École de Technologie Superieur

Montréal, Québec

École de Technologie Superieur, or ETS as it is known by the educational community, is considered one of Canada's premier engineering schools. ETS University's campus is one of the most advanced 'intelligent buildings' found in North America. The school has grown more than three fold in 8 short years, the winter of 2006 / 2007 saw a major expansion to the buildings and a retrofit of the physical plant to support the expansion. GE, together with electrical contractor Electricité Pierre Marchand, built a GE Electrical Distribution solution that would ensure that the needs of students and instructors in this cutting-edge technical campus be met today and well into the future.

Originally built in 1912 as a brewery, ETS has gone through a number of retro-fittings to adapt to its new purpose as a leading-edge technology institution for a rapidly growing student body. The most recent project over the winter of 2006 / 2007 involved an expansion to the existing infrastructure with a new four storey 225,000 square foot building; the project involved electrical distribution to new classrooms, labs, offices and Power to the main server room which was relocated to the new addition. All this work was done to respond to the needs of the ever-expanding student population. The new structure integrates advanced fiber optics and telecommunications technology, leading network enterprise gateways and building control system as well as highly reliable and efficient GE Electrical Distribution products.

The ETS project was extremely complex, with a summertime completion date, work over the winter months, and a busy downtown location. GE Electrical Distribution coordinated all working parties so the project would run smoothly and be completed on time and on budget. GE was tenacious in their commitment to working towards a successful timely solution.

GE Electrical Distribution worked closely with contractor Electricité Pierre Marchand to deliver the complete electrical distribution solution for this major university expansion project. The new 225,000 square foot building consists of 4 floors, 3 classrooms, 12 laboratories, and new offices for the teaching staff; it also houses the relocated main server room for the entire university. GE delivered a complete electrical distribution solution including GE Switchboards, MCCs, Spectra^TM Panelboards, A-Series^TM Lighting Panels, Starters, Lighting Contactors and Safety Switches to meet the project needs.

As with any large complex project it is extremely important to keep the lines of communications open and to work in collaboration with all parties involved. Working with the project team GE Electrical Distribution was able to fast-track the expansion project and the new university facility was delivered successfully without delays. GE had committed to the customer that all products would be onsite and ready for installation when they were required. GE products came from many locations across North America. There were no issues with product deliveries and all shipments arrived on time and in excellent condition. The GE customer service project coordinator was able to maneuver around any shipment issues presented by the school's busy downtown location as well as Montreal's notorious winter weather to ensure everything ran smoothly and the facility was built on time.

As explained by Francois Kopal, Technical Sales, GE Electrical Distribution,
"This was a fairly routine project for us; with projects of this kind and with this much complexity issues always arise. GE Electrical Distribution was able to make a number of modifications as required to meet the changing needs of the project. It is important to remain flexible while working with these types of projects and to keep the lines of communications open. It is also very important to work closely with all parties involved to assure the project stays on track and on budget."

The expansion of the École de Technolgie Superieur educational facility was an extremely successful project. The team of GE Electrical Distribution and Electricité Pierre Marchand worked exceptionally well together to deliver the facility upgrade on time and on budget.

As François Raçicot, Vice President, Electricité Pierre Marchand said, "We selected GE Electrical Distribution for the ETS expansion project because we had worked with them successfully before. We were very familiar with the GE Electrical Distribution team, their products and their exceptional customer service. Everything was of excellent quality, and we trusted GE to provide the best solution at a very competitive price."

François Raçicot also added, "Our collaboration with GE Electrical Distribution on the ETS project was excellent. We are also very excited about the recent opening of the NEW GE Canadian Assembly Centre as this will make GE Electrical Distribution even more flexible to respond to any unforeseen requests and changes on future projects. We would certainly choose products from GE Electrical Distribution again."

Electricité Pierre Marchand, in collaboration with GE Electrical Distribution, successfully delivered the École de Technologie Superieur educational facility expansion project on time and on budget.

École de Technologie Superieur, Montréal, Québec