Globe and Mail: How Canadian ‘science fiction’ drives subway trains abroad

Jeff Gray

Recently appointed Thales Canada president Paul Kahn points to the company’s recently announced deal to retrofit New York City’s Flushing subway line as a major coup that establishes a foothold in the U.S. subway capital. But the company is also eyeing possible new contracts from San Francisco to Brussels.

Fighting for business around the world from a base in Canada has several advantages, Mr. Kahn says. For one thing, governments support technology and innovation: Thales received a $12.8-million grant from Ontario last year to integrate green energy-saving technology into its systems.

But the talent pool in Toronto is also a major advantage, adds Mr. Kahn, who came from Thales’s aviation division, based in Italy. Not only is Toronto awash in technical expertise, he says, its diversity is a secret weapon.

“When we’re working with the Chinese, we have people who speak Chinese who are integral members of our staff here,” Mr. Kahn said. “When we are working in [South] Korea, we have Canadians of Korean origin who culturally can work very effectively. It is one of the clear competitive advantages of being in Canada.”

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Reference: Globe and Mail