2 As featured in REPORT MAGAZINE

Synergy Engineering Ltd. is a world leader in the design andmanufacture of safe, reliable, custom-built large drive-control

systems for mining and other sectors challenged by special large-material handling applications.

Although founded in the Tri-Cities area of B.C. and based inCoquitlam, Synergy has a thriving, wholly owned subsidiary inChile (Synergy Ingeneria Limitada, based in Santiago), and asatellite office in Antofagasta to improve the support ofcustomers in the northern region of that country. It alsocompetes with some of the world’s largest engineering-electricalmanufacturing companies, exporting products and expertise toPeru, Indonesia, Russia, Iran and the USA. In fact, year-over-yearincreases in export sales for the past several years have reacheddouble-digit percentages, from 17 percent in 2003 to 69.4percent in 2005.

On the local front, in 2006 Synergy relocated itsheadquarters to its present Coquitlam facility, which is threetimes larger than Synergy’s original Port Moody home and

From a green-fields venture to a drive-control systems world leaderby Robin Brunet ____________________________________________________________________________________________

contains 36 full-time engineering and manufacturing people –an increase in direct employment of over 50 percent within ayear. Including contract personnel and subcontractors,Synergy’s average annual direct employment in B.C. is in excessof 80 people, and purchasing from regional industrial suppliersapproaches $8.6 million annually.

Synergy began as a one person, green-fields venture in 1987.The person in question was Richard Neuman, who createdSynergy for the purpose of designing, engineering andmanufacturing large electrical drive systems and associatedcontrols for the materials-handling industry. His initial projectsincluded the supply of conveyor drives and electrical systems toB.C.’s Highland Valley Copper Mine and other resource-extraction firms.

These early projects facilitated the development of the basetechnology Synergy required to compete beyond provincial andcountry boundaries.The company’s first transborder excursionwas into the oilsands market in Alberta, where it competed

Conveyor Motor Control, E-houses, Syncrude Canada

to develop a strategic alliance with one ofthe world’s largest mechanical design-build engineering com-panies – with theidea of bidding only on large-scale projectswith significant technical difficulty thatwould limit the competition to one or twoother companies worldwide.The size andtechnical difficulty of these projects droveSynergy to deepen its engineering skills toinclude automation, drive systems andpower distribution for large-materials-handling projects. Today, Synergycontinues an ongoing research anddevelopment effort to expand its expertisein new and emerging alternate-drivesystems, an ongoing investment thatmaintains the company’s status as aninternationally recognized domain expertin engineered-drive solutions.

Crusher Control Cab, E-house, Escondida, Chile

BRYTEX BUILDING SYSTEMS INC.5610 – 97 Street

Edmonton, Alberta T6E 3J1Phone (780) 437-7970Fax (780) 437-5022

Website: www.brytex.comEmail: brytex@brytex.com

DESIGN – MANUFACTURE – ERECTBRYTEX PRE-ENGINEERED,

INDUSTRIAL & COMMERCIAL, MODULAR, AND SELF-FRAMING

METAL BUILDING SYSTEMS

WISHING YOU CONTINUED SUCCESS!!

CAN/ CSA A660 CERTIFIED

Congratulations to Synergy Engineeringon their recent ventures and to their continued success.

From CASCA Electric

“Safety is our Highest Value”

2304-119 Avenue NE Edmonton, AB T6S 1B3Phone: (780) 461-0459

206, 9401 Franklin Avenue Fort McMurray, AB T9H 3Z7

Phone: (780) 743-2002

www.cascaelectric.com

electrification at the front end.We’ve added instrumentation andcontrol at the back end, usually wrapped around a drive and amotor solution for a much larger scope application. In effect, weprovide complete electrical and drives packages to enable themechanical part of the solution, whether it be conveyors,crushers, shredders or similarly challenging low rpm/hightorque applications.”

Synergy Ingeneria Limitada, which was formed in 2003,allows Synergy to source locally manufactured products andcomponents for South American projects, as well as increase theoverall amount of exported Canadian content in these sameprojects.The subsidiary, which has become self-supporting, alsoacts as a forward support base for Canadian technical supportand project supervision teams operating in Chile.

Car Shredder Drive Solution, US

against established multinational European-based suppliers.Synergy’s success in this sector helped it become established asa credible and capable supplier for conveyor-drive solutions, andit also won preferred supplier status with several domestic firmswho themselves had an international footprint.

Synergy’s entry into the international market was achievedvia a direct-sales strategy in Chile coupled with obtaining theassistance of B.C. expatriates working in the region who werealready familiar with Synergy’s capabilities in Canada. Successwith initial clients such as Minera Escondida Limitada (thelargest copper mine in the world) laid the base for furtherexpansion into markets in Peru and into Indonesia for suchclients as P.T. Freeport (Freeport MacMoran).

As for achieving success in the international large-scale-materials-handling market that Synergy is renowned for today,the company exploited its capability on medium-sized projects

Newmont Mines, Indonesia

Local Tribe member, Indonesia

Escondida, Chile Pase III expansion

Neuman has this to say about Synergy’s evolution withregards to its development capabilities:“We began by providingcustomers with motors and drives, and we did the occasional e-house, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg compared to thecomplete solutions we offer today,” he says. “We’ve added

4

5 REPORT MAGAZINE / August 2007 REPORT MAGAZINE / May 2008 5

Synergy Engineering Ltd.135 Glacier Street, Coquitlam, BC V3K 5Z1Tel: 604.464.3663 l Fax: 604.464.9399

Email: office@synergy-eng.com l www.synergy-eng.com

The Team at SynergyNot surprisingly, given its geographic

scope, Synergy has minimized theproblems associated with language andcultural differences in export marketsthanks to a team whose members mirrorthe multilingual and multiculturalrichness of the export markets. Forexample, in the Coquitlam headquartersalone there are no fewer than 12 differentlanguages represented.

Synergy has grown by adding highlyqualified personnel and by investing indigital technologies that enable cost-effective, reliable systems. Executive vice-president David Atkinson summarizes thecompany’s remarkable evolution by stating,“We’re not a time and materials companyany more. We take on a larger scope, andtake the risk away from the customer.”

For more information on Synergy, visitwww.synergy-eng.com

“We’re not a time and materialscompany any more. We take on a

larger scope, and take the riskaway from the customer.”