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April 2022 Newsletter
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IMPORTANT!
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Our address has changed! Please update your records.
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5844 Malden Rd. Unit# 140 Mailbox#302
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We are pleased to name Megatel CNC Solutions Inc. as our April Member of the Month! I had the pleasure of meeting with John Donald and Greg James, at Megatel, to discuss their 40th anniversary and upcoming events.
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Since 1980, Megatel has supplied and serviced metal working machinery; beginning by providing the Quebec market EDM machining technology and expanding to Ontario and covering a wide range of machining applications. Megatel sources quality products from around the world with the focus being the best and most cost-effective solutions.
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John Donald has been with Megatel for 17 years and began in Quebec. He eventually was transferred to Windsor where he is now the Director of Operations. In speaking with him, you can tell he genuinely loves and takes pride in the work that he does; and, in Megatel. Greg James is new at Megatel as a Technical Sales Representative. Megatel prides itself on being more like a partner, than a provider, by being there, providing support and local, prompt service.
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Megatel celebrated their 40 year anniversary, during the pandemic, and are now holding their 40th anniversary celebration in May 2022.
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On May 12, 2022, Megatel is holding a Lunch & Learn event (by invitation only) with guest speakers for the tool, die and mold industries. On May 13, 2022, there will be an Open House with BBQ, walk throughs and an opportunity to connect. On the evening of May 13, 2022 they are holding their private dinner and show (by invitation only). And with so many years and successes they have cause to celebrate!
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In addition to learning about Megatel and their upcoming events, I was able to ask John and Greg some questions:
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1. What are you most proud of from 2021?
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We are most proud that we were able to keep going 'full speed ahead' without any layoffs.
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2. What are your goals for 2022?
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Covid delayed expanding our building and we are going to work on getting this done, this year.
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3. What advice would you give someone new to your industry?
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You get what you pay for!
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It was such a pleasure to meet with John and Greg today and see their building, discuss Megatel's anniversary and learn about them. It is always a joy to meet with people who truly love what they do and exude pride and determination.
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Stay tuned for more information about Megatel's Lunch & Learn event on May 12 and the Open House on May 13.
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MOLD/DIE INDUSTRY FORECASTS GROWTH IN 2022 DESPITE CHALLENGES
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The North American tooling industry rebounded in 2021, a new study says, with companies on average seeing year-over-year revenue growth, and both mold and die shops seeing utilization ranges of between 81 to 89 per cent.
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And according to the results of the Q1 2022 Harbour IQ Manufacturing Pulse Study by consulting firm Harbour Results Inc. (HRI), although Q1 2022 has started out slightly slower, shops forecast utilization to reach 90 per cent (mold) and 82 per cent (die) by Q4 2022.
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“However, the manufacturing industry continues to face challenges – supply chain shortages, raw material availability and costs, a talent gap and global economic uncertainty,” HRI said.
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According to study respondents, the higher cost of business and access to labour remain the top concerns for manufacturers. “Additionally, for the tooling industry work-on-hold is trending up in Q1 2022 and payment terms and on-time payments of accounts have dropped after a brief improvement in 2021,” HRI said. “As a result, in Q1 2022 overall sentiment has dropped for the first time since 2020.”
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PARALLEL 42 SYSTEMS INVITES OUR MEMBERS TO A CAD SOFTWARE MARKET RESEARCH EVENT
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On Tuesday, April 12th Hackforge welcomes Kaleel Lawrence-Boxx, mechanical engineering student at Ryerson University, and Aran Abrahamlingam, physics student the University of Windsor for a market research event.
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INSPIRING CHANGE: WOMEN IN MANUFACTURING AND AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGY SECTORS SHARE INSPIRATIONAL STORIES
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We are pleased to share that Kim Thiara, a member of the CAMM board of directors and President of Acetronic Industrial Controls, has been featured in an article entitled “Inspiring Change: Women in Manufacturing and Automation Technology Sectors share inspirational stories” on page 12 of Manufacturing Automation's digital edition.
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Kim shares an impressive and inspiring story about herself, Acetronic and being a role model for her daughter.
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STACKTECK ADDS CUSTOMER SUPPORT IN MEXICO
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Brampton, Ont.-based mold maker, and CAMM member, StackTeck Systems Ltd. has partnered with Ruben Saldaña, a professional with 25 years of experience in the plastics industry and 15 years of experience in mold maintenance, to expand its on-site support for customers in Mexico.
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In a statement, StackTeck officials said that "Ruben’s experience with injection molding projects includes stack molds, hot runners, automation, and processing. His knowledge in the field will enable [us] to provide highly qualified and readily available support for mold diagnostics, inspections, and audits; training for mold technicians; mold maintenance; assistance with spare parts; and mold and automation system start-ups".
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ONTARIO SECURES ANOTHER MILESTONE AUTO INVESTMENT
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The Ontario government is supporting a more than $2 billion investment by General Motors of Canada with up to $259 million in grant support to transform the company’s Oshawa and CAMI manufacturing plants, as well as improvements across all of GM’s manufacturing and R&D facilities in the province. These investments will pave the way for GM’s first electric vehicle (EV) production line in Ontario in Ingersoll and the continuation of vehicle production in Oshawa, while ensuring the vehicles of the future are built in Ontario and sold across North America.
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ONTARIO SUPPORTING ECONOMIC GROWTH IN SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO
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Ontario is taking action to ensure the efficient and timely development of five new electricity transmission infrastructure projects in Southwest Ontario, supporting the significant growth in the manufacturing and greenhouse sectors.
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“Our government is supporting the incredible growth in Southwest Ontario by accelerating the development of five new transmission lines that will power the new Stellantis–LGES battery plant, the growing greenhouse sector and other job creators,” said Todd Smith, Minister of Energy. “As our government reduces the price of doing business, including by lowering electricity prices by 15-17 per cent for large commercial and industrial customers, we have seen significant new investment. Today we are demonstrating our commitment to build the critical infrastructure to support those new jobs.”
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OSHAWA INVESTMENTS SHOULD HAVE SPINOFF IMPACTS FOR WINDSOR-ESSEX
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Our President, Jeanine Lassaline-Berglund, was interviewed by AM800 News to discuss the federal and provincial governments investing up to $259 million each in General Motors’ Oshawa plant and its CAMI facility in Ingersoll and the potential spin-off effects it will have on Windsor-Essex and our members.
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Jeanine Lassaline-Berglund, was quoted as saying we haven’t seen this kind of investment in automotive vehicle manufacturing in the province in quite some time.
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“So of course that’s going to have spinoff effects, it’s going to have spinoff effects for the entire supply chain,” she continued, “Including the members of both the Canadian Association of Moldmakers and Automate Canada.”
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Until recently the apprenticeship programs across the country have not undergone any significant upgrades to the model they have followed for decades. For the most part, there has been some evolution in content as technology has changed and advanced, but not necessarily in structure.
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For the last decade, the Atlantic provinces were all working with their own chosen set of curriculum guidelines and exams. For example, Prince Edward Island (PEI) had a longstanding agreement with Alberta to use its content, curriculum, and exams.
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“Because we are such a small jurisdiction, we really had no choice but to reach out to larger provinces that had the capability and resources to develop and maintain skilled trades training curriculum,” said Grant Sweet, director of apprenticeship and trades, PEI Department of Economic Growth, Tourism and Culture.“This worked for a while, but we did notice that the content and processes were very specific to industry in Western Canada, particularly oil and gas, and certainly didn’t have the applicability in Atlantic Canada. This made it challenging for PEI apprentices to obtain the necessary experience to be successful in their Red Seal program.”
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ADVANCE: WOMEN IN MANUFACTURING - AN ENGAGING DAY OF CRUCIAL CONVERSATIONS
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On March 22, the Advance: Women in Manufacturing virtual summit explored the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace while featuring some amazing women trailblazers. One of these women, our President Jeanine Lassaline-Berglund, moderated the discussion entitled ‘Making conscious the unconscious bias’.
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In 2022 as geopolitical conflicts bring further disruption to already strained supply chains and different sectors try to push forward despite labour shortages, women of all cultural backgrounds continue to be underrepresented in one of Canada’s most critical sectors – manufacturing.
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The shutdown of several workspaces, educational institutions and childcare facilities due to coronavirus heightened the visibility of gender inequalities as many women were left to take on the bulk of domestic duties while fulfilling the responsibilities of their professions.
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INJECTION MOLD AND DESIGN EXPO
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May 25-26 – Detroit, Michigan
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Focused exclusively on injection molding, this two-day event brings together the complete North American supply chain, from part and mold design, through process optimization and automation, to finishing and assembly. Join us in Detroit to learn, network, and collaborate.
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METALWORKING AND MANUFACTURING EXPO - WINNIPEG
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April 20 - Winnipeg, Manitoba
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Meet with fellow industry professionals and discover the latest
production and manufacturing processes that can drive your business
located at the Victoria Inn & Convention Centre in Winnipeg, MB.
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Please visit our website for all upcoming events HERE
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ONTARIO CREATES IDM FUND: GLOBAL MARKET DEVELOPMENT 2022 INTAKE
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All applicants must be an Ontario-based and Canadian-owned business that is in good standing with the Ontario Creates program at the time of applying. The IDM Fund: Global Market Development stream also requires you to meet the following eligibility requirements:
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- Have an executive team including at least one owner or full-time employee with a minimum full-time equivalent of three years of professional experience in the creation of professional, commercialized content;
- Be majority-owned by individuals that have a recent track record of working in Ontario;
- Be prepared to incorporate immediately if their application is successful; and
- Meet the relevant eligibility criteria for established companies on incorporation.
Projects that are eligible for funding through the IDM Fund: Global Market Development Stream must take place outside of Ontario. All activities, whether virtual or in-person, must focus on international audience and business development opportunities.
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GROW YOUR BUSINESS ONLINE - GRANT
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The Grow Your Business Online grant will help up to 90,000 small businesses take advantage of e-commerce opportunities.
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Eligible businesses will receive a micro-grant of up to $2,400 to help with the costs related to adopting digital technologies. Grants will be available through local and regional service providers across Canada. The application period to become a service provider has closed. The service providers will also support a network of e-commerce advisors who will advise and help small businesses adopt e-commerce.
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BOOST YOUR BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY - CANADIAN TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION PROGRAM
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The Boost Your Business Technology grant offers support to Canadian-owned small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) who want to adopt new digital technologies.
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Eligible businesses will have access to a marketplace of digital adoption experts to help them develop a digital adoption plan tailored to their needs.
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Eligible businesses can leverage the grant to pay for the services of a digital advisor. These advisors will work with companies to recommend digital pathways and strategies that will help them achieve their business goals and increase their competitiveness in the digital economy.
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Stay up to date on relevant funding information on our website HERE
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Don't forget to send in your list of employee numbers, or the number of employees that you have, to utilize your new Member Discount Programs.
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You can view your Member Programs and Services, including specialized sales, HERE
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THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:
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