Canadian manufacturers may be down, but they are certainly not out.
That was the message at an Ivey Idea Forum in Toronto on September 10 entitled, Made in Canada? Rethinking Canadian Manufacturing.
The event looked at the innovative strategies needed for Canadian manufacturers to grow successfully, especially after being hard hit by the recession.
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“There’s no question manufacturers have been challenged in Canada,” said Professor Paul Boothe, Director of the Lawrence National Centre for Policy and Management. “When we compare to 2000, we haven’t yet recovered to our output and sales in 2000.”
Boothe, who moderated the event, outlined three ways Canadian firms can be better positioned to compete:
- Parties and markets – Manufacturers need to think about the people with which they are interacting;
- Products and inputs – Manufacturers need to get ahead of the game in terms of products and services and do a better job of sourcing inputs; and
- Technologies and skills – Canada needs to use its skills in R&D and innovation to find a competitive advantage.
A panel of Canadian manufacturing leaders also shared their firsthand experiences and what their firms or members are doing to gain competitive advantage. The panel included Robert Hardt, President and CEO of Siemens Canada; Linda Hasenfratz, EMBA ’97, CEO of Linamar Corporation; and Jayson Myers, President and CEO of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME).
In conjunction with the event, the Lawrence Centre, in partnership with Siemens Canada, launched a new research paper, “The Future of Canadian Manufacturing: Searching for Competitive Advantage.”
