As I looked back at my Year in Review blog for this region a short 12 months ago, their was a hint of despair that was being overshadowed by cause for optimism.  As we toured through 2010, this wave of optimism grew and the EMC Members were finding themselves in a growth position again!  Of course the 'correction' over the past 24 months and the following move forward then presents new challenges...mostly how to do more with either less people or a smaller market.

The regional members took these challenges and looked for ways to be innovative and collaborative with fellow manufacturers, suppliers and customers.  The Canadian economy has held its own and we now have the potential to position ourselves to be a global leader and a country that needs to be paid attention to.

Consortium activity really picked up steam in 2010 which was encouraging on 2 fronts - with the economy in the tanks members were called on to do more at their own facility yet still saw the benefit of coming out to benchmark with fellow members and our Continuous Improvement SIG became a very popular venue for borrowing and sharing expertise. The Brampton/Orangeville/Caledon consortium had many opportunities for your people in your facilities to benchmark, we had a full plate of CI, HR and H&S SIG activity with all having very healthy participation. The engagement level at these SIGs has never been so high and I only expect this growth trend to continue!

We had some fabulous events and excellent benchmarking opportunities at ParPak, ABB Robotics, Multivans, IMBC Blowmolding, SunRich Fresh Foods, Shepherd Thermoforming and Peelle Door.  The latter event was unique in that the folks at Peelle Door have been working on a CI initiative and struggling with how to staff it.  The presented this challenge to the group and through shared expertise and experience we were able to provide some fresh ideas that will allow them to keep their momentum up and reach their ultimate goal. 

The SIG activity provides a unique venue for manufacturing professionals to 'steal' ideas from their peers in these informal yet very much a work study atmosphere.  Each session has seen members walking away with a long list of 'new ideas' to take back to their facilities.

We will continue to spend more time this year on EMC Member shop floors to see real-life examples of how members are implementing strategies for success. We had some excellent Continuous Improvement benchmarking exercises that proved to be very valuable for all participants regardless of the size, sector or sophistication of their own facilities.  In 2011, we will continue with having EMC members hosting tours of their facilities so that we can have a better understanding of what our neighbours do and how they do it.  Those that hosted this year will tell you of the huge benefit to have 'outside eyes' view your processes and offer unbiased ideas for future activities.

I look forward to manufacturers realizing some new opportunities for growth and the continuation of 'borrowing and sharing with pride' in the new year. 

I wish you all a healthy, happy and memorable holiday season and let's all raise our coffee mugs for a prosperous 2011!

 Tim