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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEDAC - 2015-03-25 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES March 25, 2015 City of Kitchener The Economic Development Advisory Committee met at Conestoga College Cambridge campus, at 850 Fountain St. S., this date, chaired by Jeremy Auger with the following members present: Adrian Conrad, Ashley Reid, Councillor Bill Ioannidis, Cory Ernst, Darrin Snider, Jeff Hoekman, Johanna Classon-Romero, Kevin Fergin, Mark Bingeman, and Philip Jones Staff in attendance: Brian Bennett, Chris Farrell, Valerie Bradford, and Eowyn Layng Guests in attendance: Barbara Fennessy, Executive Dean, Entrepreneurship and Applied Research; Mitch Wawzonek, Chair of Engineering and Information Technology; Greg Robertson, Director of Applied Research, and; Julia Biedermann, Executive Dean, Schools of Engineering and Information, Technology, Trades and Apprenticeship and the Institute of Food Processing Technology The minutes of the February 25, 2015 meeting were approved. 1. Opening remarks Val Bradford gives an overview on the state of manufacturing in the Region, as well as a brief summary of ongoing developments within the City of Kitchener with respect to Manufacturing. Highlights of Val’s overview include: - Data from recent Employer One survey completed by the Workforce Planning Board of Waterloo, Wellington, and Dufferin. - The City of Kitchener continues to put an emphasis on manufacturing and its contribution to the local economy. Emphasis will be focused on corporate visits to this sector, supporting the work of the Manufacturing Innovation Network and the Workforce Planning Board, as well as investigating the needs of start-up manufacturing enterprises. - Details of initiatives identified as a result of the Manufacturing Action Plan and the Manufacturing Talent Strategy include an annual manufacturing day, a poster campaign featuring young people within the local manufacturing industry, the formation of the Manufacturing Leadership Council, MIN workshops, and essay contests geared to high school students, logo contest for post-secondary students. - The 2015 MIN Summit is in planning phase, and will be scheduled for some time in June - The closure of the Maple Leaf plant on February 27, 2015. The plant is in the process of being decommissioned. It is anticipated that the 25 acre site will be put on the market by the end of this year. Val’s opening remarks generated an inquiry for further detail of the Employer One survey, as well as the Manufacturing Talent Strategy undertaken by the Workforce Planning Board. Both items have been circulated with the minutes. 2. New Business The floor was then given to representatives of Conestoga College. Barbara Fennessy, Executive Dean, Entrepreneurship and Applied research gave a presentation on The Southwestern Ontario Food Innovation and Technology Collaborative. This new initiative developed by Conestoga will: “Enable firms in the food and beverage sector and in related industries to be more globally competitive through the development and implementation of technology-based innovations, including manufacturing of food equipment. “Projects will result in high-skilled jobs, productivity improvements, innovative technologies, wealth creation, increased scale, increased capacity to export globally, and overall, a stronger food and beverage cluster in Southwestern Ontario.” This Collaborative will look at the food processing industry sector to determine needs of the industry, and collaborate with the existing manufacturing base in the region. Conestoga has the ability to integrate with other associations because of readily available equipment. Conestoga has partnered with many associations on this initiative, and twenty-five organizations have approved funding for the initiative. Following the presentation, Bill Ioannidis asked how this initiative would take in to account the local trend for readily accessible local food. Barbara responded that those are trends looking at marketing for individual businesses. To ensure looking at staying local, the Collaborative would determine our ability to follow through. Companies are going to need to engage in international marketing in order to remain successful. Mark Bingeman made a statement regarding the positive impact this initiative will have, and wondered about fostering the needs of new manufacturers. This prompted a brief discussion on the need to foster local entrepreneurs to build their business acumen and technical ability. For Conestoga, the Southwestern Ontario Food Innovation and Technology Collaborative will bring new knowledge in future curriculum. For companies, it will be an opportunity to own new patents and designs that are developed through the College. Mitch Wawzonek, Chair of Engineering and Information Technology gave an overview of Conestoga College’s Polytechnic Institute and the School of Engineering. Mitch highlighted the college’s focus on project-based learning, wherein a single project will take up a full semester and give students real hands-on experience. Students are taught by professors with Industrial experience using real industrial equipment. Conestoga now offers degree programs, as well as diploma courses. The School of Engineering and Information Technology Bachelor of Engineering degree has been recently accredited by Engineers Canada. Greg Robertson, Director of Applied Research gave an overview of Conestoga’s Applied Research and Innovation, and the Centre for Smart Manufacturing (CSM). The mission of the Centre for Smart Manufacturing is: “To enhance the global competitiveness of local manufacturing firms by innovating through: High-performance manufacturing (automated and robotics systems; new materials) ICT-Enabled Intelligent Manufacturing (sensor technology; simulation and visualization)” CSM is currently building the labs and is acquiring and installing new equipment. Examples of ongoing projects at CSM include high resolution platforms, advanced sensor technology for determining plastics in the recycling industry. The Centre is always looking for new projects, and has potential projects on the horizon. Julia Biedermann stated that the Centre has the ability to engage under-grad students, to be coming up with new ways of doing things and then presenting these ideas to employers. Barbara noted that CSM has funding for advanced manufacturing technologies and could be a catalyst for up-and-coming manufacturers. Johanna Classon-Romero asked how CSM fits in to current curriculum. Mitch responded that the centre needs more set up, but will be used for teaching, training, and semester long projects partnered with local manufacturers. 3. Information Items / Unfinished Business The meeting broke out in to two groups for tours. The tour of the Institute of Food Processing and Technology and the Centre for Smart Manufacturing was conducted by Luis Garcia and Greg Robertson, and the tour of the School of Engineering was conducted by Mitch Wawzonek. On motion the meeting adjourned at the conclusion of the tours, at 1:00pm.