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Welcome to Advanced Manufacturing magazine's e-newsletter! "A must-read for decision-makers who manage, source and implement manufacturing technologies. Canada's #1 source for advanced manufacturing technology news, analysis and products." e-Newsletter Today's e-newsletter is sponsored by:
It's downright annoying when someone doesn't return your phone call. When it comes to your business it's not just annoying, it can cost you money. Your customers expect a prompt reply when they call with a complaint or inquiry. Manufacturers expect the same when they deal with governments, though that's not often the case. I traveled to North Dakota on a press trip sponsored by the state's Department of Commerce last week. We met with and toured some manufacturing companies and their leaders complained about the responsiveness of the government. One executive of a Canadian company that recently opened a second facility in North Dakota said that he had called representatives of three states, but that only North Dakota responded. Officials also quickly set up a tour for the company to visit various communities, all of whom were very eager to attract business. North Dakota uses its small size to its advantage. They are able to offer the kind of customer service that is the envy of much larger states and it's most likely a major reason why North Dakota is one of only three states to increase manufacturing jobs in the past five years. Customer service is at the top of the priority list for most companies big and small and it needs to be top of mind for governments as well, regardless of their size, if they want to continue to attract manufacturing investment. John Tenpenny, editor Please feel free to drop me a line: Today's e-newsletter is sponsored by:
New agreement address skills issues in Ontario The Ontario government recently announced the implementation of a Labour Market Development Agreement (LMDA). “This is welcome news for manufacturers and exporters in Ontario,” says Ian Howcroft, Vice President of the Ontario Division of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME). The agreement came into effect on January 1, 2007 and transfers many federal training and employment programs, staff and resources to the province. The money is intended to increase and better coordinate labour market services and greater access to information for employers and labour market participants. “Addressing skills issues is critical to overcoming the urgent challenges facing the manufacturing sector in Ontario; we look forward to working with the government to ensure that LMDA programs meet the needs of industry. CME has long advocated for a coordinated and cooperative approach between the levels of government, and the transfer to Ontario is an important step in the right direction,” adds Howcroft. Today's e-newsletter is sponsored by: 
New initiative to boost automotive research Thanks to $15.5 million from the Ontario government, automotive manufacturing research will shift into high gear with the $46.5-million Initiative for Automotive Manufacturing Innovation (IAMI) led by McMaster University and the University of Waterloo. IAMI is a research consortium with Ontario, the two universities and 35 industrial partners with matching funds provided by both the industrial partners and the two universities over five years. “The focus of the consortium is to investigate and develop new technologies for producing lighter-weight, cost-competitive automobiles,” said Mo Elbestawi, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at McMaster University. “They will be developing new generations of metal alloys, polymers, composites and coatings, introducing advanced manufacturing processes and improving product performance.” The IAMI’s leaders hope to commercialize and quickly implement developments through an aggressive technology transfer program. The expertise of the Xerox Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at McMaster and the Centre of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology at Waterloo will be used for this purpose. “We now have a rare opportunity to make a real impact on an entire industry,” said David Wilkinson, co-director and principal investigator of IAMI, and director of both the McMaster Centre for Automotive Materials and the McMaster Manufacturing Research Institute. “IAMI represents a new approach to technology development and its rapid deployment in industry.”
Roundtable session focuses on creating manufacturing value It’s not a new problem: How do Canadian manufacturers compete globally? But the sheer complexity of the issue and the lack of one clear solution was made evident at a recent roundtable event attended by more than 80 executives of leading manufacturing companies. The event was moderated by The Access Group and sponsored by The City of Mississauga, Microsoft Canada, Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters and Advanced Manufacturing. The panelists included: Hon. Perrin Beatty, president and CEO of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters; Karim Budhwani, business solutions specialist, Microsoft Canada; Bill McKinstry, general manager, Kamco Products; Todd Phillips, founding editor, Advanced Manufacturing; Glen de Dieu, operations manager, Brannon Steel; and Peter Watson, partner, pm2. Beatty opened the discussion with some insights about how Canadian manufacturers compete globally and create value for customers now and in the future. “We’re improving, but yet still falling behind,” he said. “We need a sense of urgency to address the issues facing manufacturers. We need new business models to compete.” Government also has a role to play says Beatty. “We need incentives to encourage investment in skills, innovation and equipment.” Beatty also says to ensure a stable business environment manufacturers need from government open borders, stable exchange rates, competitive taxes and harmonized trade regulations.” The panel and guests engaged in a wide-ranging discussion that touched on areas such as: disaggregating the value chain to see where the real value lies; re-investing in our infrastructure; separating the strategic (doing the right thing) from the operational (doing it right); improving the commercialization of the research and development that exists at Canadian institutions; and creating a culture of performance by improving productivity and training. Today's e-newsletter is sponsored by:
Every company needs secrets By Jim Pinto Products are becoming commodities in the new global business environment. To succeed, businesses need a competitive differentiator — a proprietary edge — which can only be developed through innovation, knowledge and experience. Automation businesses sell just one core benefit — productivity. In today’s global markets, end-users recognize full well that whoever produces cheaper, faster and better wins. Nations and regions are now engaged in a fight — albeit peaceful — that will impact many generations to come. It’s a war of ideas and innovation, of agility and tenacity. It will take new thinking to stay ahead. Full column:
ERP providers overlook metal service industries General enterprise resource planning (ERP) providers typically do not make products for the dimensional inventory, chemical, and physical properties requirements that are vital to the metal service industry and other related so-called material converter businesses, such as paper, textiles and plastics. Those not familiar with these industries might mistakenly see only a limited number of cutting and surface treatment operations and come to the conclusion that their requirements are rather basic. Nothing could be further from the truth. The unique nature of metal products means that inventory information is critical and it requires software that is designed to track numerous inventory item attributes and specifications concurrently. Other requirements for metal processors and service centres include tracing the ancestry/genealogy of an inventory tag from purchase through to delivery and being able to enter a master tag number or heat number for each item so every single piece produced from the master tag can be tracked. Full column:
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