Ballantyne Strong has completed the acquisition of the Joliette, Quebec facility that houses its Strong/MDI cinema screen manufacturing operations, as well as an adjacent parcel of land. Strong/MDI previously leased the facility.

The acquisition will enable Ballantyne to significantly expand its cinema screen production facility and related capacity to meet rapidly growing global demand for conventional, large-format, “gain,” silver and other specialized screens. Ballantyne estimates the capital investment in the building, land and facility expansion will approximate $6 million, with completion targeted for the end of 2010.

The expansion plan involves adding more than 26,000 square feet of production space and related state-of-the-art systems and equipment in Strong/MDI’s ISO 9001 screen operations. This expansion of approximately 35% over the existing structure will substantially increase key production areas including the painting towers, PVC welding, rolling and drying areas.

Chris Stark, senior VP and chief operating officer of Ballantyne, commented, “Strong/MDI’s screen backlog has been steadily growing, as we have been operating at peak capacity in Joliette for several months now. With the global digital-cinema transformation picking up momentum and straining our ability to meet demand, it became clear that we needed to invest in expanding Ballantyne’s production capabilities to better meet global sales opportunities. After much review, we determined that expanding our current plant was the best path forward... When complete, our Joliette facility will have a total of approximately 75,000 square feet of production area, making it one of the largest such facilities in the world.”