MacDonald Dettwiler

Infobox Company
company_name = MDA
company_
company_type = Public
tsx|MDA
foundation = 1969
location = Richmond, BC
key_people = Daniel Friedmann (President and CEO)
industry = Information technology services, Advanced engineering services
products =
revenue = gain$1,052.5 million CAD (2006)cite web|url=http://www.mda.ca/investor/mda_q1_2007_factsheet.pdf|title=MDA Q1 2007 Factsheet|accessdate=2007-05-28]
operating_income =
net_income = gain$83.6 million CAD (2006)
num_employees = 3,000+ (2006)
parent =
subsid = MDA Space Missions
homepage = [http://www.mdacorporation.com www.mdacorporation.com]
footnotes =

MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (tsx|MDA) is a Richmond based, Canadian information services and products company, employing over 3000 people throughout Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, under the MDA brand name.

MDA provides commercial customers, industrial partners and governments (civil, defense, security, space, and R&D agencies) with such information systems and solutions as:

* Space robotics, satellite information and payload systems
* Earth observation, airborne, surveillance, intelligence, and environmental monitoring
* Radar and optical satellite imagery, and, remote sensing
* Mapping products
* Advanced Research and Development services for government, defense and commercial customers
* Robotic surgery research via its NeuroArm development program
* Real estate information products

History

* 2008 - Canadian government officially blocks sale of MDA to ATK on May 8, 2008 [cite news|url=http://www.ic.gc.ca/cmb/welcomeic.nsf/0/85256a5d006b972085257444000cdc5e?OpenDocument|title=Minister of Industry Confirms Initial Decision on Proposed Sale of Macdonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. to Alliant Techsystems Inc.|publisher=Industry Canada|date=2008-05-08|accessdate=2008-05-23]
* 2008 - Shareholders approve the sale of its Information Systems and Geospacial Services operations to Alliant Techsystems of Edina, Minnesota for $1.325 billion. [cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/01/08/mdasale.html|title=MDA Selling Canadarm Business to U.S. Firm|publisher=CBC News|date=2008-01-08|accessdate=2008-02-21] However, amongst much media coverage, the sale was rejected by the federal government of Canada, the first time ever in It's history. [cite news|url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080509.wmda09/BNStory/Business/|title=Federal government blocks sale of MDA space division|publisher=CBC News|date=2008-04-10|accessdate=2008-04-10]
* 2007 - named one of Canada's Top 100 Employers, as published in Maclean's magazine. [cite web|url=http://www.eluta.ca/einfo?en=MacDonald,+Dettwiler+and+Associates+Ltd.+%2f+MDA&ri=e55b6d45f9c263c680ab402855ddd0de&rk=77830b530de8ca1b0740416c783228c8|title=Reasons for Selection, 2007 Canada's Top 100 Employers]
* 2006 - acquires Lyttle & Co. (Belfast, Northern Ireland), property and related search information [cite web|url=http://www.mdacorporation.com/news/pr/pr2006052501.shtml|title=MDA Acquires Legal Search Firm In Northern Ireland|accessdate=2006-07-15]
* 2006 - acquires xit2 Ltd. (Nr Charlbury, Oxfordshire, UK), information exchange solutions for lenders and home surveyors and other outsourced service providers [cite web|url=http://www.mdacorporation.com/news/pr/pr2006052201.shtml|title=MDA Acquires Leading Provider Of Electronic Exchange Solutions To Lenders And Surveyors In UK|accessdate=2006-07-15]
* 2006 - acquires Rochford Brady Group (Dublin, Ireland), legal property and company information search
* 2006 - acquires PropertyFlow (Kent, United Kingdom), property insurance and conveyancing search
* 2006 - expands into financial services with acquisition of Mindbox, a supplier of advanced decision systems for mortgage lending, for $12.6 million USD, with up to $10.75 million contingent on performancecite web|url=http://www.mdacorporation.com/investor/mda_2005_annualreport.pdf|title=Annual Report 2005|accessdate=2006-07-15]
* 2005 - acquires business of EMS Technologies Canada (previously RCA Canada, which then became the Montreal division of SPAR Aerospace), a major supplier and subcontractor, for $8.9 million
* 2004 - acquires Marshall & Swift / Boechk for $337.8 million, with $104.9 million contingent on performance.
* 2003 - acquires Millar & Bryce, a commercial provider of land information in Scotland, for $21.32 million, with $1.76 million contingent on performance. [cite web|url=http://www.mdacorporation.com/news/pr/pr2003021001.html|title=MDA Acquires Leading Land Information Company in Scotland|accessdate=2006-07-15]
* 2002 - acquires [http://www.dynacs.com/ Dynacs] for $3.1 million, with an additional $6.8 million contingent on performance
* 2002 - acquires Automated Mining Systems of Aurora, Ontario for $225,000 [cite web|url=http://www.mdacorporation.com/news/pr/pr2002041101.html|title=MDA Acquires Small Robotic Mining Company|accessdate=2006-07-15]
* 2002 - acquires [http://www.earthsat.com/ Earth Satellite] ; subsidiary becomes [MDA Federal]
* 2001 - MDA UK launches [http://www.nlis.org.uk/ National Land Information Service] (NLIS)
* 2000/01 - Orbital Sciences divests its MDA shares through an initial public offering; trades as tsx|MDA
* 2000 - enters joint venture with LandAmerica Financial Group to create LandMDA, a provider of property reports to lenders [cite web|url=http://www.eomonline.com/Common/Archives/2000oct/00oct_paul.html|title=In Real Estate, Geographic Information and the Internet Changes Everything|accessdate=2006-07-15]
* 2000 - acquires [http://www.atlantictech.com Atlantic Technologies] of Huntsville, Alabama for $12.5 million on closing and $8.9 million in MDA shares (paid over 3 years); becomes MD Atlantic Technologies

* 2000 - acquires [http://www.dataquick.com/ DataQuick Information Systems]
* 1999 - completes buy-out of [http://www.rsi.ca/ Radarsat International] from Spar Aerospace, Technology Horizons Ltd., and Lockheed Martin Astronautics
* 1999 - acquires FDI Forest Dimensions, a provider of forestry-related mapping and forest inventory management
* 1999 - acquires the Space and Advanced Robotics (Brampton, Ontario) Division of SPAR Aerospace; subsidiary becomes MD Robotics
* 1999 - acquires Terra Surveys (Ottawa)
* 1997 - MDA led consortium purchases [http://www.bconline.gov.bc.ca/ BC Online] from Province of British Columbia
* 1997 - acquires [http://www.triathoninc.com Triathlon Mapping]
* 1997 - acquires Maritime Information Systems business of CANAC/Microtel
* 1996 - acquires Iotek, a supplier of signal processing and sonar technology for military customers, for undisclosed sum [cite web|url=http://www.mdacorporation.com/news/pr/pr1996020701.html|title=MDA to Acquire Iotek Inc. of Halifax|accessdate=2006-07-15]
* 1995 - MDA acquired by Orbital Sciences for $67 million in stock [cite news|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE3D81030F935A3575AC0A963958260|title=Orbital Sciences Deal|publisher=New York Times|date=1995-09-06|accessdate=2006-07-15]
* 1969 - founded by John S. MacDonald and Vern Dettwiler

ee also

* MDA Space Missions
* NeuroArm
*Canadarm

External links

* [http://www.mdacorporation.com/ MDA web site]
* [http://www.ahfmr.ab.ca/publications/newsletter/Winter05/www.files/inside/neuroarm.htm Robotic Surgery project neuroArm at University of Calgary]
*cite news|url=http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080320/mda_sale_080320/20080320?hub=TopStories#commentSection|title=Feds delay ruling on sale of Canada's top space firm

References