News
Mechtronix new World Corporation’s R&D Centre

May 8, 2009, Montreal – Raymond Bachand, Québec’s Minister of Finance, Minister of Economic Development, Innovation and Export Trade and Minister responsible for the Montreal region, presided over the unveiling of the new Mechtronix World Corporation’s R&D Centre in Montreal.

This R&D Center gives Mechtronix the potential to double its current engineering staff to meet an anticipated growing global demand in line with its mission; “Where Innovation Takes Flight”.

The new facility, on Côte-de-Liesse just a few hundred yards from Mechtronix manufacturing facility, was also constructed to serve as the new headquarters for one of the world’s largest and fastest growing provider of flight simulation equipment. This R&D center together with the expansion of the manufacturing facility gives Mechtronix the ability to expand its production capacity by at least 50 per cent.

“Mechtronix, a great success story that demonstrates how Québec’s policy and past investments in research and development have paid off to create great companies that provide the high quality jobs we need in our region”, said Mr. Bachand.

“Mechtronix’ success shows that the early and continual planting of investment seeds can reap strong roots and a solid R&D foundation leading to extremely competitive companies in the global market place. Québec needs to continue investing in and inspiring R&D to create the next generation of companies like Mechtronix. Mechtronix shows that when governments invest in concert with our universities to support the industrial world, you create world class jobs and the global leading companies we all want.”

R&D investment in Mechtronix dates back to the mid 1980s when at Concordia University, a team of engineering students were challenged to discover if micro-processors could be used for industrial applications in flight simulation. These students not only proved that it could be done in time, but quickly after in 1987, they founded Mechtronix based on this premise.

They accomplished this goal and were being credited by many for radically changing the way flight training technology was designed and constructed. Mechtronix has since continued to improve and refine its advances in R&D through government programs such as the Investissement Québec PASI program, the government R&D Tax Credit Program and others.

“We are thankful for the global Québec government support which has been instrumental in making Mechtronix a leading innovative player in the flight and simulation training industry worldwide”, said its president and member of the original founding team, Xavier Hervé. “The core of our success relies on dynamism and exceptional R&D, and we appreciate the fact that our governments recognize and support this. This is best acknowledged by the regular tributes paid worldwide by our customers, key suppliers, regulatory agencies and even our competitors when they follow our tracks. With our governments, we have a formula for a world class business model that shows how an industry, university, government and related regional agencies can win together.”