A New Brunswick ambulance manufacturer is redirecting its business toward Canadian provinces after the ongoing trade dispute with the United States sharply reduced its American sales.
Malley Industries, based in Dieppe and employing about 80 people, entered the U.S. market in 2016 and by 2024 was generating nearly half its revenue there, with New York City ranking as its second-largest customer after New Brunswick itself. But according to vice-president Myles Malley, U.S. business has fallen by roughly 80 per cent since last April.
Malley said existing American clients haven’t disappeared, but they are scaling back and delaying orders amid uncertainty. He attributed the slowdown to the unpredictability created by the trade war, noting that shifting tariff announcements make it difficult for businesses to commit to deals from one week to the next.
In response, the company invested $1 million in research and development to create a new ambulance design, unveiling it on Wednesday. Engineer Deji Ayoola, who joined Malley Industries in 2022, said the process demanded long hours of testing and preparation as the company worked to develop a competitive product quickly, given that breaking into overseas markets was seen as too difficult and legal experts could offer little clarity on how the trade situation would unfold.
The company is now targeting Quebec and Alberta as its next major markets. Representatives from Quebec’s ambulance services, representing around 400 vehicles from the province’s eastern region, travelled to New Brunswick this week for the product launch. Malley noted that figure dwarfs the roughly 145 ambulances in operation across all of New Brunswick, and said the level of interest from potential Canadian clients left him optimistic about the company’s prospects.
Malley said he believes there is enough demand within the Canadian market to sustain the company for some time, though expanding nationally poses its own challenges since ambulance requirements and standards differ from province to province. Ayoola added that he sees room for healthy competition in what he described as a highly concentrated industry, saying rivalry tends to push companies to improve.
The pivot comes as trade tensions between the two countries continue to escalate. On the same day as Malley’s product launch, U.S. President Donald Trump announced new import bans on additional Canadian goods, including alcohol, motorcycles and molasses, set to take effect at the end of September. New Brunswick’s economic development minister, Luke Randall, said those measures affect about $115.1 million of the province’s export value.
Randall called the Malley Industries announcement a bright spot on an otherwise difficult day, saying it showed the business community stepping up to lead through adversity.
Despite the shift toward domestic markets, Malley said the company isn’t cutting ties with its American clients permanently. He noted that many U.S. customers still don’t fully grasp that the tariffs originate from their own government’s policies rather than Canada’s. Still, he said Malley Industries would welcome a return of U.S. business if trade conditions improve, but added the company cannot afford to wait around for that outcome while opportunities in Canada exist.
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