May 2022 Newsletter Did you know the official flower of May is the Lily of the Valley?

This month we were pleased to sit down with CST Studio, May's Member of the Month. The representatives at CST Studio show a true passion for what they do. They expressed their dedication to their customers and the importance of unparalleled customer service. CST Studio was established in 1999 and prides itself as a total customer satisfaction facility. CST Studio has an extensive grain library, with access to thousands of patterns and customizable grains. From CNC cut finish to completed finish, CST Studio has skilled tradesmen on staff for disassembly and reassembly of molds. They are a full-service facility. CST Studio has a variety of recent projects, including a large interior package for electric vehicles. They proudly completed this program with 100% on-time delivery, and 37% early deliveries. They have had many other projects including every major OEM part with significant projects, such as BMW and their collaboration with Eschmann, their global partner. CST Studio has a strong global presence, which is very important to their customers – they will continue to grow their global footprint besides Eschmann Europe, Tanazawa Japan and China, PKW South America, CST Studio performs automotive work and non-automotive work, with a 60/40 ratio. Their non-automotive projects include things for the home, boating, tupperware, baby seats and off-roading and one of their recent clients was on Dragon's Den. We had the opportunity to ask CST Studio some questions for their Member of the Month. 1. What are your goals for 2022? CST Studio have developed a growth strategy to expand in Canada, Michigan and Mexico in 2022. Plans are already underway for the expansion to Mexico. New customer acquisition and organic growth is most important for 2022. Service expansion will include expanding laser capacities (engraving), which is the future of the business, and we plan to add a new laser machine in early 2023. 2. What tips/advice would you give someone new to your business? Our business is not repetitive and is a niche market. You need to be creative. We are currently hiring and looking to expand and grow. Since there is no formal education for the positions, you must be the right person to train and willing to learn. Once you get started, you become a journeyman in 4 years. 3. What are 3 facts about CST Studio? We are customer focused, we are big believers in telling our story and from the owners down we all truly believe in our company. Our business decisions are based on our customers and providing high quality. Our customer's goals become our goals. Work culture is very important, and we are a tight-knit workplace. 4. What does success mean to you? Happy customers and fast growth. Needing to find a new building represents growth at a pace that is fulfilling all of our goals. In 2020, we were bought as a rebrand and have grown exponentially. We have seen impressive growth during Covid with our excellent team and leadership. Our goal is not to be the largest, but to be a viable and reliable competitor in the industry while being number one in service and quality. Success means happy customers and credible service. We have had to turn away projects when we determined that could not provide expectations of superior quality of timely service. It was a pleasure to meet with CST Studio and see the pride they share in their work and their dedication to their customers. Please send submissions for next month's Member Spotlight to [email protected].

FUNDING INFORMATION ADVANCED MANUFACTURING AND INNOVATION COMPETITIVENESS (AMIC) STREAM The Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation Competitiveness (AMIC) Stream, a new addition to the Regional Development Program (RDP) is designed to help small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ontario that are operating in the advanced manufacturing industry with grant and loan support. AMIC is focused on companies looking to invest in capital equipment, adopting technology, and developing employee skills. Find out more HERE SOUTHERN ONTARIO NETWORK FOR ADVANCED MANUFACTURING INNOVATION (SONAMI) The Southern Ontario Network for Advanced Manufacturing Innovation (SONAMI) is a network aimed at helping manufacturers and innovation-based businesses overcome innovation challenges, and is funded through the FedDev Ontario Regional Innovation Ecosystem program. Through the network, businesses partner with post-secondary institutions who support their technology development project, leading to successful outcomes in less time and with less strain on their resources. Find out more HERE

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION MEMBER BENEFITS We continue adding to our member benefits portfolio. To participate in many of the member benefits, our partners need the number of employees you have and/or employee numbers. Please send these to [email protected] To review your member benefits, programs and services please visit our website HERE

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MEMBER NEWS I was able to sit down with Vishva from Replitech, one of CAMM's newest members. Peter and Vishva started Replitech in 2020, during Covid, which made their business journey difficult. Their start was delayed from December 2020 to August 2021 due to delayed machine shipping and repairs. They have seen great success in spite of these struggles. Peter and Vishva have backgrounds in manufacturing and automation. They worked together and 3D printing was a hobby they both shared and turned into a business. Replitech makes their own filaments which allows them to be confident in the quality that they offer to their customers. Their main goal is to invent new materials for 3D printing to meet and expand on different properties and make the process more predictable. Their plan is to develop new materials that ensure the same conditions and parameters will always be predictable. Replitech joined CAMM to become part of the community and make contributions to our industry. They want to learn from our community while providing education on evolving technology and how it can benefit manufacturers. Peter and Vishva are also interested in helping education youth and their parents. They are dedicated to the educational sector and participate in programs at St. Clair College and the University of Windsor. They also offer a service to assist parents and children learn how to use their 3D printing machines at home. Replitech encourages companies to buy local and offers discounts to customers in Windsor-Essex. They also give a discount to customers who return filament spools. Vishva and Peter want customers to know they are receiving service by professionals who have industry expertise in tooling, automation and machine building. They are proud to know what is needed within our industry. It was great to sit down with Vishva and Peter and discuss Replitech, their accomplishments and view their shop. They are dedicated to serving our industry and offering quality service to their customers.

INDUSTRY NEWS New Investments grow NGen's Automotive Project Portfolio to $140M Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen), the industry-led organization leading Canada’s Advanced Manufacturing Supercluster, has announced a series of new innovation projects to support the zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) manufacturing ecosystem in Canada. Review the full press release HERE

TRANSPORT CANADA TO EXPAND INCENTIVES FOR ZERO-EMISSION VEHICLES PROGRAM Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced the government’s plans to increase incentives for the adoption of zero-emission vehicles. The new initiatives will come through Transport Canada’s Incentives for Zero-Emissions Vehicles Program. According to a statement from the Transport Canada, this program has helped Canadians purchase over 141,000 new zero-emission vehicles since 2019. Read more HERE

ONTARIO ATTRACTING MORE SKILLED NEWCOMERS TO STRENGTEHN ECONOMY The Ontario government is working for workers by investing an additional $15.1 million over three years to improve and expand the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP). The investment builds on the recently-launched entrepreneurship pilot and will allow Ontario to attract the skilled immigrants needed to fill labour gaps when local workers are not available. Read more HERE

INDUSTRY OPPORTUNITY FORUM May 11 - 9AM-1PM Join WEtech Alliance in welcoming the Greenhouse Technology Network (GTN), Canada’s Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks (CENGN), and The Southern Ontario Network for Advanced Manufacturing Innovation (SONAMI) to Windsor-Essex for an overview of the programs and opportunities available to businesses in our region. Register HERE MEGATEL CNC SOLUTIONS INC - OPEN HOUSE May 12 - 10AM-2PM CAMM members have been invited to attend an Open House event at Megatel CNC Solutions. Visit our website HERE for more details COBOTS, LABOUR AND MANUFACTURING - WEBINAR May 18 - 2-3:30PM This is part of a cross-Canada 2022 webinar series where we will showcase use cases from distributors, integrators and Canadian manufacturers using collaborative robots to painlessly solve automation, distribution and ergonomics issues within their facilities. Register HERE INJECTION MOLD AND DESIGN EXPO May 25&26 - 8AM-5PM 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. Register HERE Please visit our website for all upcoming events HERE