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British
Columbia’s advanced manufacturing sector produces a diverse
range of high-value, design- and engineering-intensive
products for international markets.
In 2005, the advanced manufacturing
sector employed 46,700 people, and shipped products valued
at an estimated $7.5 billion. Seventy per cent of these
shipments were exported, primarily to the United States.
Leading international firms in this
sector include:
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3M Touch Systems touch-screen
automation systems
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Honeywell advanced
industrial controls, sapphire products, and surveillance
systems
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PMC-Sierra semiconductors
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Ballard Power Systems
hydrogen fuel cells
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Toyota auto wheel
manufacturing
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Eastman Kodak/Creo digital
printing systems
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Coe Manufacturing sawmill
machinery and equipment
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Raute wood products
production machinery and equipment
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ASCO Aerospace aircraft
wing components
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Zodiac Hurricane
high-performance inflatable boats
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Rolls Royce marine
propulsion systems
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Access
to a growing pool of over 50,000 top-notch engineering,
technical and production workers.
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Annual savings of up to
15 per cent for labour, facilities, power and taxes compared with U.S. locations.
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Automatic property tax exemption
for production machinery and equipment.
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Generous R&D tax credits
totalling 28 per cent of qualified R&D expenditures.
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Research excellence in
mechanical and electrical engineering.
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Proximity and duty-free
access to the U.S. market.
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Proximity to low-cost Asian
suppliers of components and materials.
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Reliable, low-cost power.
A number of industry segments in which
British Columbia demonstrates technology leadership and
cost-competitiveness have excellent potential for expansion:
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Industrial machinery, process control
technologies and automation systems
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Industrial electrical equipment
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Electronics manufacturing
services
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Power technologies – fuel cell
systems and components; power measurement, control and
conversion devices
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Transportation equipment –
aerospace and automotive components, sub-sea vehicles,
ship and boat building
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Specialty plastics
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Medical equipment and supplies
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Emergency and safety equipment
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