Brotech develops skilled trades for Darlington Refurb

Brotech Precision CNC Machining has been delivering precision components for the Canadian nuclear industry for over 20 years.

“We’ve been supplying parts to companies working directly with Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and other power plants from the very start,” says Jerome Horowitz, Vice-President of Brotech. “Resources differ depending on customer needs, but we generally pour more resources into refurbishment and new build projects because of the quantity of parts required.”

One of the projects Brotech has been ramping up operations for is OPG’s Darlington Refurbishment.

Through the $12.8-billion clean energy initiative, OPG is working with over 60 vendor partners across Ontario that each rely on services provided by specialized companies like Brotech.

“We’re a shop that depends on seal-tight, efficient processes to ensure consistently high quality service and components,” says Horowitz. “If we didn’t work like that, we wouldn’t have been able to grow or support the needs of our customers the way we have been.”

In the last two years, Brotech has doubled its size, going from 25 to 50 employees, most of whom are machinists specializing in precision machining for the nuclear, aerospace and defence industries.

And just this year, Brotech made a $1 million building and equipment investment to meet the needs of OPG’s Darlington Refurbishment project.

Funds went toward expanding Brotech’s facility in Barrie, Ont., and procuring the Mazak Integrex, a nine-axis lathe that improves accuracy and is capable of reducing the number of machines required to make parts.

Developing skilled trades

One of the reasons for Brotech’s success is its long-standing partnerships with Georgian College and the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program.
“Brotech ends up employing one or two students from each program per year,” Horowitz says. “We want to train people to build the expertise our customers need.”

This month, the Organization of Canadian Nuclear Industries will be recognizing Brotech and Georgian College for their on-going commitment to developing local skills through co-op placement opportunities.

“The award means Brotech is doing the right thing,” says Horowitz. “It’s nice to be recognized as a leader in building this kind of expertise.”