In celebration of Manufacturing Day 2017, over 30 manufacturers from across Waterloo Region, Wellington County and Dufferin County opened their doors to over 450 high school students and 80 members of the public on Oct. 6.
This marked the fourth annual Manufacturing Day hosted by the Workforce Planning Board of Waterloo Wellington Dufferin, the largest in North America.
The goal of Manufacturing Day is to change people’s perceptions about today’s manufacturing environment and draw attention to opportunities that a career in manufacturing can provide.
This year, public tours increased from three to five, drawing in community members, job seekers, Syrian refugees and newcomers. In Guelph, students had lunch at the Frank Hasenfranz Centre for Excellence in Manufacturing and had the opportunity to hear from Trevor Morris, an apprentice who is now an automation technician with Camcor Manufacturing, a division of Linamar.
In Waterloo, students had lunch at Conestoga College’s Cambridge Campus where they had the opportunity to tour Conestoga’s Millwright shop and Institute of Food Processing Technology.
MPP Daiene Vernile kicked off Manufacturing Day breakfast at the Kitchener Holiday Inn.
The breakfast hosted a panel comprised of Blair de Verteuil, general manager of Life Sciences Division at ATS Automation Tooling Inc., Cam Davies, senior manager of product marketing at OTTO Motors and Stephen Speers, chair of trades and apprenticeship at Conestoga College.
The panel discussed the past, present and future of manufacturing, how and why production has changed over the past 10 years, how the use of technology and innovation impacted the types of jobs and skill sets required to operate and maintain the facility, and future industry trends and how they impact the number and types of jobs.
After the breakfast, participants attended a plant facility tour of ATS Automation.
Participating companies for Manufacturing Day 2017 include: AirBoss, Alfacon Solutions Ltd., Answer Precision, Athletica Sports Systems, ATS Automation Tooling Systems, Blount International Inc., Centra Industries Inc., Con Cast Pipe Inc., Custom Foam Systems, DENSO Manufacturing, Hammond Power Solutions, Hi-Quality Carbide Tooling Inc., Integrated Metal Products, KTH Parts Industries Inc., Kuntz Electroplating, Linergy Manufacturing, Melitron Corporation, Musashi Auto Parts Inc., Ontario Drive and Gear (ODG), Pintar Manufacturing, Precision Resource Canada Ltd., Pride Signs, Quality Engineered Homes Ltd., Rapid Precision Machining & Gear, Respan Products Inc., Septimatech, Skyjack Inc., Superior Glove Works, The Data Cable Co. Inc., The Gund Company, Tigercat Industries, and Walinga Inc.
Manufacturing Day is an annual national event executed at the local level and supported by thousands of manufacturers as they host high school students, teachers, job seekers and other local community members at plant tours and presentations designed to showcase modern manufacturing technology and careers.
Manufacturing Day is supported by: City of Guelph, City of Kitchener, City of Waterloo, City of Cambridge, Immigration Partnership of Waterloo Region, Conestoga College, Georgian College, Linamar, Manufacturing Innovation Network, Dufferin Board of Trade, County of Wellington, Wellington-Waterloo Community Futures, Town of Erin, Career Education Council, Waterloo Region District School Board, Waterloo Catholic District School Board, Wellington Catholic District School Board, Upper Grand District School Board, SHSM and OYAP. The project is funded in part by the provincial and federal governments.
