In this episode, we have a big picture discussion with Jayson Myers, the CEO of NGen (Next Generation Manufacturing Canada) and an award-winning economist, about the evolution of manufacturing in Ontario and Canada, how smaller manufacturers are finding huge opportunities as they refine their value proposition, why Ontario's unique asset mix is so powerful, and how NGen is facilitating connections within the advanced manufacturing ecosystem. 

• 00:17 Reflecting on Episode One's Reception
• 01:33 Trillium’s Upcoming Events and Conferences
• 04:33 Introducing Today's Guest: Jayson Myers
• 10:44 The Evolution of Manufacturing in Ontario and Canada
• 16:22 Small Manufacturers Value Proposition
• 23:14 Ontario Manufacturing’s Diverse Assets
• 30:41 How NGen's Working to Improve Manufacturing Competitiveness
• 35:56 Jay’s Favourite NGen Projects and NGen’s ROI

Highlighted Reports and Events

• September 27, 2024 - Vaughan B2B: Industrial Tour vaughanbusiness.ca/B2BTour
• October 3, 2024 - LEDC’s Manufacturing Matters Conference ledc.com/event/manufacturing-matters-2024
• October 23, 2024 - Emerging Technologies in Automation in Windsor, ON emergingtechnologies.ca
• October 24, 2024 - Downsview Aerospace Innovation and Research Hub’s DAIR To Innovate dairhub.com/dair-to-innovate-2024-register
• October 25, 2024 - Ontario West Municipal Conference in Chatham, Ontario reg.eventmobi.com/OWMC
• November 6-7, 2024 - Ontario Craft Brewers Conference in Hamilton, Ontario https://ontariocraftbrewers.com/conference/

Find Out More about Trillium

• Trillium website: trilliummfg.ca
• Trillium GIS: trilliumgis.ca
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/trilliummfg
• X/Twitter: x.com/TrilliumMfg
• Instagram: instagram.com/trilliummfg
• Facebook: facebook.com/trilliummfg
• Old ‘Making it in Ontario’ Episodes: https://soundcloud.com/making-it-in-ontario-past

About the Making it in Ontario Podcast

Making it in Ontario is your window into what's next in manufacturing. Ontario’s economy depends on manufacturing, but the latest research reveals concerning trends that could undermine the sector’s strength—if we don’t address them. Join us as we talk to CEOs and other leaders at the forefront of the sector about productivity, strategy, talent markets and career opportunities, and the role of manufacturing in a prosperous and sustainable future.

This podcast is an initiative of the Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing. It’s hosted by Michelle Samson and produced by Storied Places Media.

Welcome to Making it in Ontario, your window into what's next in

2

Ontario's manufacturing sector from the

data driven researchers at the Trillium

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Network for Advanced Manufacturing.

4

I'm Michelle Samson.

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Brendan Sweeney: And I'm Brendan Sweeney

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Michelle Samson: So Brendan, why

don't we start by talking about

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the reception of episode one.

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Brendan Sweeney: The reception's

been great so far, and it really is

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encouraging to know that, uh, one,

I guess people missed having the

10

podcast, and that, uh, there are so

many people who are interested in a

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podcast about manufacturing in Ontario.

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So reception's been great.

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Um, people from within the ecosystem,

people we know, people we don't know,

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couple people have reached out saying,

"Hey, maybe I could come on the podcast".

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And what's been really encouraging as

evidenced by the number of people who

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have added me on LinkedIn in the past

few days, the record number of people,

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people are really keen on this podcast.

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So, uh, that's great.

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And we're really just getting started.

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Michelle Samson: Wow, that's incredible.

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So yeah, so we're we're aiming, short

of potentially a few disruptions, but

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we're aiming for a weekly schedule

for this podcast so if you are very

23

keen, tune in on Fridays, but even

better, um, subscribe on Apple or

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Spotify to make sure that these get just

automatically downloaded to your list.

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We're also going to take a moment during

these introductions to just kind of update

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you all on what's going on with Trillium.

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So Brendan, why don't you tell

us about this busy fall season?

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Brendan Sweeney: So summer's winding down.

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I mean, the fall season is ramping

up and, and like most falls, um, that

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means there are going to be a number

of events that we're going to be

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participating in, sponsoring, speaking

at, and, here's some of the events

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that I think people might be interested

or that we're really excited about.

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September 27th in Vaughan, Ontario.

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Michelle, you're familiar

with Vaughan, Ontario and its

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Economic Development Office.

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We are, uh, sponsoring, speaking at uh, a

B2B event, uh, that's gonna feature about

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20, 22 different companies from Vaughan,

and gonna involve some plant tours.

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Uh, and there's gonna be about, I think I

counted, about 14 manufacturers involved,

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including a couple, uh, a couple big ones.

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And I'm gonna try some new material out.

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At the breakfast, and you might, it

might turn into a podcast episode about

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diversity in Ontario manufacturing.

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It's not quite what you think, so

you'll hear more about that later.

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October 3rd, London, Ontario, uh,

LEDC's Manufacturing Matters Conference.

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That conference tends to sell out.

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I think the booths are sold out

for that and I think we'll hear

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from, uh, from some pretty senior

leaders at Stellantis at that one.

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So that's October 3rd, London, Ontario,

downtown, Manufacturing Matters.

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October 23rd, Emerging

Technologies in Automation.

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And this one's in Windsor, uh, if you are

interested in automation and manufacturing

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and emerging technologies, this is it.

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If you're interested in receptions,

this one might be for you because

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we're sponsoring the reception.

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October 24th, you're going to see

things start to get busy now, Downsview

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Aerospace Innovation and Research Hub.

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Downsview, Ontario.

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If you "DAIR to Innovate",

that's where we're going to be.

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And so this is one of my favorite

aerospace focused, uh, conferences

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of the year put on by our good

friends and partners at DAIR.

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October 25th, Ontario West Municipal

Conference in Chatham, Ontario.

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Be a lot of economic developers there,

this is uh, kind of a general one,

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but there will be some manufacturing

focus, and uh, we'll be talking about

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kind of what the electrified future,

what the battery plants mean for uh,

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southwestern Ontario specifically.

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And then November 6th and 7th in

Hamilton, Ontario, in my hometown,

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Ontario Craft Brewers Conference.

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Michelle Samson: Nice.

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Brendan Sweeney: So this is a cool

one, um, and uh, lots of free samples.

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Well, not free, you gotta register.

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Uh, and so that, that's what we've got

coming up in the next couple months.

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And if you want to see

us, that's where we'll be.

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Michelle Samson: Wow.

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So that's a very busy few months

ahead, and that's a pretty broad

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window of time, several months.

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Let's narrow this back down to

what's going to be happening

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in the next 30 minutes.

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Who are we talking to

in this episode today?

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Brendan Sweeney: Uh, we're talking to

our friend and colleague, uh, Jayson

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Myers, the CEO of NGen, of Canada's

Advanced Manufacturing Supercluster.

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Michelle Samson: Amazing.

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Why do we feel like Jay is a

great guest for this podcast.

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Brendan Sweeney: Well, I mean, there

are few people in Canada who understand

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manufacturing like Jay does, he's an

economist, as you'll learn, he's an award

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winning economist, he used to be the head

of the CME of the Canadian Manufacturers

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and Exporters, and now he's, he's the CEO

of NGen, we do a lot of work together, um,

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and, you know, you'll find throughout the

episode that, uh, that Jay and I have some

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things in common and you know, there's

lots of good stuff throughout the episode.

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I really like the part of

the conversation, uh, towards

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the end of the episode.

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So listen to the end where we talk a bit

about just how diverse the manufacturing

91

sector and its activities are in Ontario,

you know, Toronto being one of only

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two major metropolitan areas in North

America where there is full scale vehicle

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assembly, full scale aircraft assembly.

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If you don't know already,

you gotta listen, you'll find

95

out what the other one is.

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But at the same time, Toronto is the only

major metropolitan area in North America

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that has full scale vehicle assembly,

aircraft assembly, and biomanufacturing.

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So Toronto's really unique in that regard.

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That's kind of what I

mean about diversity.

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And so Jay has some really great

ideas of, okay, what does that mean?

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How do we take all these different

capabilities, this diversity, and leverage

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it to the benefit of people in Ontario.

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Michelle Samson: Yeah, that discussion

about the unique and very powerful asset

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mix in Ontario um, really stuck with me.

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And yeah, how NGen is bringing all those

assets and manufacturers together and

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all the great work that they're doing.

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So some other work that they're doing,

along with Trillium, is uh, working

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on a report about productivity.

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What's the latest status on that, Brendan?

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Brendan Sweeney: Soon, and hopefully, uh,

hopefully in the next week or two, uh, and

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this is, I think, a really important time.

112

We're talking about productivity.

113

There are challenges

related to productivity.

114

Those challenges are tied up

with, uh, prosperity, and it's

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a complex thing, productivity.

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And so we've got a report coming out

that I think will help people understand

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a bit better about productivity and

manufacturing and why it's important.

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Um, so we have this report coming out,

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The second part of this

podcast will accompany it.

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And that's a conversation

with Jay about productivity.

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And, as part of that, I think Jay's got

some really interesting comments about,

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uh, what universities could be doing

a bit better to support manufacturing

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in Ontario and improve productivity.

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So this is a two part episode, part

one right now, part two alongside the

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release of the productivity report.

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Michelle Samson: Part two is also going

to have some, um, some thoughts about

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what economic developers can do and,

you know, how they should be thinking

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about productivity in how they approach

supporting their local manufacturers

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and in their investment attraction.

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Brendan Sweeney: Economic

developers, listen up, cause

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Jay's got some stuff to tell you.

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Michelle Samson: That's part two.

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But for right now, we're doing

part one and, we're diving in.

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Brendan Sweeney: So Jay, before we really

get into the nitty gritty, over the

135

past few years, um, we've learned that

we have a, a few things in common we

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both played junior lacrosse growing up.

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Jayson Myers: A long time ago.

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Brendan Sweeney: And you

played for Elora, Fergus?

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Jayson Myers: Elora Mohawks.

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Brendan Sweeney: Right on.

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Both have spent time in different

eras working, uh, on Longwood Road

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South in Hamilton, that's where

the NGen offices are, correct?

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Jayson Myers: Yeah.

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uh, McMaster Innovation Park, which

is a great location and, and, as

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you know, Brendan really, uh, really

growing strong there right now.

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Brendan Sweeney: And I spent time

working there about 25 years ago, uh,

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making fridges at Camco, the Canadian

Appliance Manufacturing Company.

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And we would be making

some Westinghouse products.

149

And that was really, uh, my

entree to the manufacturing

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sector, or at least formally.

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Jayson Myers: Well, that's

another, uh, another connection.

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My dad used to work with Beattie Brothers,

headed up the farm lines division there,

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but of course, Beattie Brothers was

bought out by CAMCO and they moved their

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appliance division down to Hamilton.

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Brendan Sweeney: Deep

manufacturing connections here.

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And then, um, I'm an award

winning economic geographer.

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You're an award winning economist.

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So we're, we're almost, you know, we've

got some kind of connection there.

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And I've always been curious

which awards have you won or

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which are your favorite awards?

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Jayson Myers: Well, I got the,

I was awarded the most accurate

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economic forecaster in Canada.

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Many people have asked me how I did that,

what my mathematical calculations were,

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statistics and everything else, and, uh,

I have to say it was, um, a lot of it was

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just because I was speaking with a lot

of business people and, had a feeling.

166

And basically that feeling proved out,

and, uh, and a lot of the other economic

167

data makers and analytical, um, approach,

uh, uh, wasn't quite as accurate as

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just, uh, a good feeling and, uh,

about what was going on in the economy.

169

And, uh, and frankly, that came from

a lot of discussions among business

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leaders, which I think that's the

other thing we have in common.

171

We're both in really good touch with

manufacturers and with, with tech

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companies right across the province

and right across the country here.

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And it, uh, gives you better insight than

just taking a look at datasets the way

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that usual economists approach things.

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Brendan Sweeney: I mean, really

that, that is the purpose of

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this podcast, is to speak with

those leaders from manufacturing

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companies, from the ecosystem.

178

And, you know, really dig in and

understand, uh, what is going on in

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manufacturing, uh, where we've come

from, where we are, where we're going.

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And so, I mean, Jay, uh, over the past,

you know, whether it's the past 25

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years, the past 10 years, the past five

years, what are your thoughts on how

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manufacturing in Ontario and manufacturing

Canada, um, has changed, has evolved?

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How'd we get here?

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What are we doing now?

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Where are we going?

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Jayson Myers: Those are big questions,

and of course it's changed a lot

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and part of it is technology.

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In many ways, manufacturing

hasn't changed very much.

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Back in the 1990s, we were looking at

the challenge of how could companies

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adopt leading edge technologies

at that time, like computers.

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How could we speed up the adoption

of software systems like CAD

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and like computer automated

manufacturing, like CNC machining.

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Today, a lot of that's just standard

tools, uh, that manufacturers are using.

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And, uh, so today as well, now we're

talking about how to speed up the

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adoption of digital technologies,

of artificial intelligence, of new

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materials and, uh, new production

systems, of automation, robotics.

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It's not so different from the discussions

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So, the technologies have changed, they

don't think the challenges have changed,

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they don't think the, the principles

of good manufacturing management have

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changed, focus on value and, and, uh, do

as much as possible to improve process.

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And to lower costs, that's, we'll get into

a productivity discussion a little bit

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later on, but that's what it's all about.

203

And it just translates into good

principles, lean principles in

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terms of manufacturing management.

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So that hasn't changed either.

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But I think the marketplace

has changed dramatically.

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Uh, of course the Canada-zUS free trade

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NAFTA, bringing Mexico in, uh, in 2001,

China becomes a, a member of the WTO and

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that really shakes up the competitive

landscape for manufacturing in Canada.

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We couldn't rely on tariff barriers

at the beginning, uh, but at the same

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time it was opening up this large

market in the United States and across

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North America for Canadian companies.

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So we've seen, um, we've seen

manufacturing grow enormously, um,

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particularly in the 1990s, here as,

uh, as Canada became a really preferred

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place to manufacture in North America.

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After Mexico joins, oh, we got

a new competitor there and then

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with China, uh, in particular,

low cost manufacturing there, a

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lot of the the low cost, low value

manufacturing in Canada moved offshore.

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And, uh, in the early part of

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manufacturing here in, uh, in Canada.

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We lost a lot of the electronics, uh,

industry, the IT industry, uh, here.

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We lost, uh, quite a bit of the aerospace

and automotive industry because there

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were, other places to manufacture,

but what, what was common in all of

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that is that we were losing the lower

margin part of, uh, of manufacturing

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and, and we were growing the higher

margin part, of the industry here.

226

I, I think that's continued

over the last 10 years, over

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the last decade, uh, as well.

228

And if there is a, a really,

really positive story about

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manufacturing and coming back to

this issue about productivity.

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It's that not only have we seen

manufacturing grow and manufacturing

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employment stabilize here in Canada, but

we've seen productivity in manufacturing

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really take off uh, since the year 2010.

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Our, our rate of manufacturing

productivity uh, is growing at over over

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twice the rate, uh, the manufacturing

productivity is in the United States.

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So we're doing something right

here and that's only going

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to continue as companies, you

know, adopt new digital systems.

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It is going to provide enormous benefits

in terms of process improvement, of

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quality improvement, uh, improving

throughput, uh, lowering costs, all of

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that's extremely important in terms of

the adoption of new digital technologies.

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But now AI, whether that is data

analytics or um, decoupling, predictive

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capabilities, or autonomy, and that's

enabling not only the development

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of new processes, but new business

models, of smart products, we're

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really into an era right now of mass

customization rather than mass production.

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And that's where we have to be

because that's where Canadian

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companies specialize.

246

It's, you know, there aren't very

many companies in this country

247

that rely on mass production.

248

Uh, but there are a lot of companies

that really rely on working with their

249

customers to specialize the products

and services that they provide.

250

And, you know, companies make a

lot of money, uh, by doing that.

251

So that's, that's really the

specialization in, um, uh, in Canada.

252

Opening up the markets to particularly

in North America, but now also in

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Europe, uh, providing, uh, much more

of a, I guess, of a customer base to

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grow business, which is important.

255

We would never be able to see the

growth we've seen in manufacturing

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and the investment in new technology,

the development of new products

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or, or manufacturing solutions here

based in Canada if we were only

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selling into the domestic market.

259

We need that large access to North

American, companies, to North

260

American customers, and to European

and Asian customers as, as well.

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But, of course, our major focus

has, has always been and will remain

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for some time in the United States.

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Brendan Sweeney: Within those

kind of small companies, are you

264

seeing any patterns of companies

serving particular industries, uh,

265

companies that are making a specific

product or finding a specific niche?

266

Is there anything, you know, really

specific, really exciting that you're

267

seeing as, as part of all this?

268

Jayson Myers: I think today, and, and,

you know, the pandemic had a, had a

269

major impact on this as well, that, um.

270

We've moved away from small

companies acting simply as

271

suppliers to larger companies.

272

Uh, here, and there's, don't get me

wrong, uh, there's a lot of business that

273

is based on that type of supply chain

relationship, and particularly in the

274

large sectors in Ontario, and in food

processing, and the automotive sector,

275

and the aerospace sector in particular.

276

But what we're seeing today, uh, and

largely as a result of new opportunities,

277

uh, largely as a result of the competitive

pressures that companies are under,

278

uh, but also the ability to use new

technology, is the capability of,

279

for smaller companies to really step

back and say, "well, where's our core

280

competitive value proposition here?

281

What can we do that is really going

to add value to, uh, to, customers?"

282

And, uh, you know, in terms of the

product development, in terms of better

283

ways of, uh, providing service, and it,

we're seeing more and more companies,

284

smaller companies, uh, you know, look

at other, other customers in other

285

markets, developing new products,

doing, you know, developing new ways

286

of, doing business, which I think is

incredibly, uh, huge opportunities

287

there and it's incredibly valuable for

the manufacturing sector as a whole.

288

I said, I referred back to the pandemic,

the The ability of companies to pivot

289

from, from manufacturing product lines

that they were manufacturing to begin to

290

manufacture PPE or other products to fight

the pandemic, is a really good example

291

of how flexible many manufacturers in in

the country and in Ontario have become.

292

So using that flexibility or agility

to look at how could they provide

293

value for other customers, and open

up new opportunities in the market

294

is particularly important and will

be even more important going forward.

295

I think there are two aspects of this.

296

One is the development

of new companies as well.

297

Uh, new technologies and, and the,

the device, the new devices, the new

298

technology companies and the startups.

299

We've got a pretty strong startup

base here, uh, where we're

300

generating new companies, new

ways of producing new products.

301

Uh, and our ability to grow those,

companies and enable them to, uh, to

302

grow into bigger companies, uh, is

really changing the landscape as well.

303

You know, whether that's in robotics

or new materials and, uh, or companies

304

using additive manufacturing, uh,

companies that are, are producing new

305

types of IT and digital technologies,

AI companies, Ontario is a real growth

306

bed for those types of companies.

307

And I think that's where, uh, You know,

in many cases where the future growth

308

is, uh, is going to come from as well.

309

You know, there, there aren't very

many locations in the world that

310

have the concentration of R&D, and

technology, and startups, and existing

311

manufacturing operations and such a

variety of manufacturing operations,

312

uh, that we have here in Ontario.

313

And it's amazingly rich province

for the manufacturing assets.

314

Everything from, you know, raw

materials through to AI, through

315

to leading edge digital companies,

leading edge technology companies.

316

And, and, uh, of course, a really

strong uh, manufacturing sector, uh,

317

of customers and of companies that

are producing products for the world.

318

And of course, uh, the skills base

here too, universities and the colleges

319

that we can count on here in Ontario.

320

There aren't very many locations, if any,

in the world that have the concentration

321

of these assets, that Ontario has.

322

So, what we're trying to do at NGen,

Next Generation Manufacturing Canada,

323

is to see how we can leverage this, how

we can connect all of these research and

324

technology and manufacturing and skills

capabilities in the province, in the

325

country, to do something that is really

amazing, to develop new solutions for

326

manufacturing, new products, and to help

grow those companies from a domestic base.

327

That's in my mind going to be the,

the key value adding focus for the

328

Canadian economy, for the Ontario

economy for some time to come.

329

We're not, this isn't the

post-manufacturing world, this is a

330

manufacturing world that is growing

as a result of using all of these

331

great technologies that in many

cases are being developed right here.

332

So that's where I think the, uh, the

future is going and we've got a, we've

333

got a great opportunity whether it's

in electric vehicles or just, you know,

334

the adoption of new technologies and new

processes, uh, in fairly standard types

335

of manufacturing operations to develop

products, to develop new ways of doing

336

things that are really going to, you

know, in many cases, blow the lid off

337

of, uh, competitors around the world.

338

I had an opportunity a couple

of years ago in Germany to visit

339

Siemens Model Company in Amberg.

340

This is a totally automated

manufacturing facility and show off

341

Siemens automation capabilities.

342

We were taken around by the manager

there who made a comment that well,

343

you know, "what does Canada do in

the field of advanced manufacturing,

344

it's not really on the map, is it?"

345

And he said this in the

middle of the factory floor.

346

We're surrounded by ATS automation

equipment That's manufactured about

347

20 kilometers away from where I live

near Cambridge, Ontario It's running

348

on Memex operating system out of

Burlington, and it's operating on a

349

Canadian interoperability standard.

350

So, yeah, I would say people around

the world need to know that Canada

351

can deliver in advanced manufacturing.

352

And frankly, more Canadians

and more manufacturers need

353

to understand that as well.

354

I, think one of the biggest problems that

we face is that this issue about who knew.

355

Many manufacturers look around

the world for companies that could

356

provide technology, and, you know,

maybe the capability is right

357

down the street here in Ontario.

358

We need to do a better job of kind of

connecting the dots, making sure that,

359

that manufacturers, making sure that,

that Ontarians and Canadians are, are

360

more aware of the fabulous capabilities

we have right across the country

361

and particularly in this province.

362

When it comes to advanced manufacturing.

363

Brendan Sweeney: Yeah.

364

And I, I don't know if it's selling

ourselves short or if it's just

365

not really recognizing exactly

how much we have on the ground.

366

And we, you know, we ran at Trillium a

couple of years ago, we ran some metrics

367

to figure out, okay, well in the 10

provinces and 50 states, who has the

368

most diverse manufacturing sectors and

conversely who has the most concentrated?

369

And Ontario was right up there at the

top with Quebec and with Pennsylvania.

370

Now the populous areas of Pennsylvania

are really split into two.

371

One is on the seaboard,

one is in the Midwest.

372

Um, but Ontario, incredibly diverse.

373

And there are, uh, two major urban

centers, major metropolitan regions

374

in North America that have aircraft

manufacturing and vehicle manufacturing,

375

Toronto and Dallas-Fort Worth.

376

Those are the only two.

377

Um, there's only one major metropolitan

area that has aircraft manufacturing,

378

vehicle manufacturing, and a major

biopharmaceutical manufacturing

379

presence and that's, that's Toronto.

380

And if you want to, you know, extend it

out to the GTHA, you add in a steel mill

381

there, you add an integrated steelmaking.

382

That level of diversity and, you

know, if you kind of think of those

383

as, as four of the, uh, jewels in

a manufacturing sector's crown,

384

Toronto-Hamilton, that's the only

area in North America that has that.

385

And yeah, I think to your

point about, well, the question

386

is, how do we leverage that?

387

How do we, how do we use

that to our advantage?

388

Uh, and I guess some, that's some of

the work that you're doing, uh, at

389

NGen and that we're doing at Trillium.

390

Jayson Myers: Yeah, exactly.

391

And I think the, you know, part of it

is just raising awareness about what

392

all these varied capabilities are.

393

I would throw in food processing

as well because that's another

394

major industry in this region too.

395

But, you know, it goes beyond

just the variety of manufacturing.

396

It's also the variety of technology

that we're developing here, uh, as

397

well, whether that's in materials, uh,

or in robotics or automation or AI and

398

other IT applications, uh, this area

is, uh, and especially Ottawa, Toronto,

399

Waterloo area is a real hotbed for a

variety of these digital technologies.

400

And new technologies are quantum computing

technologies or quantum applications

401

may be the next realm of, of technology

and we're leaders in it, in this area,

402

But it's also the diversity of the

workforce, uh, here and the, the

403

fabulous, you know, education, the

training capabilities that are on

404

offer here through our educational

institutions and, uh, and the diversity

405

that we see, which is really amazing

when it, uh, um, both in terms of, uh,

406

manufacturing workforce, but of course

that diversity is, is really essential

407

when it comes to, uh, technology and,

and not only management of technology,

408

but also programming of AI, for example.

409

So, you know, we've got all

of these strengths in this

410

province, and particularly in

the GTHA, as you point out.

411

But it's, uh, it's so

integrated, uh, here as well.

412

The other point I think that's really

crucial to understand is that advanced

413

manufacturing capabilities today are not

built one company at a time, or one sector

414

at a time, or one technology at a time.

415

You're really looking at, um, at growing

your business, you've got to be looking

416

beyond the singular siloed approach.

417

New technologies only work with

other technologies and it's an

418

integrated solution that the

companies have to have to adopt here.

419

And often if manufacturers are looking

at adopting one technology at a time,

420

they, they get into real problems,

uh, because it has to be integrated

421

with existing systems or with other

technologies that are going to give

422

them the capability of actually

operating a whole full scale solution.

423

And of course, that has to be tied

in with skills training and skills

424

development and education at the same

time, and better management practices

425

and strategic thinking as well.

426

That's what NGen's focused on.

427

It's how do we integrate technologies

to develop really unique advanced

428

manufacturing solutions that can

then be commercialized across a

429

number of manufacturing applications.

430

We've got a project with ArcelorMittal

Dofasco where we're digitizing

431

hot ladle steel production.

432

So bringing in a variety of tech

companies, uh, whether that's

433

automation or or IOT, AI companies,

um, material science working with

434

DeFasco to develop this solution.

435

But at the end of the day,

that solution is a solution to

436

handle hot hazardous liquids.

437

And that can be commercialized

in chemical industry, in the

438

pharmaceutical industry, or even in

the, in the food processing industry

439

Brendan Sweeney: The soup industry.

440

Jayson Myers: The soup

industry, the stew industry.

441

So, you know, that, but I think that's

the type of approach, which really has

442

worked very well in terms of, uh, the

ability to scale up these manufacturing

443

solutions and provide Canadian or

Ontario solutions for the world.

444

That's the new way.

445

It's open innovation.

446

It's partnerships.

447

It's collaboration, uh, focusing

on unreal transformation that,

448

that, uh, makes the difference.

449

But all of this too, is in a backdrop

of tremendous competition of customers

450

that are requiring, you know, much

more stringent customer demands,

451

regulatory demands, customers looking

for really personalized or customized

452

solutions for what they want, uh,

here in a world of, of smart products,

453

uh, as well as, better processes.

454

So, you know, that's the, that's the

type of competitive environment we're

455

working in and, you know, we're not alone.

456

It's not, uh, only Ontario manufacturing

is Canadian, North American.

457

The competitive pressures from

China, from other Asian countries,

458

from Mexico, from Europe, are really

much more intense than ever before.

459

So as an economist, you will know

that, if you're only producing a

460

standard product, uh, or any product,

competitors are going to enter that market

461

until your profit is driven to zero.

462

And that's what any company has to avoid.

463

That's where business strategy begins.

464

And so, today, uh, companies have to

look at their unique value proposition,

465

how they can really improve the

processes to deliver that unique value

466

proposition, uh, and how best to use

technology in order to do that, and then

467

think about differentiating themselves

from, uh, from their competitors.

468

Companies that are taking on competition

head on are probably going to go out

469

of business fairly quickly, need to

find a niche in the market, we're

470

talking about technology, but also

about workforce capabilities, uh,

471

that's all necessary to do it, but it

starts with strategy, and it starts

472

with really good innovation management.

473

I really can't stress that enough,

and the fact that we have those

474

capabilities here and we can draw

on all of these assets really puts

475

Ontario manufacturing in a, really,

really good position going forward.

476

Brendan Sweeney: So how does NGen,

how are you at NGen working to

477

help improve the competitiveness

of manufacturing in Canada?

478

Jayson Myers: Sure.

479

So NGen, Next Generation Manufacturing

Canada, we're all about creating

480

world leading advanced manufacturing

capabilities in Canada and

481

making sure people know about it.

482

But that is a combination of things.

483

First of all, we raise money from

a variety of different sources, a

484

lot from the federal government, but

we, what we're doing is investing

485

in transformative manufacturing

solutions, and these solutions are put

486

together by integrating technology.

487

So all of the projects that we

invest in are collaborative projects.

488

They need to be developing

unique solutions that can

489

be applied by manufacturers.

490

They need to be close

to commercialization.

491

So we're not focusing necessarily

on R&D, although that may be a large

492

part of getting product out onto the

marketplace and into use by manufacturers.

493

What we're really focusing on is how

useful is this solution and how well

494

can it be commercialized and how how

quickly can we scale up some of the

495

technology companies working together,

uh, to provide this solution at scale.

496

So, that's our technology leadership

program side, but we're also, um,

497

partnering, investing with, uh, with

ecosystem partners, um, with business

498

services, with financial services,

with, uh, technology companies, with

499

universities, colleges, and with local

economic development agencies, with

500

governments as well, do a few things.

501

One is to raise awareness about

all these great capabilities we

502

have in Canada and to promote that.

503

Uh, so we, NGen is managing Canada's, uh,

presence at the Hanover Fair, uh, March

504

the 30th to April the 4th , uh, 2025.

505

Canada's going to be

partner country at the fair.

506

This is a real generational opportunity

to highlight all of the strengths that

507

Canada has in advanced manufacturing.

508

Uh, so we're, we're looking at

everything from R&D through to

509

unique solutions for industry.

510

Whether that's in energy or digital

systems or digital tools or automation,

511

robotics, really showcasing the

leading edge capabilities that we have.

512

So if anybody is interested in that,

take a look at our website we have

513

a lot of information about what

Hanover is all about and you can

514

register an expression of interest

if you'd like to participate in that.

515

But it is all about making, making the

case for Canadian advanced manufacturing,

516

and it doesn't, maybe it starts with,

uh, showcasing Canadian capabilities

517

at Hanover, but it doesn't end there.

518

This is a, this is a promotional

opportunity that we want to make sure

519

that we're building more awareness

right across Canada and across Ontario,

520

of course, about all of the great

things we have to offer in this sector.

521

But we also support the development

of networking together, the

522

connections across manufacturing

technology clusters across Canada.

523

How do we break down all of these

silos of, you know, we've got great

524

innovation centers, great clusters

of economic and technology activity.

525

And usually everybody's

doing their own thing.

526

Nobody is working together.

527

There's a huge amount of opportunity

to bring together, for instance, the,

528

um, Canadian Robotics Council with

the Ontario Wood Council, and look at

529

opportunities to grow the application of,

of robotics in that particular sector.

530

But that's only an example.

531

We've got, we've got right now

about 24 different clusters that

532

we're supporting across the country.

533

Uh, we're helping to invest

in, uh, Aboriginal workplaces,

534

Indigenous education with respect

to advanced manufacturing.

535

For instance, we're working on a project

with the Martin Family Initiative to

536

develop a manufacturing entrepreneurship

course for elementary school indigenous

537

students and, uh, and financial literacy

programs for Indigenous students.

538

And, uh, you know, it starts in

grade six where, where students are

539

asked to design and source materials

, manufacture, distribute, and sell pizzas.

540

It's the best attended course

in the school, uh, here, but it

541

tells a lot about manufacturing.

542

Uh, so, neat things like that.

543

I think there are an awful lot of

opportunities and, and frankly, NGen,

544

uh, can help to support education,

workforce development, many areas

545

where government cannot because of

varied jurisdictions, and because of

546

our focus on advanced manufacturing.

547

So, that's what we're, uh,

what we're looking at doing,

548

building up the ecosystem.

549

Uh, it's not just putting money

into, into industry and into

550

projects, it's also helping partners.

551

Uh, and a very large part of that is,

is identification of strategic issues,

552

of strategic opportunities for Canadian

companies going forward and, uh, a better

553

understanding of the business environment

and I think that's where, you know, the

554

work that we've, uh, we've done together

with Trillium is so important as well.

555

Brendan Sweeney: So, we're over time,

but I'm going to put you on the spot.

556

What's your favorite NGen

project that you've ever done?

557

I know they're all your favorite,

558

Jayson Myers: Yeah, we've got a lot of

really good ones . I'm kind of partial,

559

uh, because in some cases I may need

this in the future: the companies are

560

working together to 3D print brain tissue.

561

They're, I think that's a pretty, uh,

562

Brendan Sweeney: Yeah, I

could use some right now.

563

Jayson Myers: Yeah, exactly.

564

It's a, it's a pretty important one.

565

Uh, I think the biggest one's

probably ,where we've had major

566

impact, is in biomanufacturing and

some of the development in stem cell

567

therapeutic products, for instance.

568

But we've had 210 projects,

and it's pretty difficult

569

to put your finger on one.

570

For every dollar we've invested

so far in our technology projects,

571

we've realized 42 times that amount

in terms of sales, uh, both from IP

572

licensing as well as product sales.

573

We've, uh, created 66 new companies, we've

created 4,000 new jobs, over 7.2 billion

574

in sales and, you know, for our public

sector funders, it's nice to go back

575

and say, look, for every dollar of your,

of taxpayer money that we've invested,

576

we've returned five times that amount

back to government in terms of taxes.

577

So, you know, this, the strategy of

integrating technologies together and,

578

and making sure that they're developing

a solution that can be actually used

579

by manufacturers is incredibly, uh,

important and I think delivering the

580

types of impacts that we want to deliver.

581

Brendan Sweeney: I mean, it's kind

of awesome, too, that you can sit in

582

your office and look out the window

across the street in what used to be

583

the fridge warehouse for CAMCO and see

that there are new biomanufacturing

584

facilities being built on site.

585

And, uh, I think if you told the good

folks at McMaster 20 years ago, 15

586

years ago, um, that that was going

to be, you know, part of the vision

587

for this thing, they'd be astonished.

588

They'd say, "is that even possible?"

589

And I think we've proven

that it is possible.

590

Jayson Myers: Yeah, absolutely.

591

Michelle Samson: That was

Jay Myers, the CEO of NGen.

592

If you like this episode,

you're going to love part two.

593

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or follow us

on Spotify to make sure you don't miss it.

594

Making it in Ontario is an

initiative of the Trillium Network

595

for Advanced Manufacturing.

596

It is produced by Storied Places Media.