The Winnipeg Chamber: What does Eascan Automation do?
Phil Bernardin (President): We’ve designed and built custom machines and control systems for industrial manufacturing for 25 years.WC: What sets your organization apart from others in your industry?
PB: We develop strategies with our clients, and work closely with them, their processes, and their employees to determine an effective solution prior to the build. We aim to hit the mark to make the most of their dollars to maximize ROI.

You need to aim and shoot with automation. Be specific, and understand the value of each step that you are automating, but also understand the risk. Just automating something without thinking about the benefits of safety, expansion, quality control, and additional productivity/efficiency is throwing money away.

We do our diligence in seeing where our clients’ benefits truly live. We’ve actually decommissioned excessively automated systems in the past and reverted to more efficient manual or semi-automatic operations.

WC: What’s your favourite thing to do (or place to visit) in Winnipeg?
PB: The Assiniboine Park Zoo. We have a family membership and my kids love seeing the exhibits and of course, the polar bears. It’s a nice drive into the park and a beautiful place to walk through.WC: Why did you join The Winnipeg Chamber? As someone doing business in Winnipeg, how can we help you?
PB: I initially joined for all the networking opportunities. There are so many events and opportunities hosted throughout the year that are great to get out and meet other business owners. Eascan is focused on automation and manufacturing in Manitoba and it’s important to us to support local businesses as well. I really like the add on membership benefit structure, which allows us to focus on the specific area of support for our needs.

WC: What’s your best piece of business advice?
PB: Be honest, proactive, and respond quickly to emails and calls.

WC: What’s your best business success story?
PB: If I have to pick one, there was a situation where one of our client’s machines malfunctioned. Thanks to our in house support and broad knowledge, we designed, built, installed and commissioned a new control system and had them back up and running in less than a week. All of our solutions are custom, meaning that each one is designed with our client and their specific needs so anytime our machines and systems can increase productivity and efficiency, it’s a success story for Eascan.