Montreal (Qc) CANADA,2005 File Photo<br />
<br />
 Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal Inaugurates its World-Class Research Unit in the Field of Polymers, the Polynov Laboratory<br />
<br />
 The new laboratory represents the first commercial-scale unit of the<br />
CREPEC, a group formed in 2004 to bring together Québec's foremost university<br />
and industry researchers in the field of polymers. The Polynov Laboratory's<br />
sheet coextrusion line brings the lab up to the standard of any multinational<br />
corporate R&D centre, making it the only laboratory of its kind in the North<br />
American academic community.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
    The Polynov Laboratory will provide Québec and Canadian companies in the<br />
plastics industry with the equipment and expertise needed to conduct<br />
preliminary trials on new products or processes. Given that most of these<br />
companies are small and medium-sized enterprises, investing millions of<br />
dollars in equipment before they have even tested their projects' technical<br />
feasibility might otherwise be difficult. Now, through the Polynov Laboratory,<br />
not only can they quickly determine the viability of their projects, they can<br />
do so more effectively, since the lab's equipment is already commercial-scale-<br />
a fact that ought to minimize any problems associated with moving into<br />
industrial production. Overall, the Polynov Laboratory will help boost<br />
competitiveness among local entrepreneurs by broadening their product range<br />
and increasing productivity.