This blue AML apparatus is one of the company’s MVP30-350 models on a larger oceanographic vessel.
VICTORIA – According to Robert Haydock, CEO of rising BC-based oceanographic technology company AML Oceanographic Ltd., you can have the best products in the world but, if you don’t have the right people behind them, your company is unlikely to take off.
“The best way we can ensure growth is if we build the right team. If we build the right team, everything else will follow,” says Haydock. Over the past ten years, AML has been highly focussed on creating an attractive culture and curating a group of passionate team players. It’s no coincidence that AML has quadrupled in size in that same time period.
Haydock has assembled a group of professionals who excel not only in their respective functional areas but also understand what it means to be part of a team. There are no sidelines in this workplace. Every member of the team knows exactly how they contribute to the team win. Every team member is passionate about building the future of AML.
This isn’t just corporate marketing. In fact, when asked, AML-ers cite five main reasons as to why they choose to be a part of AML: the people, the culture, the growth trajectory, the flexibility and the transparency. Now, with all the company puzzle pieces in the right place, Haydock believes AML Oceanographic is poised for its biggest growth period ever.
AML Oceanographic sells ocean sensing solutions that are designed to measure the physical and chemical properties of the ocean. AML equipment is involved in seabed mapping, in climate research, in citizen science programs, in offshore resource management and more.
“The ocean technology industry is one of the priority market development areas for the Canadian government”, says Haydock. In turn, the global oceanographic market is set to increase by 50% before 2030. AML is already working with many major players in the Canadian defense, technology and environmental conservation areas.
The company recently delivered two large Moving Vessel Profilers to outfit the Canadian Coast Guard’s arctic and offshore patrol ships (AOPS). “Moreover”, says Haydock, “90% of what we do is exported: AML Oceanographic has a customer base that spans all seven continents. Talk about the right place, at the right time!”
The AML team gathers for a morning exchange at their weekly huddle.
So why are people so important? “In 2024, customers really care about delivery speed, technical support and customer experience. The soft pieces that go around the manufactured product are now taking centre stage,” says Haydock. Cutting-edge specs and performance are no longer enough to win. “It’s pretty damn hard to deliver an awesome customer experience if you don’t have the right team,” says Haydock.
Now, with all the right people in the right place, Haydock is optimistic for the future of the company and excited to share the skills, service and expertise that he has spent so long curating with the rest of the world.
“The likelihood of exponential growth is much, much higher when you’ve got the right people on board,” says Haydock. “What may sound easy is, in practice, incredibly difficult! It’s taken years of professional guidance, hard work and challenging conversations to get AML to this point. Now, with the right people on board, the rest is falling into place.”
