One of the signs of a great and stable economy in an area is the amount of manufacturing which takes place in the city. Burnaby British Columbia is the picture of a modern city; state of the art malls and skyscrapers highlight the cityscape. New construction is constantly ongoing, with workers putting up new developments every day, while their web slings dangle below them keeping them safe from harm.
You might not expect a city with such a modern appearance to have much of a manufacturing sector. After all, manufacturing is more often than not equated with start up cities and countries, where companies can pay lower wages in order to increase returns. However, the manufacturing industry in Burnaby remains strong today, in large part thanks to its location right on the ocean. This makes it easy for companies to ship their products, protected by heat shrink tubing, plastic containers, and dunnage, to other locations throughout the world.
Construction itself can be considered a form of manufacturing, and the industry employs many citizens within Burnaby. Much of this construction involves the erection of high rise, high density residential buildings, which are becoming an increasing important part of the Burnaby skyline. Let's take a look at some of the other manufacturing niches which take place in Burnaby, offering jobs to those who live in the area.
Technology
One of the largest manufacturing sectors in the Burnaby area is technology. Located close to several of the most important engineering and technology universities in Western Canada, Burnaby has ample candidates for firms looking to find innovative recruits.
These high tech firms cover a range of different areas. Electronic Arts (EA) is a well known video game developer whose Canadian headquarters and manufacturing section are located right here in Burnaby. A job there is truly the dream of every male who has ever held a controller!
Ballard Power Systems is another important and ultra modern technology based business which manufactures its products right here in the city of Burnaby. The company creates fuel cell systems, and many see the products it creates as the way of the future. They manufacture engines, drives, power conversion products, microturbines and other materials. These materials are then packaged together with an automatic banding machine and shipped to companies all over the world.
Communications giant Telus, which holds a monopoly on the phone industry in both British Columbia and Alberta, also has its manufacturing headquarters in the city.
High tech manufacturing in Burnaby is not limited to big companies alone. Sage Vancouver got its start here before being purchased by a large UK corporation. Operations still continue at the Burnaby location, although this is manufacturing on its least visible scale!
Heavy Industry
The presence of refineries operated by Chevron and Petro-Canada ensure that the manufacturing industry in Burnaby is diverse. These companies develop many of their own products, from Y strainers which entrap foreign bodies to processing machinery. This means that even more jobs are open in the city for people with specific manufacturing expertise.
As you can see, the manufacturing sector in Burnaby remains strong. With a focus on technology, the manufacturing jobs within the city tend to be high paying and reliable.
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