Huawei investment to bring jobs to Markham

$500M investment in Ontario over next 5 years

Yorkregion.com
Nov. 2, 2014

Huawei, the Chinese information and communications technology solutions superpower, announced it will make a significant new long-term investment in Ontario to support the expansion of Huawei’s Canadian R&D and business operations.

Huawei is committing $210-million in new investments in Ontario and will create 325 new jobs over the next five years.

Operationally, Huawei will add a minimum of 75 employees to the sales, marketing and support functions at its Markham headquarters over this same period.

The announcement was made in conjunction with a visit by Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, and delegates on her China trade mission, at Huawei’s R&D Centre in Beijing.

In total, when combined with existing research, development and operational plans, Huawei’s total investment in Ontario over the next five years will be $500 million.

With the investment, Huawei will expand current research and development capabilities by hiring an estimated 250 new engineers and researchers.

The new jobs will allow Huawei to strengthen Canada’s role in Huawei’s global R&D operations, and allow Huawei’s Canadian R&D team to address new opportunities in next generation communications, cloud and enterprise mobility.

“I am pleased that Huawei is expanding its operations in Ontario,” Wynne said. “This investment will create a significant number of jobs and reinforces Ontario’s position as a global leader in ICT and telecommunications.

“My government is fostering a dynamic business climate to attract even more investments from Huawei and other leading companies around the world.”

“Today’s announcement reinforces Huawei’s commitment to Canada and to the Province of Ontario,” said Sean Yang, president of Huawei Canada. “Canada and Ontario have a legacy of leadership in ICT and telecommunications. Since 2010, Huawei’s Canada Research Centre has established itself as one of the global leaders in advanced communications technologies, including 5G. The success of this facility has reinforced to Huawei the value of Ontario’s talented workforce, and network of universities in Ontario and across Canada, that can support innovative research.”

Since opening a Canadian office in 2008, Huawei has made a significant commitment to Canada’s ICT ecosystem. The company now employs approximately 550 people in Canada. More than 95 per cent of Huawei’s workforce is based in Ontario, with 250 of those employees focused on research and development at the Canada Research Centre in Ottawa.

As part of its research investments, Huawei has worked closely with a number of Canadian universities, and has invested over $4-million with these research institutions over the past four years.

Said Yang: “Huawei’s commitment reflects a confidence in Canada’s thriving ICT industry, and to Ontario’s ICT leaders and academic institutions that are among the best in the world.”

Huawei has 150,000 employees worldwide. Its ICT solutions, products and services have been deployed in over 170 countries and regions, serving more than one-third of the world’s population.

Founded in 1987, Huawei is a private company fully owned by its employees, and was recently name by Interbrand as one of the world’s top 100 brands - the first Chinese company to receive this recognition.

Huawei’s wireless products and services support many of Canada’s leading telecommunications companies.