View from the Floor: Moving towards advanced manufacturing

The Canadian Manufacturing Technology Show (CMTS) came to close on October 1, and as the lights dimmed on the show floor there was time to reflect on highlights from the four-day event.

The opening keynote by Linamar CEO Linda Hasenfratz kicked off on a very positive note, with the head of the global auto parts manufacturing giant applauding the productivity of its Canadian operations and praising Canada’s R&D tax credit system. “We have to be competitive to be prosperous,” says Hasenfratz.

This was a great message to hear from the Guelph-based company, and it seems to corroborate the recent Global Competitiveness Report from the World Economic Forum that has Canada moving up two spots to 13th position. The report refers to our “highly efficient labour markets”, yet it also suggests that “Canada should continue to foster innovation at the company level,” noting that our R&D spending ranks 26th overall.

At CMTS it was obvious that companies are embracing the next wave of manufacturing. For me, the largest news at the show was a further commitment to metal additive manufacturing in this country.

One existing Canadian player, Burloak Technologies of Dundas, Ontario confirmed its decision to add three more metal 3D printing machines (it already has two), while a new start-up located just north of Toronto, Additive Metal Manufacturing, used the show launch itself into the market.

This shop aims share its engineering and product design development skills with customers to ramp up additive metal production in this country.

In addition to new processes, the ever-increasing interest in robotics on the show floor reveals demand for automating current machining operations. A new report from the Boston Consulting Group, “Man and Machine in Industry 4.0: How Will Technology Transform the Industrial Workforce Through 2025?” suggests that by installing robotic systems manufacturers will ultimately reduce routine physically demanding jobs, while the number of roles requiring problem solving will increase.

“To succeed in their evolving workplace, employees will have to be even more open to change...and get accustomed to continual interdisciplinary learning,” notes Michael Rußmann, a coauthor of the report.

As visitors to CMTS gathered around all of the new technology on the show floor, it was clear that the desire to learn and progress is top of mind. Events like CTMS confirm that Canada’s manufacturing industry is committed to the future.

Doug Picklyk, Editor

dpicklyk@canadianmetalworking.com