Ford finally takes the wraps off its Ottawa offices, now employs more than 300 people here
Vito Pilieci, Ottawa Citizen
Updated: June 10, 2019
Ford Motor Co. has finally removed the shroud of secrecy surrounding its Ottawa offices, showcasing the soon-to-be-released 2020 Ford Explorer and using the new vehicle to explain all of the development the company is now performing in the nation’s capital.
The automaker came to an agreement with BlackBerry Ltd. in October 2017 to see as many as 400 workers transferred from the former cellphone giant to Ford to accelerate the latter’s research and development, especially in the areas of telecommunications and software.
The announcement was part of a larger $1-billion investment Ford is pouring into its Canadian facilities. The federal and provincial governments also provided as much as $102.4 million in funding.
The move allowed Ford to create what it’s calling connectivity and innovation centres in Ottawa, Waterloo and Oakville. When the Ottawa office opened in March 2018, Ford had about 150 employees here. Today there are more than 300.
“We can’t disclose what our ambitions are because they are predicated by many planning elements. But the fact that we are moving into another building, even bigger than this one, tells you that we are very ambitious,” said Zoltan Racz, chief engineer at the connectivity and innovation centres in Ontario.
The wealth of technology talent Ford found in the nation’s capital is pushing it to accelerate its plans for the offices here, he added. “That’s phenomenal. It’s a hidden gem. There is a massive and very valuable talent pool. That’s highly unique to Ottawa. It used to be, and still is, the telecom and datacom capital of Canada.”
Ford’s offices at 700 Palladium Dr., right next to the Canadian Tire Centre, have taken over 40,000 square feet of space, and the company has secured 20,000 square feet across the street at 770 Palladium Dr. to facilitate further expansion.
The company has also signed a deal with real estate firm Cominar for 62,000 square feet in a building now under construction at 800 Palladium Dr. Initially Ford had only expressed interest in 40,000 square feet in the building, which is expected to be completed in 2020. Cominar said Ford planned to add as many as 300 more jobs with the addition of the new space, doubling its Ottawa workforce.
Ford wouldn’t comment on exact staffing numbers, or provide specifics about whether it planned to move from 700 and 770 Palladium Dr. when the new facility is completed.
The company is using its Ottawa offices to spearhead research and software development to power new cellular antenna technologies, which are expected to be standard features on Ford vehicles. The antennas, which will be installed on the 2020 Explorer, allow the vehicle to effectively have its own cellular connection to facilitate sending and receiving data, phone calls, diagnostic information and maintaining connection anywhere there is 4G (LTE) cellular service.
The company is also researching next-generation 5G cellular technologies for future models.
The large contingent of employees who came to Ford from BlackBerry QNX, which builds the operating system for Ford’s vehicles, allowed the company to more easily build the newest version of its Sync 3 infotainment system.
The system, which allows drivers to quickly navigate between various functions — including satellite radio, navigation systems, climate control and even voice-activated features — is the first to be built by Ford. The automaker said its Ottawa offices played a key role in building and testing the system, which will be rolled out in 2020, starting with the Explorer.
While opening the new office has sparked a bright spot for Ford, it has also created headaches for BlackBerry. A class-action lawsuit against BlackBerry has been filed on behalf of the nearly 400 employees who were transferred to Ford, alleging the employees lost their severance entitlements after being transferred.
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