MONTREAL, Oct. 16, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - Developing and
renewing local expertise and driving Quebec know-how through a competitive local
business model is the mission of the brand new IBM Client
Innovation Centre (CIC) (NYSE: IBM) which was officially
inaugurated this morning in Montreal. This inspiring place, with its young
and dynamic design, is already buzzing with activity! It has
exceeded its initial targets and employs close to 120 employees,
which will grow to 250 by the end of 2018. But lBM has big
ambitions: to create more than 500 high-level jobs in the
metropolis over the next four years.
Clearly, the anticipated inauguration of these facilities to
which attended the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic
Development of Canada, the
Honourable Navdeep Singh
Bains, the Deputy Premier, Minister of Economy, Science
and Innovation and Minister responsible for the Digital Strategy,
Mrs. Dominique Anglade,
the Mayor of Montréal, Mr. Denis Coderre and the robot
Nao, the face of the artificial intelligence, pave the way for an
era of sustained collaboration, innovation and very fast-moving
transformation!
Today we are entering a crucial stage with the official
inauguration of this second Canadian global delivery centre located
in Place Bonaventure in the heart of the metropolis. We are
enthusiastic about supporting our Canadian customers in their
digital transformation. Even more, to participate actively in
Quebec's economic growth with the
creation of specialized jobs that foster the implementation of
major investments and the development of local expertise," said
Claude Guay, General Manager, IBM
Global Business Services, Canada.
The Montreal CIC addresses several of our Canadian client's
challenges and realities. In particular increase in their
productivity thanks to access to a pool of qualified bilingual
resources at competitive prices
Passionate supporters of innovation and the concept of a "smart
city," the governments of Canada,
Quebec and the City of Montréal
welcomed IBM's involvement in the development of expertise that is
too often relocated elsewhere in the world.
"When global companies like IBM look for the best place to
invest and grow their business, Canada is at the top of the list. Thanks to
our Innovation and Skills Plan and programs like the Global Skills
Strategy and the Innovation Superclusters, global companies know
they can rely on a stable and predictable economic environment, a
talented workforce and entrepreneurial people. Today's announcement
is great news for Montreal, as
this new investment will create and sustain resilient,
high-quality, well-paying middle-class jobs", said the Honourable
Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic
Development, Government of Canada.
"Our government is making major efforts to build an attractive
and open digital economy, internationally recognized for its
know-how, innovations and ecosystem. The presence of many
technological frontrunners like IBM in our metropolis confirms
Quebec's leadership and great
power of attraction for large-scale projects, particularly in the
information and communications technology sector", said
Dominique Anglade, Deputy Premier,
Minister of Economy, Science and Innovation and Minister
responsible for the Digital Strategy.
"The IBM Client Innovation Centre will enhance the digital
service offer, while staying on the leading edge of new technology.
Keeping this in mind, this fits into the tradition of excellence
with regard to the services present in Montréal. We are proud of
this type of project. The image of Montréal is changing, and for
the better. We have succeeded in positioning ourselves as a leader
in many sectors, such as artificial intelligence or aerospace,
while retaining neighbourhoods on a human scale, where it is great
to live and work", said Mayor of Montréal, Mr. Denis
Coderre.
The Montreal CIC required major investments and services in
leading-edge areas, such as enterprise cloud computing, SAP,
Oracle, Microsoft and Workday, Java and .Net development, testing
services. It also develops specialized sector software,
particularly in the fields of analytics, data management,
enterprise content and order management, and even solutions.
The team, which combines youth and experience, has as many
recent graduates from academic institutions as experienced
resources with an impressive track record. Intensive training and
mentoring programs are being developed to equip this
talent.
"The CIC is a team of young professionals, a collaborative
environment where there are plenty of opportunities for
advancement," states Alan Bros who
joined the organization in 2016.
Cooperative Agropur, headquartered in Eastern Quebec and a recognized leader in the
dairy industry in Canada, is one
of the first clients of the Montreal CIC. Serge Fortier, Vice President, Information
Technologies at Agropur took the opportunity to stress once again
the importance of the CIC. "The centre provides direct and rapid
access to a pool of professionals with the skills required for our
technological development, who would otherwise be hired outside the
province or country. The successes to date are encouraging and they
encourage us to increase our use of CIC resources."
Cascades, which is the largest recycler in Canada and is the predominant manufacturer and
processor of corrugated cardboard, tissue papers and speciality
products in North America, also
used the IBM CIC in Montreal to
obtain the necessary services and resources to support its digital
development. "Cascades is in the midst of a great transformation
and we had to find a way to add flexibility to the services we
offer to our business units. Quick access to qualified and
bilingual resources is a challenge for us. The integration of the
Montreal CIC with our model gives us a lot more flexibility," said
Martin Constant, Director, IT
Infrastructure & Operations at Cascades.
The new Client Innovation Centre in Montreal along with the one in Halifax, Nova Scotia, are part of a global
network of IBM delivery centres in more than 30 countries and are
designed to increase services to Canadian clients. IBM has an
integrated set of processes, expertise and specialized tools that
it will implement in this new centre in order to offer superior
applications to its customers.
About IBM
IBM is one of Canada's top ten private R & D investors,
contributing more than $477 million
to Canada's research activities in
2015. IBM has a unique approach to collaboration: it provides
academic researchers, small and large companies, start-up companies
and developers with the business strategies and IT tools they need
to innovate. Areas of research include health, agile computing,
water, energy, cities, mining, advanced manufacturing, digital
media and cybersecurity. Over the past three years, IBM and its
partners have helped create more than 240 high-level jobs and
launch nearly 40 new companies. Go to
http://www.ibm.com/ibm/ca/fr/canadian-innovation.html for more
information.
SOURCE IBM Canada Ltd.