Communitech’s newest corporate innovation partner already knows the challenges of pushing new ideas inside a big, established company.
The new partner, ZTR Control Systems, started exactly that way three decades ago: With an idea hatched by five then-employees of GM Diesel in London, Ont., a subsidiary of the big American automaker that built railway locomotives.
When GM Diesel management rejected the idea, the employees left to start their own operation, ZTR, in London. Today, the company employs 180 people who build smart-locomotive technology for railways and Internet of Things systems for several industries, including construction-equipment rentals, fleet operators and the oil and gas sector.
With two offices in London and another in Shakopee, Minnesota, ZTR today adds Waterloo Region to its list of locations. It launched an innovation lab at Communitech in downtown Kitchener’s Tannery complex, joining the growing roster of private- and public-sector organizations eager to tap into the region’s startup community and deep pool of tech talent.
“In our drive to be innovation leaders in the industries we serve, we saw the need to have access to the number of accelerator programs, startups, the connection to the [University of Waterloo] Velocity incubators and the world stage exposure that the Waterloo region offers,” said Sam Hassan, ZTR’s President and CEO. “Our success is directly tied to the smart, dedicated and creative individuals we have the pleasure of working with and K-W is a good fit to expand on our existing resources.”
ZTR has seen accelerated growth in recent years, adding 36 employees last year alone. Some of its largest customers include United Rentals, United Pacific Railway, Takeuchi and BNSF Railway. The company has been recognized by Deloitte’s annual list of Canada’s Best Managed Companies for the past three years.
