Five Chatham-Kent, Ontario manufacturers have recently been awarded business expansion grants. Each awarded company will use its Ontario government funding to purchase new equipment and become more productive. As a result, they will increase capacity, provide new products and services, and expand the number of workers at their facilities. The Southwestern Ontario Development Fund awarded…
High-performing organizations have leaders whose character shines. Courage, drive, accountability, integrity, and good judgement are the mainstays of what leaders bring to the table; however, great leaders also embrace humility, justice, humanity, patience, collaboration, and transcendence. These are the 11 dimensions of Leader Character. Southwestern Ontario businesses can learn about Leader Character and strategies to…
Today’s workforce reflects many cross generations working together. These include: The Silent Generation (1925-1945), Baby Boomers (1946-1964), Generation X (1965-1976), Millennials (1977-1995), and Generation Z (1996 and later). While each of these groups bring beneficial skills to the workplace, there tends to be differences in workforce behaviours between the oldest and the youngest generations, particularly…
Ontario government funding has recently been announced for two wineries, Diamond Estates Wines and Spirits Limited and Andrew Peller Limited. Each business will use its manufacturing grants to expand facilities and purchase state-of-the-art equipment. Between the two recipients, 45 new jobs will be created and another 133 jobs will be retained. In total, $1,135,300 in…
Earlier this year, PLANT Magazine and Grant Thornton LLP released their annual Manufacturers’ Outlook publication. The comprehensive source of business practices and management attitudes identified several key trends that demonstrate a fast-changing manufacturing landscape. While this year’s report is generally more optimistic than years past, it also identifies that manufacturing leaders are cautious about 2018…
CHAR Technologies is a cleantech company specializing in biocarbon development. They produce a proprietary activated charcoal-like material called SulfaCHAR that removes hydrogen sulfide from gas. SulfaCHAR, once used for the gas cleaning application, has further use as a sulfur-enriched biofuel for industrial and agricultural purposes. Although CHAR Technologies is well-integrated in the agricultural sector, its…
Significant time, talent, and financial resources are required to perform military and defence research and development projects. Bringing innovative ideas through to working prototypes can be an intensive process, and crossing the commercialization hurdle to finding a first-buyer can be even more difficult. Fortunately, Canadian government procurement programs exist to help technology firms work through…
The North American automotive industry is poised for growth in 2018 and beyond. Because of this, Canada’s vast supply chain of part manufacturers should explore opportunities to scale operations, become more productive, and improve worker skills to support technology innovation. Fortunately, Canadian government funding programs are available to offset the costs of automotive manufacturing growth projects….
The AgriInnovate Program is a Canadian government funding initiative that helps businesses commercialize and/or adopt innovative agri-based products, technologies, processes, or services that are new to the sector. It offers 0% interest non-secured loans with repayment starting once a project is complete. This helps agriculture and agri-food businesses purchase advanced technologies now and pay back…
Steam Whistle Brewery is the country’s largest independent craft brewer. Since 2000, the company has produced a single brand premium pilsner in Toronto’s John Street Roundhouse, a historic and well-located downtown venue. Now almost two decades in operation, Steam Whistle has grown into one of Canada’s largest and most beloved independent breweries. In April 2018,…