Lévis Sites: Animal Nutrition Under One Roof

At Saint-Romuald (Lévis, Quebec), Sollio Agriculture operates a feed mill, a distribution centre, and the MPX plant. The three sites share a common purpose: providing high-quality animal nutrition products to Quebec producers.

Together, these sites offer mineral and premix manufacturing, feed production, and distribution services. All under one roof... almost. “The facilities are actually located on two physical sites right next to each other and separated by a railway line. It takes me about two minutes to walk from one to the other,” explains Plant Manager Julie Simard.

The MPX plant specializes in producing minerals and premixes used in livestock feed manufacturing at feed mills or directly on farms. The ingredients are used either at the feed mill or on the farm. “Every year, we produce 1,475 different products for a total of 27,000 tonnes,” says Julie Simard proudly.

At the feed mill, 93,000 tonnes of bulk feed and 28,000 tonnes of bagged feed are produced annually. Although feed is manufactured for various species, the vast majority of the 1,300 different formulas are intended for ruminants.

The distribution centre, for its part, receives bagged feed from the Saint-Romuald feed mill as well as from other sites within the network and from external suppliers. The 67,000-square-foot warehouse can store up to 3,800 pallets of products, which are then shipped across Quebec, as well as to Atlantic Canada and Ontario.

Dedicated employees

Beyond the numbers, there are dedicated people working hard to serve producers. Together, the three sites employ approximately 80 people.

At the distribution centre, the day-shift team handles product receiving, while the night-shift team prepares orders, a process commonly referred to as order picking. “One of my forklift operators takes the shopping list and gathers all the products the customer wants onto a pallet,” explains Julie Simard. “It usually takes about 48 hours from the time an order is placed until it leaves on a truck.”

The pace is just as demanding at the feed mill, where a load is shipped every 45 minutes.

This is precisely what Julie enjoys most about her job: the days pass quickly, and no two are alike. “Every day brings unexpected situations, equipment breakdowns, or issues that need to be resolved. Everyone pulls together to find solutions and get the equipment back up and running as quickly as possible. Even though the daily tasks may look similar on paper, the reality is very different,” she says.

The fact that the facilities operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week presents an exciting challenge, she adds. “But we're fortunate because we have committed employees, many of whom have been with us for a long time.”

According to Julie, employee motivation is simple and perfectly reflects the mission of all three facilities: “We’re here for our producers.”