The Mint manufactures all the coins for Canada and for many countries around the world.
tribution and redistribution of coins across the country. It made sense to have a central location, and Winnipeg was a perfect fit.” Te Winnipeg facility officially opened at the corner of
Fermor Avenue and Lagimodiere Boulevard in 1976, hav- ing begun producing coins the previous year. Te new facil- ity meant the Ottawa plant could switch from producing circulation coins like pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters to collectors’ coins and medallions. Te collectors’ coins are available for purchase at the Winnipeg facility and at a retail store the Mint now has in Vancouver, but they are ultimately still made in the nation’s capital. Supporting the local economy
“Te Winnipeg facility has roughly 300 jobs in all sec-
tors,” said Roche. “Tey include manufacturing, engineering, research, material planning and various administration roles. “Well over 90 per cent of our staff is Manitoban, as we
feel it’s nice to have locals who know and appreciate the cul- ture here. It’s important that everybody fits in well, which is easier when they’re from the area. Sometimes we’re forced to fill some speciality roles externally, but the goal is always to fill the position locally when possible.” One way to ensure that your employees are the right peo-
ple for the job is to be involved with their education prior to hiring. “We have co-op programs with local post-secondary insti-
tutes, allowing us to mould and constantly evaluate the next generation coming into the industry,” said Roche. “We are partnered with the Universities of Manitoba and Winnipeg, as well as Red River College.” Adapting to the digital age
Roche insists that the Mint has nothing to worry about with the popularity of e-commerce, as people will always need coins.
thehubwinnipeg.com
“We are very aware of how digital payment has increased in popularity, but coinage remains the backbone of daily commerce. Tere has been minimal change in demand, while improvements in technology have decreased the cost. We are confident that coin demand will be steady for the foreseeable future. “We operate at 70 to 80 percent of our potential capacity, and our plating capacity increased significantly with our expansion two years ago.”
Expansion With changes to superficial finishes and electric signa-
tures, coins are becoming more secure than ever. Tis cuts down on counterfeit coins. A lot of work had to be done with the vending machine industry, which required a level of standardization amongst the machines to ensure that they could accept both the new and the old coins. With the need for new technology, the Mint decided to expand their Winnipeg facility. Te 70,000 square-foot plating facility expansion and the Hieu C. Truong Centre of Excellence for Research and Development allows the Mint to stay on the leading edge of minting, which ensures they can produce a highly secure coin at as low a cost as possible.
Te decision to upgrade monetization was made after a
throne speech in 2010, with the Royal Canadian Mint and the Bank of Canada each upgrading their currencies, as the Bank of Canada is in charge of bank notes for the country. Foreign business
Demand for coins at any given time fluctuates based on
local and international need, so while the Mint has served over 75 countries since opening the Winnipeg facility in 1976, the number being served at any given time is less. Te Mint currently has the objective of producing 15 per- cent of the global market share by the year 2020.
Winter 2015 • 17
Photo by Doug Little Photography.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80