RTDS 25th Anniversary

It was an uphill battle trying to the convince an analog world that the future was digital. But the fight was worth it: the five Canadians (Rick Kuffel, Rudi Wierckx, Trevor Maguire, James Giesbrecht, and Neil Mackenzie) who believed in real-time digital simulation were right. And after eight years of development, they founded RTDS Technologies in 1994 — shortly after sending the world’s first-ever real-time digital simulator to Hitachi for installation.

From that moment on, RTDS Technologies introduced a level of accessibility and flexibility that had never been seen before by the power industry. And after changing the industry, it dominated it, remaining the market’s most trusted, powerful, and accurate real-time simulation technology available.

Twenty-five years later, RTDS Technologies has installed over 1,800 units of hardware across six continents. (When you need us, Antarctica, we’ll be there.) And it employs 75 people: a team mostly composed of power system engineers, software developers, and hardware technicians.

Twenty-five years. Hundreds of reasons to celebrate.

To celebrate its 25-year milestone, RTDS Technologies held a corporate celebration at Manitoba Hydro’s headquarters in Winnipeg, Canada. Over 200 industry colleagues and employees shared appetizers, drinks, and cake while members of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra serenaded the crowd. During the night, RTDS Technologies screened a video highlighting its staff, their adventures and accomplishments, and what the company means to them.

Later, RTDS Technologies treated its employees and their significant others to a second exciting celebration. After arriving to the office on a Friday evening, the team was chartered to a secret location — which revealed itself to be a corn maze on the edge of Winnipeg — where groups wove through the maze, completing a series of challenges and activities in exchange for prize tickets.

Activities centred around partying in “real time,” paying homage to the RTDS Simulator. Attendees were given mock user manuals to help guide them through the maze, where they could play real-time flip cup, visit the MODBAR to grab a signature drink, throw axes at the HVDC & AXE station, or solve puzzles through Grid Connect 4. 

To the next 25 and beyond.

RTDS Technologies appreciates its customers, global representatives, and extraordinary staff for making it into the company it is today. With an exciting outlook for the future, RTDS Technologies is looking forward to what the next 25 years will bring.

Thank you to everyone who celebrated our 25th anniversary!

Special thank yous to Grape Experiential for organizing both anniversary events and to JP Media Works for producing the video.