Overall, the event was a great success! There were over 60 in-person attendees, and many more joined us virtually.
To kick off the event, we introduced the Honourable Bardish Chagger, Member of Parliament for Waterloo. On behalf of the Honourable Filomena Tassi, Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), MP Chagger, announced almost $2.9 million in support for WMCO to help SMEs adopt digital strategies.
After the announcement Mike Baker, CEOWMCOspoke of the importance of this funding milestone. “This project demonstrates the importance of industry-led clusters to deliver results for small- and medium-sized wood manufacturing companies, and government partners alike. SMEs who do not have easy access to support for digital transformation can work with the cluster to achieve global competitiveness through data integration and Industry 4.0 investments. The cluster provides an environment for companies to learn from each other’s projects and leverage the synergies to boost global competitiveness.”
Chris Martin,Horizon Coatings and WMCO Chair, provided his generous comments and gratitude towards the investment FedDev Ontario is making in the future of the wood manufacturing industry.
Companies interested in learning more about the project are invited to respond to this email, or contactMike BakerorMichael Petrie.
Chris Martin, Horizon Coatings and WMCO Chair, the Honourable Bardish Chagger, Member of Parliament for Waterloo, and Mike Baker, CEO of WMCO
After the announcement and additional comments from WMCO we had a networking lunch provided by our WMCO member sponsorsBDC,Millbank Family Furniture,Cowan, andHardwoods. Following lunch Julia Novik, PresidentLean Advisors, presented on Streamlining ERP Processes.
Julia presented in detail the benefits SMEs gain by investing in ERP. The key benefits include:
Minimizing redundancy and automating processes to increase efficiency.
Optimizing manufacturing operations for enhanced productivity.
Improving supply chain, warehouse, transportation, and inventory management.
Julia Novik, President of Lean Advisors
Followed was another opportunity for our members to network, with additional funding programs to follow. First to speak was Rohit Sharma, Digital Adoption Advisor from theOntario Centre of Innovation. Rohit presented two types of grants, Digital Modernization and Adoption Plans (D-MAP), and Technology Demonstration Project.
Next Karyn Brearley from theYves Landry Foundationspoke. Karyn presented the Achieving Innovation and Manufacturing Excellence – Green (AIME Green) funding program. This program is designed to support the labour force training needs of southern Ontario SMEs to help them create cleaner/greener manufacturing processes and products.
To end our guest speaking was a team fromBDC. Joining us were Merry Bounpraseuth,Senior Account Manager, andJamie Downs, Senior Account Manager. They provided details on how BDC can aid SMEs via several financing options including Working Capital financing, Equipment Purchasing loans, and Commercial Real Estate financing. They also spoke about the Canadian Digital Adoption Program (CDAP).
To end the eventMike Bakerprovided some key highlights and thanked all attendees and speakers for joining WMCO to celebrate a milestone event. After a brief Q & A we had an additional networking opportunity at the Edelweiss Tavern.
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