The COVID-19 pandemic is now behind us which is a milestone worth celebrating. But during the early stages of the crisis, Canada’s high-tech community came together in an extraordinary way to meet an unprecedented challenge: manufacturing ICU-grade ventilators in record time.
If you’ve ever wondered how this feat was accomplished, responding to a Public Health Authority of Canada (PHAC,) and then delivering fully featured ICU ventilators to hospitals, you might guess that it relied on making the right choice in manufacturing partners. In fact, it was a prototype Printed Circuit Board Assembly (PCBA) manufactured by Canadian Circuits, Inc. (CCI), in collaboration with a Canadian medical device design company and their team, that quickly changed everything.
Rising to the Challenge
In 2020, with COVID-19 cases surging and no approved vaccine in sight, critically ill patients flooded hospitals, many requiring ventilator support to survive. Canada’s healthcare system had never faced such an urgent need for life-saving equipment.
A medical device company based in Victoria, BC, took the lead in forming a consortium tasked with designing and delivering a fully featured, Health Canada-approved ICU ventilator within just six months. A process that would normally span up to ten years had to be condensed into half a year.
Precision, Speed, and Collaboration
The success of this massive undertaking depended on rapid design decisions and seamless collaboration across the supply chain. Engineers worked with available components while vendors pivoted quickly to meet shifting demands. Over 100 engineers and team members at the medical device manufacturer and another 100+ at partner companies contributed to the effort.
CCI was selected to design and manufacture prototype PCBAs, an essential component of the ventilator. Their goal: deliver a working prototype on the first try and do it fast!
And they did. CCI’s team not only engineered and built the prototype PCBA flawlessly, but they hand-delivered it to Victoria, BC via Helijet, ensuring the fastest possible delivery.
“We understand our customers’ pain points and do whatever it takes to exceed expectations,” said Praveen Arya, President of CCI. “Quality is non-negotiable. Beating the timeline was our mission and we delivered.”
Trusted Expertise in Electronics Manufacturing
With over 30 years of experience, Canadian Circuits Inc. has earned a reputation for excellence in PCB manufacturing and prototype PCBAs. Serving industries from medical devices to aerospace and industrial automation, CCI specializes in high-performance electronics tailored for the most critical applications.
Their work on the Winnipeg Ventilator 2.0 is a powerful reminder of what’s possible when expertise, urgency, and partnership come together for a greater purpose.