

* Canadian specialty paper producer Spexel Paper has ceased operating. Domtar Int.'s Beauharnois mill in Quebec became Spexel in 1997 after the parent company closed the specialty papers operation. The mill manufactured Canadian currency and passport paper and had supplied all of Canada's banknote needs for 70 years. The company closed with the loss of 100 jobs after losing its bank note contract to a manufacturer in Germany.

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3636/is_200408/ai_n9409541/print

Does this mean that new $20, $50, and $100 prefixes will possibly be delayed?

The sad thing is that Canada no longer produces its own bank note paper. The Beauharnois mill machine was the last one in Canada producing currency paper.
Canada, one of the world’s greatest producers of paper is now not even capable of producing its own currency. The question now being raised is when will the printing of Canadian bank notes be done outside of Canada?
The company that owns the German mill now producing Canadian bank paper also owns British American Banknote, which prints about half of Canada’s bank notes. But then maybe it’s better it is not made in Canada.

So does that mean that the BABN and CBN will continue to print the Journey notes, or will Spexel's closure mean the demise of the BABN and CBN printing Canada's banknotes?

Jonathan, you get worked up so easily. Chill out

The Spexel plant stopped creating the paper for Canadian banknotes several years ago. Ever since then, the paper has been created in Germany. The only news here is that the plant that USED TO create the paper has now closed.

In 1929-31, there was a changeover of paper manufacturer from Crane & Co of Dalton Massachusetts to the Howard Smith Paper company of Beauhamois Quebec with evolved into Domtar and then eventually Spexel.  This changeover was the reason for the bronze seal test notes and the lilac seal notes which are today sought after by collectors.

The Charlton catalogue states:

"The Finance Department early in 1931 pronounced itself satisfied with the results of the experiment and it was considered even more appropriate to use the Canadian product to provide employment opportunities during the depression."

It seems our current government has chosen a "global perspective" on sourcing banknote paper.   .....  too bad.

I grew up very close to this factory in Beauharnois and still live nearby. It's a shame to see an industry with such a rich history going this route.