By ADELLE LARMOUR
Ray Berthelette has a knack for creating what others want.
Mik Mak Fabrication Ltd., a flourishing New Liskeard business, is testimony to his talents. It specializes in custom-built sleeper cabs for trucks, moose bumpers, ice fishing/hunting huts, and a host of other accessories.
Owned by Ray, sons Marc and Michel after whom the company is named, manage the two shops.
Ray, a truck driver during the 1970s, saw the discomfort fellow colleagues endured stretched across the seats of their cabs in an attempt to catch a few winks between destinations. Consequently, he pioneered the first sleeper cab for his brother out of a small garage attached to his house. It was so well received that a local truck dealer in town ordered six more. Soon more orders came in and the business mushroomed, both in workspace and employees.
“This garage has about 10 additions,” Marc says. As well, the number of employees shot up to 40 in the mid-80s, which later shrank in the 90s due to the recession.
Presently, the 31-year-old business employs approximately 34 people, 18 of whom work in the original 1ocation where Marc runs the 13,000-square-foot shop and 14 of whom work in the newer 6,000-square-foot shop, located on Highway 11, where Michel manages the manufacturing of bumpers and stainless-steel accessories.
The production of sleeper cabs and bumpers is the mainstay of the business, although repairs and accessories provide steady work too. As the business has evolved, more of the sales occur directly with dealers, as opposed to individuals when Mik Mak Fabrication first began.
“Eighty per cent of my sales are to dealerships,” Marc says.
Quality craftsmanship is an important attribute for the company. Not only does it fosters repeat business, but it has extended about 80 per cent of the company’s business outside of its home town, the majority being with Canada’s western provinces, as well as Quebec. Approximately five to 10 per cent of their product is exported to the United States.
Custom dies form the sleeper cabs and bumpers constructed out of aluminum. As a machinist, Marc is often found on the shop floor, heavily involved with the manufacturing of the products.
All the bunks are custom built by hand ranging in different sizes from two-and-a-half-feet long up to 10 or 12 feet long. The three-foot cabs are the most common size, but they can be built to suit the needs of the client.
Some prefer hardwood floors and cabinets with a satellite hook up and flat screen television behind tinted windows.
Others are content to have a simple arrangement of a single bed with storage capacity.
They make all their own mattresses and interior upholstery, and can insulate the cabs at the customer’s request. All cabs are trimmed with stainless steel hardware. Although the price varies depending upon the order, the basic model starts from around $5.000 or $6,000 up to about $100,000.
A cornucopia of photos line the office walls with all the sleeper cabs and their variations built over the years. In fact, no job seems too big for the Berthelette brothers, as the odd photo of custom-built fifth wheelers appears.
“We’ll custom build RVs,” Marc says, describing a 50-foot camper they built for a fellow from Ottawa whose life history wrapped around the trailer in a painted mural.
Included on the wall are letters from customers thanking the Berthelette’s for the life-saving moose bumpers.
“We get letters all the time,” says Marc, explaining the thick aluminum-plated bumpers are built to take the impact of large animals. He adds the cost of a bumper at $3,500 will save tens of thousands of dollars in repairs and lost production time.
“It protects their investment.”
Another product Ray created initially for himself is the portable sports hut. Easily converted into a winter ice shack and hauled on skis by snow machine or ATV, its portability makes it attractive to the angler and hunter. The fold-up 10-foot aluminum boat is also easy to manage on the road and in the water. It did not take long for both creations to become a part of the company’s expanding product line.
Marc says they also build a lot of custom accessories for pick-up trucks, like tool boxes, pick-up racks and head guards. Recently, he has been busy fabricating accessories for four-wheelers.
As the wall of photos spreads with interesting projects unique only to Mik Mak Fabrication, individuals and businesses will continue to reap the benefits of a well-focused company that produces quality workmanship.
