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Mathieu Turcotte – President, Apex Racing Skates
Apex Racing Skates manufactures high-performance speed skating boots out of carbon fiber. The company’s founder, Mathieu Turcotte, is a skater himself and wanted to make a product that was light and stiff and had all the qualities an athlete desires. His small business of five employees manufactures and sells these skates.
What compelled you to make custom molding a business?
I was doing this for myself as a hobby while finishing my studies, then thought there was enough demand. At first it was one of my personal projects; I was happy about what I came up with. Then, enough interest generated among my fellow athletes to the point that they wanted to try out the product. I ended up making those boots for them, which is when I realized I could make a living from this.
Did you always want to be a manufacturer and end user?
Yes. I thought I had something to bring even though I had to learn things about manufacturing. In school, I learned the basics of infusion and closed molding, which is why I use that technique mostly. For me, every day I’m constantly learning, just trying to come up with new ideas and staying ahead of what’s being done. I get new ideas by working with universities and reading industry magazines like Composites Manufacturing.
Your website mentions you have experience custom molding. What inspired you to do that?
I was inspired by the techniques and materials used in the orthotics and prosthetics industry, and everything just evolved to what it is now. I studied to be a technician working with prosthetics, which uses composites a lot. I learned how the foot can be contained to a hard shell that could walk in different ways to really help a user’s life. I applied that knowledge to the sport that I was practicing and decided to come up with a new product.
What are the challenges with being a small company?
The biggest challenge is simply trying to keep up with the base of the industry, finding the best products and trying to get knowledge of what’s new. Because I’m not from the composites industry specifically, absorbing that information is a little more difficult for me, but still very important. What keeps me surviving is always trying to develop new products, reaching the clients and making sure we understand exactly what their need is even as those needs constantly change. Working directly with our customers and establishing a relationship with them so they come back is how we’re always present and stay on top.
What differences, if any, changed in your manufacturing process when you started the business?
The main difference, at least from a composites manufacturing perspective, is the technique I use to build the skates. Currently, I do a bagging infusion technique, which allows me to make a one-piece shell so everything becomes one because of the layering and structures of the material. The challenge in making shells like this is it has to both perform well and be comfortable. It has to give all the support, but allow for the movements that allow skaters to be faster.
How does your product differ from competing products?
Some of them do hand layups and similar techniques. I’m not aware of exactly how they do it, but I can sort of understand how they do it. I’m working on a project that uses prepreg carbon fibers which will hopefully enhance the durability of the product due to the increased strength of the resins and fibers. However, I want to do more testing to see if it works or not.
What testing will you do?
I have been in discussions with some universities in Montreal, such as McGill University, that have composite labs. They will produce a single model using their equipment. We’ve also discussed doing tests with equipment just to see how resistant they are, including the pressure tests and repetition test at 80 percent.
You sell your product exclusively to athletes. What common questions do they ask about the product?
The biggest questions are mostly about the fit of the skate. They also wonder about durability and quality. Athletes go by feeling most of the time, so it’s really hard to understand what they’re looking for. It’s a lot of trial and error. If you can find someone who can explain what he feels and what he’s looking for, that’s someone you want to work with to improve the product. Being an athlete myself helped me develop a product suited to that mindset.
Do any of them ask about the composites?
Some of them do. The more information they can find either on the Internet or through conversations with people, the more those kind of specific questions and ideas spread out. A lot of skaters would ask me for a stiffer boot, but all they wanted was a boot with durability that would last longer. That’s an example of the challenge of working with athletes; they often don’t ask about the specific materials used.
What is the sales process like? Do you have your own sales force or do you use independent reps?
I have a few independent reps around the world in countries such as Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom. They will meet the client, discuss what they’re looking for and fill out the form. Each is a specialist in making molds for clients’ feet, so they will capture the athlete’s specific mold and send it back to get made. That’s how I work with most of them. Most of the clients are from Canada, but there are enough in those other countries to invest those sales resources.
How does composites use in skating compare to other sporting goods applications?
A couple years ago, I think we were ahead of the general curve, but now it’s pretty even. The rest of the industry has evolved toward using more composites. Now, it’s a matter of having the best products and techniques to get the exact characteristic you’re looking for.
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