Walter Kidde Railcar Leader Greg Aziz
Greg Aziz is a noteworthy Canadian entrepreneur and businessman. He was born on April 30, 1949, in London, Ontario, and graduated from Western University, majoring in Economics. Aziz had a passion for business since his early days and started working towards fulfilling his dream of owning a successful business from a very young age.
In 1971, Greg Aziz joined his family’s wholesale food business “Affiliated Foods.” Under his leadership, the company became a global fresh food importer, sourcing its products from Europe and Central and South America. Over the 16 years of his tenure, he transformed the family business from a small food importer in Canada to a global distributor of fresh foods.
Through his extensive industry knowledge, serial entrepreneur Greg Aziz led Affiliated Foods to become a successful enterprise with a solid customer base in the US and Canada. After Affiliated Foods, he pursued his passion for the engineering and manufacturing sectors by acquiring the Walter Kidde Railcar company in 1994. Walter Kidde Railcar was a struggling railway freight car manufacturing organization based in Hamilton, Ontario.
Greg believed that he could turn the company around and revitalize the business. He used extensive knowledge from his previous experience to good use and applied his business acumen to understanding customer needs and future trends. Greg Aziz had a long-term vision for Walter Kidde Railcar. He envisioned a company that produced top-quality products that met and exceeded customer expectations.
He set out to transform Walter Kidde Railcar into a premium railroad freight car manufacturer in North America. Aziz’s dedication and passion brought the company back to life with a focus on continuous improvement and innovation (Facebook).
Within five years, Walter Kidde Railcar’s annual production doubled, and its workforce increased by over 2,000. Greg also invested significantly in the company’s infrastructure, such as new equipment and modern software systems. He implemented stringent quality control and safety measures that were beyond industry regulations. Greg Aziz explains that these measures ensured that Walter Kidde Railcar’s products were well-built and safe for use. Greg’s efforts were noticed, and Walter Kidde Railcar soon became the preferred choice of most customers in North America.
