New Brunswick - Growing Innovation
by James O'Regan
After a century's worth of brain drain to the US and central Canada, the province's best minds are staying put. Innovation is setting firm roots in New Brunswick, creating information driven companies and light manufacturers that sell to the world. And, ironically enough, the brain drain is even reversing with come-from-away companies relocating here.
Atlantic Canada is finding real value in knowledge based industries - high tech hardware, software and sophisticated services. The innovations that are found in these industries herald a bright future for New Brunswick and all of Atlantic Canada in employment, exports and economic growth. Here is what some of these New Brunswick companies are doing:
At Blue Cross, the Quick Pay Initiative (QPI) is a text book case of innovation. Management simply asked reception what was the most common customer question. It was: "Can I have my check now?" QPI was developed out of existing software to allow the payment of a claim at exactly the same time as the claim was filed.
Imagine trying to decide where to put a landfill site, having to sift through and compare statistics on water tables, nearby populations, fault lines, soil conditions, access roads, and a host of other complex factors. Then imagine seeing a picture of how all this information fits together - no more reams of statistics but holistic graphics that paint options before your eyes. That's geomatics.
Using computer-aided analysis, some 60 Atlantic Canadian geomatic companies are creating a world class geomatic product line to help customers interpret complex geographic problems. ACOA is a partner in the Atlantic Geometric Alliance to promote that development. The market for this innovative industry knows no bounds - from the deepest ocean to the farthest reaches of space or, at least, anywhere on earth.
How would you like a buy a birch tree in January with all of its greenery? Le Bois Dormant owns the North American rights to an innovative French process, which embalms plants - capturing and preserving foliage at the peak of perfection. A boon for flower shops, these plants keep their suppleness and colour for five to ten years. Wheat, golden rod, junipers and some 50 other varieties can be convinced to take on a selection of artificial colours. Consequently, florists have a wide range of product to use when creating their designs. Le Bois Dormant wholesales to Atlantic Canada and franchises its technology to North America.
What do a camping trip to Algonquin Park and solar flares have in common? A dynamic newcomer called Com Dev Atlantic. This space science company recently sponsored five New Brunswick high school students to a space summer camp at Algonquin Park, granted half a million dollars to found space sciences at UNB and announced a $3.6M plant opening in Moncton. The path seems clear for future NB scientists wishing to work in the growing Canadian space related communications and satellite technology sector.
Innovation rings clear with the new Datacor Atlantic -IBM joint venture in the provision of information system management services. Here the innovation is in marketing. This Atlantic Canadian company can sell excellent product to Canada and the world through the formidable marketing power of the giant IBM.
Datacor recently introduced two new innovative products - Comprehensive Management Services CMS and NB*net. CMS allows telephone company customers to initial, manage, and audit their own telephone product and service orders in one operation.
NB*net allows computer users to hook up to INTERNET a worldwide computer network. Customers can tap into information services offering anything from home brew recipes to the latest in high tech R&D.
SMI Manufacturing Ltd. of Bathurst is one of only two makers of self-contained one-piece refrigeration units in the world. SMI builds from scratch. These innovative 12,000 BTU machines simply plug in to cool a 2000 square foot storage room. Ozone sensitive, they use 15 lbs of CFC's rather than the industry standards of 300-400 lbs. A non-freon unit is in development right now. With 30 orders and counting coming from Africa alone, SMI is proof positive that New Brunswick-built innovation can sell the world-over.
It is the rare manufacturing company that can outbid cheap Asian or Mexican labour in the electronic components game. Custom Assemblies Ltd. is one that did with an innovative combination of Just In Time Delivery (JITD) and a knack for continual flexibility. As a subcontractor, CAL is a jack of all trades, filling orders for companies unwilling or unable to do the work themselves. And it is a master of flexibility with whole assembly lines capable of wide ranging change.
Dynoptics Inc. cut the cost of processing eyeglass lenses by automating lens grinding and frame fitting, and by creating a computer network for eye doctors. In one fell swoop, optical dispensers can take measurements in their own office, call up the Dynoptics computer and relay all the information needed to craft lenses. This system is such a success that North American rights to the process have been licensed to a US company. A joint venture with a British company is in negotiation now.
NCA Micro Electronics used the national recognition received for their work on the frigate program to market other products and services to central Canada. They are developing an integrated digital and audio mass transit public address system for Toronto and Edmonton's transit systems and Ontario's Go transit. They are selling an innovative enhanced signal scrambler for cable and pay-tv to combat theft - it's an inexpensive upgrade for existing systems. They have developed an on-board agricultural computer, enabling harvesters to more quickly and automatically react to harvest conditions.
Atlantic Canadians and New Brunswickers in particular can be proud of the dynamic and profitable enterprises in their midst. The innovative genius and growth of these companies and others like them clearly show that a bright future has moved to New Brunswick.
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Client: Venture Communications, Moncton, for ACOA Communications Dept., 1992.
© ACOA, 1992
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