View from the Floor: A Focused Approach

Canadian manufacturers have been accused of having a “risk averse” attitude. It’s a business approach that maintains a steady course, but it’s not enough to keep an industry or an economy advancing.

This point is driven home in a recent KPMG 2015 Canadian Manufacturing Outlook that emphasizes that companies should be innovating in order to fuel growth for themselves and the country.

“Today, being risk averse is the real risk. Instead, Canadian manufacturers need to invest now in their futures and take the risks that make sense,” notes the report.

Basing their opinions on a global manufacturing study, the firm found that when it comes to driving growth and innovation, global competitors said that adopting new technology and boosting R&D spend were their top two points of focus. Among Canadian manufacturers, new tech and R&D spending ranked at the bottom.

The authors suggest that our manufacturers need to sharpen their aim, clearly define and understand their markets and take the actions required to lead the way.

As a publication dedicated to serving the interests of the Canadian manufacturing industry, we are making a move in 2016 to sharpen our focus and provide greater detail to the two market sectors we address.

Next year marks the launch of Canadian Fabricating & Welding magazine, a title dedicated to providing insights into all aspects of Canada’s vibrant metal fabricating business. This magazine will be led editorially by Rob Colman, who has spent the last six years at the helm of Metalworking Production & Purchasing (also published by Annex Publishing & Printing Inc., MP&P is ending its run after 2015).

And after 110 years of addressing both machining and fabricating, in 2016 Canadian Metalworking becomes a dedicated “metal removal” magazine. This specialization provides us the opportunity to further explore the trends, technologies and processes that you, our readers, need to be aware of in order to take your businesses to the next level.

Refining our focus through two distinct publications positions us to better serve your interests. And I’m convinced that while the broad Canadian manufacturing industry may be viewed as “risk averse,” there are plenty of innovators across the metalworking spectrum, and we’ll continue to uncover and share their stories with you.

If your operation involves fabricating and welding, expect to find an issue of the new Canadian Fabricating & Welding on your desk early next year.

Doug Picklyk, Editor

dpicklyk@canadianmetalworking.com