6 mins | 960 words
By: Randy Gaudreau
With over 1,500 employees in eight different countries, Sweden-based Syntronic is truly a global company.
And ever since it joined the Ottawa tech community in 2014, it seems the Canadian division of the engineering design house continues to grow exponentially.
Syntronic in a nutshell
Established in Stockholm in 1983, Syntronic helps tech companies turn their idea into a cutting-edge product solution. These products solutions can be hardware or software based, with market applications ranging from telecom, automotive, industrial, MedTech and more.
Syntronic also helps with the production and manufacturing of prototypes and provides them with aftermarket research, making it a full-service design house for global brands.
Today, its tight-knit Canadian workforce stands around 400, with about 300 based in Ottawa. It also recently added two locations in Montréal and Toronto and added over 150 employees since January 2021.
Growth fueled by 5G and the automotive sector
Vice President of Strategic Engineering and Business Development Taimoor Nawab couldn’t help but be excited about the growth not only for Syntronic but in the tech community in Ottawa as a whole, driven in part by the 5G talent community that exists here.
He explained that companies are moving in to take advantage of the pool of tech talent in the region that understands 5G technology. And in turn, the heightened activity and interest is causing talent to move to the area because of the opportunities they see now in Ottawa.
“I’ve been in Kanata for the last 20 years and I can tell you it’s probably the best time in tech in Kanata right now,” he said. “There is a lot happening in Ottawa and Kanata in the technology space, so it’s a great time for people to come here and find their next big thing to do.”
Top tech talent keeps customers coming back
One of the key advantages for Syntronic is its ability to offer its customers the services of top-notch talent. According to Taimoor, exciting projects at Syntronic attract highly skilled individuals looking for a challenge. And after getting great service, the customers keep coming back and bringing more exciting projects.
“Having complex challenging assignments or projects to work on is really why you know people want to come work at Syntronic,” he said. “Our goal has always been to provide value to our customers by bringing experienced engineers to the table to help solve complex problems for them. That’s how we build trust and why they keep coming back and asking us to assist on more projects.”
With so many great reasons to work with Syntronic, we wanted to collect a few core ideas from our discussion with Taimoor and put them together into a list. With that being said, here’s:
Three great reasons why you’ll want to work with Syntronic
1. Cutting-edge, challenging projects for problem solvers
If you’re an engineer that loves solving challenging problems, and you’re craving an opportunity to work on exciting projects, then Syntronic might be your dream environment.
“There’s no shortage of highly complex projects that are going to change everyone’s lives going forward,” Taimoor said.
“We’re working on cutting-edge 5G products for many customers in Canada and North America in general. These are products that will eventually end up being the next-gen backbone of the communications network that we’re all going to be using in the next five to 10 years.”
2. Opportunities to extend your skills and your borders
With a diverse range of products and related projects, there are so many opportunities to work in different areas at Syntronic, offering plenty of opportunities to learn and grow. As Taimoor explains, it’s possible to start working on a solution for a telecom product, and to explore opportunities in automotive when you’re done.
“You don’t get siloed,” he explained. “You’re exposed to project management, business development, and other aspects of the business. It can even help you refine what your career aspirations are, just because you get exposed to so many aspects of the business.”
This opportunity to explore also extends beyond just learning new skills; it can also apply to experiencing new cultures as well.
While some project teams are fully contained in their location, others can be shared between offices around the world. And after time, team members might even, for example, be given the option to work a short stint in Sweden.
“We actually encourage that,” he said. “I think it’s good for not only career development, but it’s good for Syntronic to have our employees be exposed to the global operation.”
3. A growing global company with a family-feel
Not only has Syntronic’s first Canadian office in Ottawa been voted one of the top 10 Best Places to Work in Ottawa, it turns out it’s a pretty unique place to work as well.
The company even incorporates a few traditionally Swedish rituals including Fika – a weekly ritual in which workers are encouraged to make time for friends and colleagues over snacks. It’s work culture bonuses like these, according to Taimoor, that help Syntronic stick to its small company roots and Swedish values as it continues to grow.
“It actually been really good for us,” he explains. “We don’t want to become a big company and shed our kind of small company values. That’s really how Syntronic started when we were 35 people. It was a small family of engineers providing value.”
“And today,” he added. We’re 400 in Canada. And it’s still the same culture. That’s how we bring solutions to realization.”
Looking to join the talented team at Syntronic? Be sure to head over to its careers page to discover open positions today.
For career opportunities with other fast-growing tech companies in Ottawa, sign up to join the Work in Ottawa talent pool, and get on our recruiters’ radars. You never know when the phone might ring!