Charles Côté, mechanical engineer.
I started Metric Systems to do mechanical design the way I always wished it was done on the projects I supported earlier in my career — measured on the floor, drafted with care, and supervised through to install. Five years in, I've built up a portfolio of experience across various fields that lets me take on ever bigger design challenges. Every request gets considered on its own merits, and anything where the safety risk would outpace my current experience is referred out to more seasoned engineers I trust. The name Metric Systems comes from a Quebec quirk: imperial and SI units live side by side on every shop floor — but I aim to never repeat a Mars Climate Orbiter (1999) and keep things standard. Always metric, always satisfied, always safe.
How Metric Systems started.
I trained as a mechanical engineer in Quebec and spent my first years in design offices serving aerospace and food-grade manufacturers across the island of Montreal. I drew a lot of platforms, a lot of guarding, and a lot of fixtures — and I kept seeing the same thing: drawings that worked in CAD but fought with the building once the welders showed up.
In 2026 I opened a small studio in Saint-Jean-de-Matha, serving plants across the Greater Montreal area, with one rule: every project I sign gets a site walk before a quote, and an engineer on the floor at install. No middle layer, no junior draftsperson translating the brief.
Today Metric Systems takes on roughly 30–40 mechanical design mandates per year — mezzanines, ship's ladders, robotic-cell guarding, custom jigs — for plants between Chambly and Mirabel. Most of my work comes back from word of mouth, and I'd like to keep it that way.
— Charles Côté, eng.
From first call to commissioning.
- STEP_P1
Site walk & measure
I come to your floor with a tape, a notebook, and (when needed) a 3D LIDAR. We map clearances, anchor points, utilities, and traffic patterns before a single line is drafted.
- STEP_P2
Concept & feasibility note
Within five business days you receive a 2-page note: constraints, code references (CSA, NBC, CNESST), 2–3 sketched options, and an honest budget envelope. A preliminary design is also sent for your approval before detailed work begins.
- STEP_P3
Detailed design & calculations
Autodesk Inventor Professional 2026 3D models, FEA on critical members, and full GD&T fabrication drawings. Every load case is documented and shareable with your insurer or PE.
- STEP_P4
Fabrication oversight
I source through the Axya platform to match the best price to the lead time the project actually needs, then work with a vetted shortlist of Montreal-area welders and machinists. Weekly shop visits, weld inspection, and dimensional QA before anything ships.
- STEP_P5
Install & sign-off
On-site during install with RBQ-licensed installation partners — Gastier, Courtval, SIS, Dawco, Lilja and Industrie-L — anchor torque verified, and a complete handoff package: STEP, DWG, stamped PDFs, operator manual, and CNESST risk assessment.
Codes & standards we sign to.
Drawings issued by Metric Systems are prepared in accordance with the following references and stamped through an OIQ member-engineer for permit submission.
- MembershipOrdre des ingénieurs du Québec (OIQ)
- StandardCSA Z432-16 — Machine Safeguarding
- StandardCSA S16-19 — Steel Structures
- StandardCSA S157-17 — Strength Design in Aluminum
- StandardCSA W47.1 / W59 — Welded Steel Fabrication
- StandardCSA B354 — Mobile Elevating Work Platforms
- StandardISO 12100 / ISO 14120 — Risk Assessment & Guarding
- CodeCode de construction du Québec, Chap. I — Bâtiment
- CodeNBC 2020 / CNB 2020 (Quebec amendments)
- CodeRSST — Règlement sur la santé et la sécurité du travail (CNESST)
- ProcessISO 9001-aligned QA documentation
Greater Montreal coverage.
On-site visits within a 100 km radius of Saint-Jean-de-Matha at no charge. Beyond that, a flat travel fee applies. Quebec City, Sherbrooke, and Trois-Rivières on request.
- ZONE_Z01Saint-Laurent / Ville Mont-RoyalHome base · same-day visits
- ZONE_Z02Anjou / Saint-LéonardAerospace & contract mfg.
- ZONE_Z03Lachine / LaSalleFood & beverage corridor
- ZONE_Z04Laval / BoisbriandPlastics & assembly
- ZONE_Z05Longueuil / BouchervilleSouth-shore industrial parks
- ZONE_Z06Vaudreuil / ValleyfieldWest-island logistics
Want to walk a project together?
Send a few photos or a sketch. I respond personally within 24 hours with constraints, code references, and a ballpark.