STRONGER TOGETHER Samuel Automation Solutions Group INNOVATION, SUSTAINABILITY, AND CUSTOMER CARE ESBE Scientific Industries AUTOMATED CONTROL SYSTEMS, HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS Think-PLC MANUFACTURINGINFOCUS.COM A PR IL 2 02 3EDITOR’S CORNER 3 We’ve talked a lot about “Industry 4.0” recently, and the integration of smart technology is taking off, especially in manufactur- ing. With recent advances and accessibility to AI, I think this door is only just starting to open, and we are going to see some fantastic things soon. I’m not talking about scary-fantastic dystopian changes here. Not that I am trying to discount the concerns—as an editor, ChatGPT’s ability to create convincing writing has got me a bit concerned, and “smart” weapons of war certainly scare the hell out me—but today I’m talking about positive inno- vation. The more we adopt AI as a tool and stop thinking of it as a monster, the more we can help direct that change and use that tool responsibly. And one area where I think smart systems and AI technology can make a big, positive impact for us all is in the direction of sus- tainability. Allison Dempsey goes into detail on this topic in her latest piece, Force of Nature – Creating Smart Sustainability. Tim Hocken Editor Suite 300, 7071 Bayers Rd. | Halifax, NS | B3L 2C2 | Canada P: 1-647-479-2163 | E: EDITOR Tim Hocken DEPUTY EDITOR Jaime McKee COPY EDITORS Thora Smith | Allister Havercroft CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Nate Hendley | Allison Dempsey | Pauline Müller Robert Hoshowsky | Claire Suttles | Karen Hawthorne DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS James Corbett OPERATIONS MANAGER Severina Gachparova CONTENT MANAGERS Lily Mitchell | Jamal Francis-Anderson Louis Susara | Taylor Dunne | Logan Neil SALES TEAM Pamela Taylor | Morgan Culpepper | Dean Lucas GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Laura Pratt | Ashley Dowling Ebic Tristary | Yoana Ilcheva OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR Julia MacQueen IT ADMINISTRATOR Rebecca Sanford CONTROLLER Jen Hamilton PUBLISHER Jeff Hocken “The more we adopt AI as a tool and stop thinking of it as a monster, the more we can help direct that change and use that tool responsibly.”INSIDE APRIL FOCUS ON: MEDICAL DEVICES AUTOMATION FABRICATION & MACHINING 4 Creating Smart Sustainability As climate change and environmental concerns continue to mount and the world searches for sustainable solutions, industrial practices are under scrutiny like never before. In an effort to reduce adverse effects on social, economic, and environ- mental relationships, ecological awareness and a judicious use of natural resources are imperative. When it comes to Industry 4.0—the integration of intelligent machines in an advanced and networked production process—sustainable development is truly possible if companies take the initiative to save resources and energy, and lower their carbon emissions. 5 MANUFACTURING IN FOCUS A&D RAW MATERIALS AND MANUFACTURING CONFERENCE 17 – 18 April, Atlanta, GA Aviation Week Network’s A&D Raw Materials and Manufacturing Conference gathers stakeholders in the aerospace raw materials and manu- facturing industries, from OEMs to tier 3 and 4 suppliers. The program covers raw materials and manufacturing operations, capabilities and processes, innovation within manufacturing, modern machining technologies and industry automation. The two-day conference will take a deep dive into commercial and defense raw materials and manufacturing challenges. For more information SUPPLYSIDE EAST 18 – 19 April, Secaucus, NJ Informa Markets’ SupplySide East, the East Coast’s leading ingredients and supply-chain solutions trade show, welcomes health and nutrition industry decision-makers from leading companies to connect with top suppliers and service providers featuring the most innovative ingredi- ents and formulation techniques to drive brands forward. Attendees will have ample opportunities to discover the latest and most innovative ingredients and solutions on the market and network with health and nutrition industry professionals from across the globe. For more information INTERNATIONAL POWDER & BULK SOLIDS CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION 25 – 27 April, Rosemont, IL The International Powder & Bulk Solids Conference & Exhibition, also known as “The Powder Show,” is the only event in the western hemisphere bringing together the powder & bulk solids handling and dry processing sector—the community of OEMs, process engineers, and executives whose activity accounts for 70% of the manufacturing lifecycle of every product on Earth. Whether you work in food, pharmaceutical, metals, or personal care, attend The Powder Show to discover the latest technologies, find new suppliers, and make professional connections with thousands of executives and engineers. For more information AMERICAPACK SUMMIT 18 – 19 May, Las Vegas, NV The AmericaPack Summit is an invitation-only, premium forum bringing together leading packaging executives and innovative suppliers and solution providers. The summit’s content is aligned with key packaging challenges and interests, relevant market developments, practical and progressive ideas, as well as strategies adopted by successful pioneers. Key topics include Driving Change Through Design, Digitization Of Packaging, Building A Greener Future, and more. For more information IME EAST 13 – 15 June, New York, NY Uniting engineers, designers, and decision-makers to solve problems and move manufacturing forward, this six-in-one design and manufactur- ing expo is designed to give you a comprehensive view of the product lifecycle from prototype to production. Explore all six trade shows that share the expo floor: MD&M East, EastPack, ATX East, D&M East, Plastec East, and Quality Expo East. For more information INDUSTRY EVENTS 6 Are you planning an event relating to North America’s growing Manufacturing Industry? To get your event listed in Manufacturing in Focus, please contact us at least six to eight weeks before the event takes place at or call 1-647-479-2163INDUSTRY NEWS VOLKSWAGEN’S FIRST OVERSEAS BATTERY PLANT Legendary German vehicle manufacturer Volkswagen has chosen Ontario, Canada as the home of its first overseas battery manufacturing plant. The new electric vehicle (EV) battery gigafactory—a joint venture between Volkswagen and its battery subsidiary PowerCo—will be built in the city of St. Thomas, about halfway between Toronto and well-known automotive centre Windsor. Europe’s largest automaker has stated it will spend approximately $20 billion as it pursues constructing EV battery plants worldwide. Back in 2021, Volkswagen stated it would build six battery cell plants across Europe by 2030. Other facili- ties currently under construction are in Eastern Europe, and another in Valencia, Spain. For the province of Ontario, Volkswagen, PowerCo, and the city of St. Thomas, the long-term economic benefits are tremen- dous. The new facility follows the initiation of construction of two other gigafactories, and production is slated to start in 2027. The new plant will, according to Volkswagen, “equip the Group brand’s BEVs in the region with cutting-edge battery cells.” In a joint statement, Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, and the Honourable Vic Fedeli, Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, praised the new Volkswagen initiative, stating it represented “a major vote of confidence in Canada and Ontario, and in our shared work to position the country and the province as a global leader on the electric vehicle supply chain.” Starting this year, Volkswagen intends to release a new unified prismatic cell design for its batteries, expected to power about 80 percent of the company’s electric vehicles by 2030. The automaker is also working with two other key battery produc- ers, CATL and Samsung, along with QuantumScape on energy- efficient, solid-state batteries. During a press conference, Ministers Champagne and Fedeli added: “This investment is another significant step forward as we build a clean transportation sector to meet global and North American demand for zero-emission vehicles. We will continue to build on this success by growing our EV ecosystem and sup- porting clean technology to create well-paying jobs and spur economic growth and prosperity for future generations.” Among the world’s largest automakers, the Volkswagen Group manages a portfolio of 10 companies. It saw $295.8 billion USD in revenue ($406 billion CAD) in 2022. At present, Canada’s growing auto sector supports about 500,000 workers, contrib- utes $16 billion CAD annually to the country’s gross domestic product, and remains one of Canada’s largest export industries. shutterstock.com / Gabriel Nica 7INDUSTRY NEWS NISSAN WORKERS SAY NO TO UNION Dozens of workers at the Nissan factory in Tennessee recently rejected unionization, stating they are stronger without the involvement of third-party unions. The vote, 62-9, went against having a union at the Nissan plant in Smyrna. The decision followed two years of lengthy legal challenges before the National Labor Relations Board. In a statement, The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace (IAM) workers trade union stated the long delay by the Labor Relations Board had a “chilling effect,” adding, “The IAM will continue to support these workers so we will be prepared for them to join our union when the time is right again. We want to thank our organizers for their tireless work in this campaign.” FEDS EARMARK $80M+ FOR CANADIAN CRITICAL DRUG INITIATIVE Canada’s federal government recently announced $80,514,000 in funding over five years toward Edmonton’s Canadian Critical Drug Initiative. The Government of Alberta has also stated it provided $5.6 million last year to Applied Pharmaceutical Innovation, which enabled it to secure addi- tional federal government funding. The monies will be used toward the construction of a new 40,000-square-foot facility, which is slated to have sufficient capacity to produce 70 million doses every year. This initiative is led by non-for-profit organization Applied Pharmaceutical Innovation in partnership with the University of Alberta. The move is aimed at strengthening Canada’s ability to develop and manufacture critical medicines, and at broadening Alberta’s life sciences sector. “This investment, through the Regional Innovation Ecosystem (RIE) program, provides these Canadian firms with the resources and support they need to grow our country’s expertise in the life sciences sector and increase Canada’s competitiveness in global markets,” stated The Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister for PrairiesCan, in a recent media release. “Today’s launch of the Canadian Critical Drug Initiative will help enable Canadian innovators to strengthen our local supply chain for critical medicines while supporting the expansion of early-stage com- panies and creating good jobs.” Along with the new facility, some of the specific project activi- ties include infrastructure upgrades to Applied Pharmaceutical Innovation’s existing 72,000-square-foot research and devel- opment facility at the Biotechnology Business Development Centre in Edmonton “to support more early-stage companies in commercializing their products,” supporting clinical trials, and “enhancing research and development programs to train technicians and scientists in developing and producing new medicines,” in collaboration with universities across Canada. 8INDUSTRY NEWS SAMSUNG INVESTING IN MANUFACTURING IN INDIA South Korean electronics corporation Samsung is establishing smart manufacturing capabilities in Noida (New Okhla Industrial Development Authority), a city in the Gautam Buddha Nagar district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. By furthering its existing research and development in India, the smartphone manufacturing giant stated it will make pro- duction even more competitive. Noida is home to the com- pany’s largest manufacturing facility, where it began making its premium Galaxy S23 series earlier this year. At present, Samsung has approximately 10,000 employees at its R&D locations across India. AMAZON CUTTING 9,000 JOBS U.S.-based Amazon announced it will make yet another round of cuts across its global businesses, the second round so far this year. Known mainly for its e-commerce site, Amazon is also active in cloud computing, digital streaming, artificial intelligence (AI), and other high-tech endeavours. The latest round of cuts comes less than three months after Amazon axed over 18,000 jobs, along with shuttering several warehouses and delivery stations in the United Kingdom. The upcoming 9,000 jobs affected will be mainly in the company’s highly profitable cloud services and advertising departments. Additionally, Amazon’s Twitch livestreaming platform will see about 400 employees lose their jobs. Upon the news being made public, company stock dropped 1.8 percent. During COVID-19, Amazon and other industry giants like Microsoft Corp., Facebook parent company Meta, and Alphabet Inc. hired tens of thousands of new employees. Today, as the pandemic winds down, these companies—and many others that saw their numbers swell—are conducting layoffs. These include eBay, PayPal, IBM, Spotify, Zoom, cloud comput- ing company Twilio, Yahoo, Wayfair, FedEx, The Walt Disney Company—parent company of ABC News—and even NPR (National Public Radio). At present, Amazon employs over 1.5 million people. shutterstock.com / Frederic Legrand - COMEO 9Next >