MODUS Structures Inc. has completed the acquisition of ROC Modular Inc., forming what is said to be one of Canada’s largest modular construction companies across residential, institutional and commercial buildings.

Based in Crossfield, Alta. MODUS owns two manufacturing sites in the city, totalling 200,000 square feet of insulated and heated workspace. ROC, based in Bow Island, Alta., has a 60,000-square-foot factory on 10 acres of land.

The combined company will operate under the MODUS brand with over 460 employees, offering design, engineering, project delivery and manufacturing expertise. This, MODUS said in a Wednesday morning release, will support a wider range of customers and project types while balancing production across a larger operating footprint.

"We are combining exceptional people, complementary production technologies and a broader product portfolio with the scale to take on more complex projects and deliver with greater certainty,” Allan Willms, president and CEO of MODUS, said in the announcement.

For ROC, joining MODUS “gives our team access to greater capacity, broader capabilities and new opportunities to grow,” said Joe Kiss, president and CEO of ROC, while retaining the company’s customer focus, execution discipline and passion.

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. RENX Homes has reached out to MODUS, but the company did not reply by the time of publication.

About MODUS

For over 20 years, MODUS has delivered off-site-constructed buildings for government, institutional, educational, continuing care, residential, commercial and industrial customers. The company can build over 600 building modules deliverable to Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia and the U.S.

It can construct single-detached, multi-unit, staff and student housing, plus micro shelters described as compact, weather-resistant, one-bedroom units with a kitchen and living room.

The modular building technology that underpins the company’s process is the ModuSpan Structural Insulated Panel, which MODUS says is resistant to rodents, rot, mildew, mould and bacterial growth. MODUS claims its modular construction can halve project schedules and reduce overall costs by as much as 20 per cent.

The company’s projects include:

• 14,000 square feet of staff housing in Lake Louise, Alta. made of 14 modular units;
• a research building for the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology’s Boreal Research Department; and
• a 1,200-square-foot building to house the University of Calgary’s telecommunications infrastructure.

About ROC

Founded in 2019, ROC stands for REAL Off-Site Construction. With a track record of building over 5,000 modules to date, the company offers volumetric modules that are lifted and erected on site by crane. This process, it says, can get projects done between 30 to 50 per cent faster than traditional construction methods, depending on the size and complexity.

ROC builds modules for single- and multifamily homes, social housing, multiplexes and townhomes. Its social housing projects include a 56-unit, three-storey development in Hope, B.C. and the 46-suite The Juniper in Victoria, B.C.

A fourplex in Calgary, a 44-module multifamily building in Ventura, Calif. and a luxury home in Whistler, B.C. are in its portfolio of traditional residential products.

Other purposes ROC can service with its modules are Indigenous projects, hospitality and staff housing, educational facilities, workforce accommodations, wellsite and command centre buildings, site offices and emergency response facilities.

Reinforcing its resilience amid uncertainty

With the acquisition, MODUS said it can offer a broader product portfolio, manufacturing flexibility and greater access to specialized expertise.

Additionally, the transaction is anticipated to strengthen and diversify supplier relationships, with a focus on Canadian suppliers, alongside sharing production knowledge and technology. MODUS is owned by Canadians, predominantly supplied by Canadian vendors and serves mostly Canadian customers, the company said.

Amid volatility in the trade relationship between Canada and the U.S., the expanded scale, diversified end markets and Canadian supply relationships are expected to strengthen MODUS’s resilience.

MODUS will keep its head office in Crossfield, while ROC's Bow Island facility is to remain a critical link in its production network.