Roulottes Prolite - History


Martin James, the changing in the VR
Says which he fell inside when he was young. It is a good caricature which one can be made of Martin James. Son of Donald James that young people will have known in the manufacturers Holiday and Gipsy or dealers Rémillard and A.S. Lévesque, Martin can advance that he passed most clearly from his life in the recreational vehicles. Young person, it followed the governor who was going to meet agents. Teenager he spent his summers on a line of assembly to learn the rudiments from the trade, to listen to the experts speech of their techniques. He was in turn assembler, technician, manager of hiring of sale or service. He studied the market Québécois, retained criticisms of the consumers before working out the plans of his first caravan, Fusion 19, and carrying it out in his own garage, a little in Henry Ford! Then he founded Prolite, a company whose vocation consists in building light VR. In 2004, Prolite offers three models through five distributors to Quebec. There is thus changing in the field since Martin James is in about thirty!

Foremost, a passionate
"I have the impression to give pleasure at each day, launch, so much I am at ease in my workshop" That was not easy to launch the company, but I had much assistance of the CLD of my area. I was convinced of the need for caravans light and built well for the Québécois market. However, to structure a company and to make it progress required a technical support which I obtained from them ". As Henry Ford who had built his first car in his garage, Martin settles in spring 2000 in the residential garage and assembles of any part his first Polaira. It occupies all space, so much so that he must slip it outside before raising it to pose the wheels! It becomes representing thereafter to find a first distributor. He goes to A. S. Lévesque or he makes a presentation with the personnel. André Lévesque will acknowledge to have been very sceptic before seeing this first unit. However, with the first glance, noting the quality of the product, he states with Mr James that it will have to leave Polaira in the court, to be turned over some with his small happiness and an order of several additional units. The first stake was posed.

More roomy buildings
Of the family house, Martin will move in a small workshop which will become too exiguous at the end of one year, then in more roomy in the industrial park of Saint-Eustache. "We will be able to produce approximately a hundred units per year in the current room and I plan to double surface in 2005, if all is well". Gradually, Prolite makes its niche. We can count on personnel of experiment for which the quality of construction precedes ".

Made in Quebec
Martin James reviews honour of saying that its products are to 90% Québécois. "Our suppliers are in Granby, Oka, Blainville. Steel, wood, the glass fibre and the windows all are from here. Only the apparatuses such as the stove or the refrigerators come from the United States. We know that these products are of high quality since they are often conveyed in the south of the border and return to us in top-of-the-range VR. All our units are assembled with the hand, are approved SCA and are scrupulously checked before the delivery. Except some pips of youth on the first units, we never had the least failure ".


Major changes for 2007
A room of watch is opened at the 1100, boul. industry with St-Jerome in order to present the models of caravans and the creation of a dealer at the same place for the customers of the area of Montréal. This new site, of a surface four times more important than the factory of St-Eustace, has modern equipment to be able to manufacture more than 400 products per year. New services are also offered for the hiring of travel trailers, a store of parts and obviously the financing on the spot. A new model makes its entry in 2007, that is to say the max 21, of a weight of 2750 pounds with two axles.
 

2009
New modele, the Prolite Evasion 16

 

2008
New model for 2008, the Fusion 19 (will replace the Polaira 17).

 

2007
A room of watch is opened at the 1100, boul. industry with St-Jerome in order to present the models of caravans and the creation of a dealer at the same place for the customers of the area of Montréal. This new site, of a surface four times more important than the factory of St-Eustace, has modern equipment to be able to manufacture more than 400 products per year. New services are also offered for the hiring of travel trailers, a store of parts and obviously the financing on the spot. A new model makes its entry in 2007, that is to say the max 21, of a weight of 2750 pounds with two axles.



2006
The eco 12, small caravan practises of 750 pounds. Removal on the Industrial boulevard with St-Jerome.



2005
To adjust itself at the requests of the customers concerning ultra light travel trailers, the model Ultra 24 is replaced by a model very light and incomparable, that is to say Mini 13 of a weight of 865 lbs. Some modifications with the models Profile 14 and Fusion 19 will accompany this vision towards increasingly light caravans in order to agree with the current practices of life.



2004
When Fusion 19 is launched, Martin attacks a caravan with compact bolster which can be drawn by compact vans. Thus is born at spring 2003, Prolite Ultra 24. "It weighs 3995 lbs and is ideal for the small families because of her price and its fickleness. The American manufacturers have the monopoly of the large machine, but offer very little in the compact and light segment ". With two models which find taking and of the points of sale which is added, Martin worked out an ultra caravan light (Profile 14 feet of 1350 lbs) tow able by a compact car which is now offered to those which seek small and practical. The cocooning also finds followers in the VR!