It’s Not Just About ITB Offsets: It’s Proudly Made in Canada

In Canada’s evolving defence and industrial landscape, the conversation around the Industrial and Technological Benefits (ITB) Policy often begins with numbers (contract values, content ratios, and offset credits). But behind every percentage point and policy clause lies something more important: real capability being built by Canadians, for Canadians, on Canadian soil.

For Captec Americas, part of the Captec Group’s international operations based in Ontario Canada, the ITB framework is not simply a compliance mechanism. It’s an opportunity to invest, innovate, and contribute to the long-term resilience of Canada’s defence and technology sectors.

It’s not just about creating offsets. It’s about creating technology that’s designed, built, and supported in Canada, with pride.

Beyond Policy: Building Lasting Industrial Capability

The ITB Policy ensures that major defence procurements deliver long-term economic benefit within Canada. For every eligible programme, typically those over CAD $100 million, contractors must undertake an equivalent amount of industrial activity in the country.

This commitment strengthens domestic supply chains, encourages collaboration with Canadian businesses, and fuels innovation that drives future growth.

While ITB obligations are a catalyst, the value lies in the partnerships and capabilities they create. For Captec, those outcomes are realised every day through our Canadian operation and the ecosystem of customers, suppliers, and research partners that surround it.

Proudly Engineered and Supported in Canada

Located in Ontario, Captec Americas engineers, integrates, and supports ruggedised and high-performance computing platforms and integrated systems for mission-critical applications across defence, aerospace, as well as industrial and commercial sectors.

These systems underpin a wide range of technologies central to Canada’s Key Industrial Capabilities (KICs), from artificial intelligence and cyber resilience to electro-optical systems and in-service support.

Every product delivered from our Canadian facility represents more than a fulfilment of offset obligations. It demonstrates Canada’s growing capacity to deliver advanced, export-ready technology that competes on a global stage.

Proudly made in Canada is not just a label; it’s a statement of confidence in local skill, innovation, and quality.

Connected Capability Across the Atlantic

While Captec Americas operates locally to deliver Canadian Content Value (CCV), the wider Captec Group supports customers internationally from its UK engineering and manufacturing base. This provides all the resources, investment and, if required, support to deliver complex projects in Canada.

In practice, this means:

• Local manufacturing and support from Captec Americas to satisfy domestic content
• A ready route to export for products and technology developed in Canada
• The ability to deliver CCV on international projects through careful structuring of project delivery.
• The expertise to design to and meet stringent military and aerospace standards such as MIL-STD-810H, DO-160G, and BR 3939

This combination of local capability and international reach supports customers’ broader goals of supply-chain resilience, industrial interoperability, and global programme continuity.

Supporting Canada’s Small and Medium Business Ecosystem

A core goal of the ITB Policy is to strengthen Canada’s small and medium business (SMB) community, the foundation of a resilient supply chain.

Operating as a Canadian SMB, Captec Americas contributes directly to this objective. Backed by the infrastructure and technical depth of the international Group, the business combines local agility with mature engineering, manufacturing, and compliance processes.

For Primes and Tier-1 suppliers, this offers the assurance of a domestically recognised partner capable of delivering high-quality, ITB-compliant solutions without compromising performance or reliability.

It’s a model that proves Canadian SMBs can deliver big-programme capability while maintaining the spirit of local innovation and collaboration.

Enabling Canada’s Key Industrial Capabilities

The ITB Policy identifies 16 Key Industrial Capabilities (KICs) that represent strategic national strengths for future growth.

Captec’s technology portfolio directly supports many of these, particularly in:

• Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
• Cyber Resilience and Secure Computing
• Remotely Piloted and Autonomous Technologies
• Defence Systems Integration
• Electro-Optical and Infrared Systems
• In-Service Support

By delivering the computing infrastructure that enables these applications, Captec helps advance the technologies that underpin Canada’s future industrial competitiveness, from the edge to the core network.

Delivering Against the ITB Value Proposition

Each ITB evaluation measures suppliers against five key Value Proposition (VP) criteria. Captec contributes meaningfully and materially across all of them:

• Work in Canadian defence: Active participation in Canadian defence and aerospace programmes.
• Canadian supplier development: Ongoing investment in local capability growth.
• R&D in Canada: Engagement in collaborative research and innovation initiatives.
• Exports from Canada: Established international channels to enable export expansion.
• Skills and training: Active collaboration with local colleges and training providers to build future talent.

Through these contributions, Captec helps its current and future partners deliver on both the spirit and the substance of the ITB framework.

From Offsets to Outcomes

Offsets could be seen as an obligation. At Captec, they’re seen as an opportunity, a means to strengthen relationships, develop skills, and build capability that endures beyond the life of a contract.

By combining a strong local presence in Canada with the engineering and manufacturing depth of its UK operations, Captec helps partners turn compliance into collaboration, and collaboration into capability.

Whether through direct Canadian content, R&D partnerships, or supplier development, Captec’s approach is rooted in one simple principle: It’s not just about offsets, it’s proudly made in Canada.