President's
message
As with any small business, wearing multiple hats was simply a fact of life. Dad was ‘product development and sales.’ From time to time, I would go on sales trips with him to visit customers, navigating with a map on my knees as he drove – it was these experiences that shaped my love of travel.
Growing up, I didn’t envision myself with a future career within the organization. I left university and spent internships in Europe, discovering the world for myself. A few years later I came back on board as Operations Manager to help oversee the sale of the company. As luck would have it, the deal fell through, as I had begun to fall in love with the business.
My mom handled the production side of the operation and oversaw the finances. As I was getting ready to buy the company, she offered me a sage piece of advice as I was trying to determine where I would best serve the organization, “The one who controls the money controls the business.” I took her sage advice and found my fit within the business – a little bit of Mom and a little bit of Dad. I needed to find a way to carve out my own path: it took some time to find my voice and discover what that meant. I made it a point to surround myself with people smarter than myself and this was invaluable as I transitioned from employee to employer.
Because life is always full of surprises, being able to adapt (quickly) has helped me immensely. As a single mother of two young girls, balancing motherhood and a big career made for an interesting challenge – every decision and challenge were opportunities for growth. The culture and ethos of the family business still rings as true today as it did four decades ago. Commitment to our clients and employee’s well-being have always been at our core. To all our past and present employees, customers, stakeholders and friends – I want to thank you for your continued commitment to Sensor Technology. We hope to be able to continue to build on the relationships we have formed, and I look forward to the next 40 years! #thefutureisbright
SECTORS
Sensor Technology regularly services companies in Defense, Energy, Aquaculture, Oceanography and Hydrography.
Decade 1
FORMULATIONS:
The transition begins from our humble beginnings as an R&D startup to create world-class piezo ceramic powders
Decade 2
PRODUCTION GROWTH:
Challenge accepted to expand our offerings and manufacture bespoke hydrophones using our own piezo ceramics
Decade 3
CAPABILITY EXPANSION:
A decade of discovery to perfect and implement all of the processes and capital expansion necessary to increase thruput
Decade 4
COMPANY EXPANSION:
Decade of expansion: both an additional facility in Collingwood, but a few years later two locations in Borden, NS
About
Sensor Technology began its journey as an R&D diversification of Blue Mountain Pottery. The commercial pottery company decided to expand into piezoelectric ceramics, and BM Hi-Tech was born in 1983. Founders Eswar and Shashi Prasad had immigrated from India in the late 1970s with degrees in Physics (Piezoelectric ceramics) and Economics and moved to Collingwood to head up the high-tech piezo materials program.
Sensor Technology and BM HiTech were incorporated into a wholly owned subsidiary. Through intensive development work, in-house formulations were perfected and offered to meet stringent Navy Standards. These proprietary powders have been the backbone of the company and have allowed us to become a global leader in piezo-based acoustic tools.
Growth involved taking the next logical stage of development, and in the 1990’s work to develop hydrophones began. This then led to the need for high volume, repeatable processes, taking the company into new territory but always based on its origins: piezo.
Twenty years after founding, Eswar and Shashi considered retirement and began a succession plan. In 2007 the process to changeover to new ownership began, and in 2011 their daughter Niru Somayajula made the transition from Operations Manager to Owner. With partners, she has forged into even new territories, markets and geographical locations. Her plans for growth, diversification and expansion have no signs of slowing down.
Sensor Technology remains a proud Canadian company with the family values instilled over four decades ago. We celebrate our 40th Anniversary and look towards the future with confidence and expectation.
CAREERS
If you feel you have specific skills that could be useful to us please feel free to send your resumes to: