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EMC Guelph Consortium
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I have had a great opportunity to be a part of fabulous peer-to-peer networking events every month in the 3 consortia that I manage. Guelph Area, Brampton/Caledon/Orangeville and Burlington/Oakville/Milton manufacturers have challenges that are unique to their respective sector and geography but what has proven to be true in 2011 is that no one person or one company has all the solutions to all of their challenges.
Strategic Interest Group events prove to be an excellent resource for manufacturers, so they can meet these challenges head on with the help of their trusted peers.
I must first commend all members on the strength of their resolve, as 2011 has shown that manufacturers in Ontario are strong and ready to increase their manufacturing competitiveness with all the vim and vigor that they have shown in the past. We came into the year with trepidation and hoped that 'the worst was over'. While we…
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I may be biased because I live in Guelph but it sure seems like this area had a larger hill to climb than other centres as we crawl out of a recession. The good news is that for all of the bad news of 2009 there were A LOT of great news stories in the Guelph Area in 2010!
I looked back at the 'Year in Review' blog that I wrote one quick year ago and there was both a hint of despair but also a lot of hope for the coming year.
In 2010, the overall theme started with recovery and as we exit the year we see "the phoenix rising from the ashes" and Help Wanted signs all over the region! We are seeing new tenants into previously vacated buildings and new industrial parks readying themselves for new business.
As I reflect upon the activity from my vantage point, I …
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WHAT STEPS HAS YOUR MANUFACTURING FACILITY TAKEN TO ENSURE CONTINUED GROWTH AND PROSPERITY?
On September 28th, Guelph manufacturers will gather to discuss challenges that companies are facing in today's economy and how to make the proverbial 'giant leap' into the future. This session is a Special EMC SIG Event that is open to EMC member and non-member manufacturing personnel and is a continuation of a province-wide tour of information sessions.
Did you know that in the Guelph region your peers in manufacturing are activiely working with each other to increase their competitiveness?
Did you know that they are leveraging each other's expertise in industry to ensure that they are able to stay a step ahead of their competition?
Every manufacturing facility has put in place strategic steps to ensure that they maintain their market share and more than likely are also exploring ways to increase their market share. This information…
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AO Smith (better known to many as GSW Water Heating) in Fergus has been producing consumer products that have evolved over the year for more than 150 years!! The participants at this SIG were treated to a fantastic morning of benchmarking and learning from AO Smith and of course from each other.
As many of you have discovered, the Continuous Improvement SIG in Guelph has quickly become an additional value added opportunity for regional manufacturers. Since the launch of the CI SIG in late 2008, it has become common place for 20-25 manufacturing representatives to participate in monthly discussions on Continuous Improvement/Lean focused SIGs.
This event at AO Smith was no different as 25 manufacturing peers and community partners converged at this historically significant facility. You…
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A unique event took place in Guelph on February 23rd. The Guelph Area EMC members were invited to hold the monthly February SIG at College Heights Secondary School with the focus of identifying the needs of local manufacturers in training for current and future employees. A large turnout of manufacturers from all sizes and sectors were represented and a spirited discussion took place about the needs of industry and the offerings available by College Heights and Conestoga College. This event was dubbed as
School showcases education for the real world
Credit: The Guelph Mercury February 24,2010; Rob O'Flanagan
It had to be perfect, Heather Bousfield, 18, said of a lunch prepared Tuesday by College Heights Secondary School co-op students for representatives of about 20 local manufacturing firms. And by all accounts it was.
The Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium facilitated a meeting of minds between manufacturers and educators who specialize in training students for the job market.
Consortium…
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WOW what a year!
2009 presented huge challenges for Guelph Area manufacturers because of the recession. The region, although not unlike other regions, seemed to be hit quite hard by the downturn in the economy. We saw a number of good manufacturers have to close their doors which caused concerns for those that have been able to hold on. On a good note, this year ended with many EMC Members seeing a slight revival in their business and a even some that are experiencing growing pains! Let's all hope for a…
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On November 24th, EMC Members gathered at Lance Canada(AKA Tamming Foods) in Guelph to learn how Lance has succeeded in driving out waste by using the tools of Lean Manufacturing, specifically through Kaizen events and Employee Communication.
The Continuous Improvement SIGs have become the 'place to be' as the latest SIG at Lance Canada had 20 EMC Members participating!
The session started out with an overview by a sleepy, yet highly informative Plant Manager - Nathan McLaughlin (new and proud Dad) of the efforts Lance has undertaken over the past 18 months. They have some specific challenges, as a food sector manufacturer, in driving out waste in their processes to continue to provide high value while maintaining or reducing costs…
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The October SIG events took place at Cascade Corp in Guelph. We had to excellent presentations for the HR and H&S professionals.
Human Resources SIG
The first SIG session was our yearly presentation by the Ministry of Labour. These events are always well attended and well received as it gives manufacturers a chance to hear directly what the focus is for the MOL over the next few months and how the plan to role out new initiatives. This forum also provides EMC Members a chance to anonmously ask the MOL representative about specific questions without fears of raising any red flags.
Some of the talking points from this…
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The September SIG events took place at Teutech Industries in Guelph. EMC Members and community partners gathered for 2 great discussions.
The fall SIG schedule kicked off with a bang at Teutech Industries in Guelph. The breakfast session started with over 20 Continuous Improvement people gathering to hear and see the successes and challenges that Teutech is experiencing. The day started with learning about the benefits and new capabilities of the EMC website which will provide manufacturers some added opportunities to benchmark with their peers and all in attendance agreed that these new capabilities will add great benefit for…
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The Guelph Area Consortium gethered at Ranger Metal for 2 excellent learning opportunities and some great benchmarking.
We had our annual Employment Law Update and we were fortunate to have Kim Granger from EMC Member Mahle Filter Systems to review their Claims Management Program.
Our Human Resources focus SIG involved our annual Employment Law Update by Matthew Mihailovich of Hicks Morley Law Firm. Matt gave us an update on the Employment Standards Act and some points to consider, such as the need to receive MOL approvals to work employees over 48 hours, Bill 139-Temporary Help Agencies and common complaints by employees.
Matt reviewed with the group where Bill 168-Violence/Harrassment in the Workplace is at in the legislation process. While this Bill is a ways away…
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