Winters Instruments has been awarded the Canada’s Best Managed Companies designation. The 2017 Best Managed program recognizes best-in-class, Canadian-owned and managed companies that demonstrate strategy, capability and commitment to achieve sustainable growth.
“CIBC is thrilled to congratulate Winters on being named one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies, recognizing its excellence in leadership, business performance and innovation,” said Jon Hountalas, executive vice-president, business and corporate banking, CIBC.
The 2017 winners were honoured at the annual Canada’s Best Managed Companies gala in Toronto in April.
Background
The founding of Winters Instruments can be traced back to the former central European republic of Czechoslovakia, where Mechanika Bratislava, an instrumentation factory, was formed in 1925. Its founder, Erwin Winters, re-established the business in Toronto, Canada in 1953 under the name, “Winters Thermogauges.” The company later became known as Winters Instruments.
In its early years, Winters Instruments would roll its own Bourdon tubes by hand. Technicians would fill sections of 12-in. lengths of pressed copper pipe with silica sand and hand roll each section and then cut to form Bourdon tubes. Another mark of Winters as a true manufacturer is found in its earlier production of thermometers, where skilled workers would form measuring scales by blowing glass tubes by mouth. As it was common practice at the time, Winters Instruments would make dials by hand. This was done by hand-etching numbers and markings on to metal plates.
A key customer in the early 1960s was the Canadian Armed Forces. Stringent NATO specifications were enforced with weekly inspections by government officials. This strict, high level of quality is what helped Winters attain the intensity in quality control it continues today.
Through numerous acquisitions and organic development, Winters Instruments has been transformed from a small factory to the global instrumentation manufacturer that it is today. Manufacturing efficiencies and engineering support to customers have become focused developments for Winters today and will continue into the future.
