The London Economic Development (LEDC)-organized The Best Defence II Conference won accolades from the Economic Developers Council of Ontario (EDCO). The conference awarded winner in the category of Best Strategic Plans and Initiatives at the EDCO conference held Feb.4-6, 2014 in Toronto, Ontario.
The Best Defence II Conference highlighted London’s long standing tradition of excellence in Military Land Systems and earned praises from industry publications such as VANGUARD and Canadian Defence review. Locally, the conference increased awareness of the depth and breadth of the sector in media, and at the national level the conference highlighted to the federal government the sector’s economic impact across Canada. In his keynote address at the conference, FEDDEV Minister Gary Goodyear quoted that impact to be worth $6 billion per year.
The Best Defence Conference — thought to be the third largest regional event of its kind in Canada and the only Ontario event held outside Ottawa — was marketed towards a highly-targeted audience: the International and Canada-wide defence and security industry. The conference was a full-day event with a strong lineup of experts discussing international defence and security opportunities and methods to enter those markets. The robust schedule and two special receptions helped to facilitate extensive networking for regional and international attendees.
LEDC strategically approached CADSI to collaborate on the conference and in turn assisted CADSI in outreach to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs.) Companies learned of key defence programs and horizons for these contracts. The conference also provided valuable information for European and U.S. companies to learn about the Canadian procurement process. The 2013 conference targeted export markets for defence companies. Feedback from the audience was exceptionally good regarding the value of the content and networking opportunities, given the slowdown in contracts from the US and Canadian governments.
On the heels of the success of previous conference, the LEDC is proud to announce The Best Defence III Conference will take place in London on November 13, 2014.
In other defence news, Kongsberg Protech Systems Canada (KPSC) announced it has secured a contract with the Canadian Department of National Defence for the repair and overhaul of its fleet of PROTECTOR M151 Remote Weapon Stations. The repair and overhaul will begin in March 2014 along with full scale production of Dual Remote Weapon Stations (DRWS) – a project awarded to the company in 2012. The new contracts will see KONGSBERG’S workforce in London grow to 23 by the end of the first quarter of this year. The company has been welcoming new employees in quality management, warehouse, and electro-mechanical assembly positions and plans to hire at least three additional electro-mechanical assemblers this month alone.
