In photo above: The Syntronic team has discovered that it can support many potential customers in high-tech and other markets from Kanata North.
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Why do multinational technology companies come to Kanata North?
We have fantastic people who are highly creative, innovative and expert at solving hard problems – that’s a given. But more than this, we have a rich and valuable technology ecosystem with a h2 pedigree. This continues to support the industries that put the city on the tech map and foster the up-and-comers that are making waves in new markets.
We polled several of the big names from abroad that call Kanata North home for their thoughts on the matter:
Amazon
“Amazon is an innovation company. We are on a quest to constantly refine the experience we offer our customers by pushing the boundaries of technologies… To be successful, we surround ourselves with exceptional talents who look for new ideas from everywhere and thrive on innovation and invention. The Kanata North high tech community has a great history of leading this innovation – we want to lever this experience to create disrupting technologies. We are looking for talented software engineers who are ready to go on a path no one has ever been before and create the next generation of the Alexa (web analytics) platform.”
— Francois Boisvert, Manager, Software Development, Alexa
Ciena
“Kanata North is home to Ciena’s largest employee base, with roughly 30 per cent of our global employees, including half of our R&D team. This operation is focused on maintaining Ciena’s lead in key packet-optical technologies like coherent processing. Kanata North is a thriving technology hub with like-minded companies, a vibrant higher-education community that is open to active technology partnerships, and highly-skilled workers, with a concentration of advanced engineering talent. Additionally, there are forward-thinking economic development policies and public-private collaboration at the local, provincial and federal levels. The area offers a business climate that supports investment, growth and opportunity consistent with Ciena’s long-term strategy.”
— James Frodsham, Chief Strategy Officer
Ericsson
“Ericsson is a global leader in ICT solutions and is one of the top investors in R&D in Canada. The Kanata North site is a global R&D centre for Ericsson’s radio portfolio. As such, when it came time to move from our original location, Ericsson chose Kanata North for its state-of-the-art facility. The key factors in this decision included the proximity to suppliers, the vibrant technology ecosystem partners that exist here and the convenience for our approximately 1,000 highly skilled employees. Innovation is vital to our continued success. Ericsson draws on the community of brilliant and innovative talent attracted to Kanata North because of its reputation for opportunity and growth in the high tech sector.”
— Jeffrey Stanier, Head of PDU 4G & 5G Baseband Ottawa, Ottawa Site Leader
Huawei
“Huawei’s Canada Research Centre has called Kanata North home since opening our first research office in 2009. Over the past seven years, we have expanded our operations to include almost 300 engineers and researchers. Simply put, there are few locations in North America that offer a similar ecosystem of leadership in advanced communications research. Our focus on chipset design and 5G technologies reflects the diverse talent that calls Ottawa and Kanata North home.”
— Scott Bradley, VP Corporate Affairs, Huawei Canada
Syntronic
“Syntronic, an engineering design house from Sweden, helps customers in a variety of industries such as defence, telecom, med-tech, industrial and transportation. We discovered that from Kanata North we could support many potential customers in high-tech and other markets. Many customers are within walking distance. When your customers realize they are being helped by a high-performance company next door, you really do have the feeling that we are neighbours helping neighbours for a true partnership. Kanata North has proven to be a vibrant hub of talented and creative people working in many great companies full of potential for growth. It’s an area that attracts smart people, that’s close to great universities and provides a playground for innovation.”
— Hans Molin, President, Syntronic R&D Canada