Cooking up a meal kit is usually done in a well-lit kitchen. But in a new Montréal factory, the refrigeration packs for delivery meal kits will be assembled under very different circumstances: by remote-controlled robots, in near-total darkness.
Wayne McIntyre,
“I think there’s a real opportunity for what we’re doing in Montréal to become a centre of excellence for our concept of autonomous, distributed manufacturing.”
Relocalize
Relocalize, a Montréal-based manufacturing startup, announced today that it’s opening its second autonomous microfactory to make cold-chain products on demand. Wayne McIntyre, the company’s co-founder and CEO, told BetaKit that the “dark factory” will be the first of its kind in Canada: no lights on and no humans working in-person shifts.
The Montréal factory is set to open in the fourth quarter of this year, near the Lachine Canal in Griffintown. It will make 100-percent water-based cold packs, which are used in last-mile packaged food delivery as a replacement for the less environmentally sustainable gel packs that require 30 days of cold storage.
In March, Relocalize closed a $7-million CAD seed extension round, building on raises in 2023 and 2024. It was led by Desjardins Capital and existing investors, including Toronto-based Waterpoint Lane and California-based RGS Ice. In addition, it secured $2.5 million from Calgary cleantech firm CWV Sustainable Royalties for an equipment financing deal for the microfactory, and plans to raise up to $22.5 million from the investor. McIntyre said this brings its total capital raised to $18.1 million, including roughly $2 million composed of debt and grants.
Founded in 2021, Relocalize has focused its efforts on the packaged ice industry as its entry into sustainable, decentralized manufacturing. Facilities are often smaller and more spread out, closer to the customers served, instead of concentrating production in one central location. McIntyre said this approach—which is Relocalize’s raison d’être—reduces carbon emissions by cutting out unnecessary transport and eliminates waste by manufacturing on demand. “In our hearts, we’re a cleantech [company],” he said.
The microfactory’s opening is part of Relocalize’s pivot from pilot programs to commercialization. Automated “dark” or “lights-out” factories can operate 24/7 with dimmed or no lights by relying on AI and robotics. In China, these factories have deployed hundreds of thousands of robots to manufacture electric vehicles. While these automated facilities can reduce costs and energy consumption for companies, Bloomberg has reported that China’s industrial robotics push has displaced workers and lowered living standards.
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The “dark factory” trend hasn’t yet caught fire in Canada, which ranked 13th in the world for adoption of industrial robotics in 2024.
“China’s really taking the lead there,” McIntyre said. While it’s unlikely that Canada could catch up, the CEO sees decentralized autonomous factories as a massive opportunity. For example, it would allow a Canadian company to operate US factories remotely and sell locally, avoiding tariffs from cross-border shipping.
“It allows us to compete on a global stage from home,” McIntyre said.
The Montréal microfactory joins Relocalize’s first microfactory in Florida, which will come online in April. Though the startup is pre-revenue, it aims to make sales from these first microfactories in 2026 and has secured a supply agreement with an undisclosed customer. The 15-person company aims to start raising a Series A round in the next quarter as it looks to get more factories online.
“I think there’s a real opportunity for what we’re doing in Montréal to become a centre of excellence for our concept of autonomous, distributed manufacturing,” McIntyre said.
Feature image courtesy Relocalize.