OK Tire has chosen Salaberry-de-Valleyfield as the site for its new $14-million Eastern Canadian distribution centre, serving its network throughout the east.

“We are moving forward with our plans to build a new 200,000 square foot facility in the Perron Industrial and Port Park to expand and relocate our existing 65,000 square foot Baie-d’Urfé operations. It is an excellent location for our new Eastern distribution centre,” says Tony Beck, Vice President of OK Tire Logistics & Distribution.

OK Tire chose Salaberry-de-Valleyfield because it is a port town, home to an intermodal/rail terminal, and a key logistics, transportation and distribution hub that aligns extremely well with OK Tire’s needs now and in the future. 

“The future of our larger community depends on innovative projects that focus both on sustainable and economic development,” says Miguel Lemieux, Mayor City of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield. “Our City is indisputably an industrial crossroads of choice in terms of logistics, thanks in large part to our road, rail and port infrastructures as well as our experienced labour force.” 

The city is located at the crossroads of the Montréal-Toronto trade corridor – the busiest in Canada. It serves as strategic gateway to the United States along with being positioned adjacent to Highway 30 – a major distribution route connecting other main highways.

The new distribution centre will provide a significant increase to OK Tire’s capacity, allow for a larger assortment of products to be kept on hand, and most importantly, will provide a greatly improved dealer service model as a result.

The new distribution centre is part of OK Tire’s $100 million investment over the next five years to expand its distribution centre capabilities across Canada, as it drives to aggressively grow market share as the country’s largest independent tire and auto service retailer.

“This investment is part of our five-year strategic plan as we continue to grow our network. We’re expanding right now at approximately 30 dealers per year and we need to ensure we have the distribution capacity to support that growth,” says Jim Caldwell, President & CEO OK Tire Stores Inc. “The city of Valleyfield is an ideal location for us to grow in and we look forward to being a socially responsible neighbour and providing ongoing opportunities for residents.

Construction will soon begin on the new distribution centre in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield. The facility should be operational by 2020. The distribution centre expansion program will add over 500,000 square feet to OK Tire’s network over all regions in Canada, over the next five years.

“The Salaberry-de-Valleyfield distribution center will be equipped with state-of-the-art systems that will help us leverage technology to future-proof our business,” says Michael Rutherford, COO OK Tire Stores Inc. “This will create jobs that require technical knowledge and skills which will support the Valleyfield economy.”

The distribution centre expansion is the first major initiative of OK Tire’s five-year growth plan and is the largest expansion in the company’s 66-year history.

For more information on OK Tire, visit https://www.oktire.com