Our Stories

Nova Scotia based DRS Pivotal Power has specialized in the design and manufacture of power conversion and distribution equipment for naval and military applications for over 35 years. Its first military contract was on the Halifax-Class frigates – and now, DRS Pivotal Power is contributing to Canada’s future fleet, the Harry DeWolf-class Arctic and Offshore Patrol ships, with a contract worth close to $1 million dollars.

DRS Pivotal Power was started in 1979 as a small, privately owned business in Bedford, Nova Scotia; they currently have over 60 employees and continue to grow. Their diverse engineering team currently consists of highly skilled professional electronics, software and mechanical engineers, technologists and draftspersons. With over 30,000 power conversion products globally, DRS Pivotal Power has supplied systems to all branches of the military in Canada, the US, and many countries abroad.

DRS Pivotal Power is currently providing the Arctic and Offshore Patrol ships with both AC and DC Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) which deliver backup power to L3 MAPPS’ Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS) in the ship’s control room. If input power is lost, or if the power quality is outside acceptable limits, the UPS continues to provide the output power for a set time using rechargeable batteries. Upon restoration, the IPMS automatically reverts to the main input power.

While DRS Pivotal Power’s physical footprint on the AOPS fleet is relatively small, their impact is significant. Over 80% of their supplier base is Canadian and over half of their Canadian suppliers are small to medium sized-business located in the Maritime Provinces.

“One of our core values is to support those who protect us and although we support all branches of military around the world, nothing gives us a greater sense of pride than supporting the Canadian Armed Forces. Having our home on the East Coast with a naval base and Irving Shipbuilding in our backyard gives us a unique perspective on the importance of what we do and why we’re doing it. We have had the privilege of doing this for over 35 years and it is a very exciting time to be a defence manufacturer on the east coast of Canada.” Ryan Daye, Director, DRS Pivotal Power.

The partnership between DRS Pivotal Power and L3 MAPPS falls under Canada’s Industrial and Technological Benefits (ITB) program. The ITB program ensures that 100% of the value of significant defence contracts is spent in Canada.

As part of Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy, Halifax Shipyard is building Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships followed by 15 Canadian Surface Combatants over the next 25 years. Today, the first three Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships, the future Her Majesty’s Canadian Ships (HMCS) Harry DeWolf, Margaret Brooke, and Max Bernays are under construction at Irving Shipbuilding’s Halifax Shipyard.

Harry DeWolf was launched on September 15, 2018, officially named on October 5, 2018 and is expected to be delivered to the Royal Canadian Navy in summer 2019.