The partnership expands access to ABB’s automation, electrification, and digitization solutions for sectors such as infrastructure and manufacturing.
Electrification and automation technology provider ABB has entered into its first Indigenous channel-partner collaboration in Canada with LaFlesche, an Indigenous owned advanced manufacturing, machining, and rapid-prototyping firm based in the Kahnawà:ke community in Quebec.
The partnership is designed to complement LaFlesche’s core offerings, while strengthening ABB’s network of authorized third-party vendors by expanding access to its automation, electrification and digital solutions through an Indigenous distribution partner serving the critical industrial sectors across Canada.
Under the partnership, LaFlesche becomes an authorized ABB channel partner, building on trusted customer relationships and deep technical expertise to deliver select ABB solutions and services to both public and private sector clients. The collaboration will help ABB’s customers reduce dependence on offshore supply chains and help ensure that mission-critical systems continue operating at peak performance throughout their full life cycle.
“At LaFlesche, we have spent years earning the trust of some of Canada’s most important clients in critical operations, by delivering precision, reliability and results when it matters most,” said Thawennontie Thomas, president of LaFlesche. “Partnering with ABB gives our clients access to globally proven automation and electrification technology, backed by a team that understands the operational realities of their environments. This is not just a business partnership – it is a commitment to building Indigenous capacity at the highest levels of Canada’s critical infrastructure, and to ensuring that Indigenous businesses are not bystanders in that work, but trusted partners of it.”
The partnership supports ABB Canada’s broader channel-partner and sustainability strategies by supporting Indigenous economic participation, while enabling customers to modernize operations, improve resilience and meet complex operational requirements. By working with an Indigenous owned partner, ABB is also strengthening its ability to deliver local-for-local solutions.
“By partnering with an Indigenous owned channel partner that brings strong technical capability and credibility in critical industries, we are expanding our ability to serve customers while supporting inclusive economic growth,” said Ben C. Venter, vice president of ABB’s Energy Industries division in Canada. “This collaboration with LaFlesche reflects ABB’s commitment to building resilient supply chains and trusted partnerships that deliver value for our customers and communities alike. It is also about meaningful education and skills development, and Indigenous participation across the full life cycle of Canada’s infrastructure.”
Canada’s Indigenous industry policy focuses on economic reconciliation, aimed at increasing Indigenous participation in the economy through a federal procurement target, supporting Indigenous-owned businesses and fostering partnerships in sectors.