VMAC welcomed 100 local high school students to its 44,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in November, with support from Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters and WorkSafeBC. The facility tour featured visits to VMAC’s foundry, CNC machine shop, fabrication shop, assembly, quality assurance, tech support and engineering, and included a live product demo.

“VMAC is proud to showcase the wide range of career opportunities that support the equipment engineered, manufactured and assembled in our vertically integrated manufacturing facility to a diverse group of students,” says VMAC President Tod Gilbert. “We are excited to welcome our guests for a behind-the-scenes facility tour that introduces a variety of dynamic career paths in our rapidly evolving industry.”

The facility tour gave students the unique opportunity to see modern manufacturing in action and have their questions answered by various manufacturing professionals from VMAC, as well as members from the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters and WorkSafeBC.

"VMAC is an excellent example of a successful B.C. manufacturer,” says Andrew Wynn-Williams, divisional cice president for Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters. “Their product is high quality, high value and complex, so students get a great understanding of the variety of skilled roles that go into putting a manufactured product on the shelf."

VMAC is a technology-driven operation that ships mobile air compressor systems worldwide, allowing the company to offer secure, gainful employment and careers on Vancouver Island. The company is continuing its quest for growth and sustainability in the Canadian manufacturing industry by sharing its unique lean enterprise manufacturing operations with today’s youth.

“VMAC has sponsored our apprentices in the past,” says Derek Beeston, district principal for The Career Technical Center. “This world-class organization is a premier example of professionals from many fields innovating together to create outstanding designs and products.”