New AMF Funding to Support Manufacturers
The Advanced Manufacturing Fund (AMF) is a $200 million program that is run through FedDev. The program aims to subsidize manufacturers in southern Ontario by investing between $10-20 million for eligible expenditures in the form of a repayable grant. AMF promotes continued long-term growth, productivity, and competitiveness of Ontario’s manufacturing sector by investing in innovative technologies […]
The High Cost of Ontario Power Rates for Manufacturers Can Be Offset by Government Programs
Ontario’s high power rates could be a deterrent for companies to locate in the province. According to the Association of Major Power Consumers of Ontario, industrial customers within the province pay approximately $85 per megawatt hour, which is more than double in comparison to rates in Manitoba, Quebec and rates in Michigan, USA. This has been a major […]
Summer SR&ED activities
In a recent article, Ross Cooper of Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium (EMC) discussed how the slow days of summer are ripe for SR&ED activities as companies are slowing or shutting down production and attending to pesky ongoing production, machinery and process issues as well as integrating improvements to increase efficiency for the rest of the […]
Continuous Improvement in Manufacturing
We’ve spoken a bit about continuous improvement on our blog, but we haven’t yet talked about WHY exactly it is important for manufacturers, and how exactly you can apply it to your business. As a brief reminder, continuous improvement is the process of constantly making your business run more efficiently, with better effectiveness and producing […]
Top Ten Business Productivity Impediments
10. E-Mail, Texts, and Phone Calls These days it’s easier than ever to stay connected, especially when your e-mail is synched to your phone AND available on your computer. Every time you hear that notification, you simply just have to acknowledge it. Break this habit and schedule time once an hour or maybe 4 times […]
Continuous Improvement: What IS Kaizen?
We’ve all heard the term “Continuous Improvement.” We all know that it’s something we definitely want to strive for in our businesses – to constantly be working towards better efficiency, better effectiveness and better quality. But what is Kaizen, and what does it have to do with Continuous Improvement? Kaizen is a Japanese term, roughly […]