OEM helps retain highly skilled workers while contributing to region's bottom-line
Published on December 16, 2011
Medicine Hat, Alberta, December 16, 2011 - The country’s largest Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) of training systems, Meggitt Training Systems Canada (Meggitt) continues to contribute to the economic climate in southeast Alberta. Dylan Richards, Director of Finance for the company estimates that over the last 30 years they have taken an eight million dollar investment and contributed over 40 million back into the sector.
“One of the things that make this a commercial success is that any time we sell equipment, we pay a dividend back to the Canadian Crown. Not only do we create jobs, but we also sell internationally knowing that we’re bringing money in and giving money back,” said Richards.
Meggitt was also identified as a key employer by Premier Alison Redford during a visit to Medicine Hat, Alberta in the fall of 2011. Due to the unique opportunity and involvement with unmanned vehicle systems, they are able to employ and retain highly skilled employees particularly in the engineering trade. Redford also spoke about the opportunities she saw economically and commented on their youthful staff; a generation that can be hard to retain in rural areas.
Richards explained that Meggitt works closely with the Medicine Hat College by offering practicum placements in specialty areas such as: marketing, engineering and graphic design; when possible students are hired on a permanent basis.
A recent example of job creation through Meggitt was the development of a Semi- Permanent Road Range (SPRR). The SPRR is a transportable training unit that helps to prepare soldiers for the situations they’ll face in combat. It spans about the length of two football fields, and took nearly the entire year to manufacture. Despite the significant undertaking of the project, it was sold within the year. Meggitt contributes much of its success to a partnership with the Medicine hat Airport; which allowed them to test and develop on their site.
Richards explained that although some of the manufacturing had to be done in Taber, Alberta, a majority of the technology and engineering was completed in southeast Alberta. Meggitt publically thanked Norm Boucher, Mayor of Medicine Hat and Jeff Huntus, Manager of the Medicine Hat Airport in the Medicine Hat News for this opportunity.
If you’re interested in learning more about Meggitt, please visit www.meggitttrainingsystems.com or go to www.edalliance.ca to discover the opportunities associated to the unmanned vehicle systems sector in southeast Alberta.
The EDA would like to thank Jessica Leroux, a student from the Medicine Hat College for submitting this article, as well as Meggitt Training Systems for providing the opportunity for young professionals to gain real world experience in southeast Alberta.