"There must be more co-operation than ever between all of the tiers in the automotive production chain," said Fedchun.

Peter Frise, CEO and scientific director of the AUTO21 Network of Centres of Excellence, agreed. "Technology is changing at a rate faster than ever before. The companies that will achieve success are the ones who are now actively investing in new materials, new manufacturing processes and business processes, and new opportunities for business growth. Innovation is the key to Canada's economic success. We cannot compete just on price point. We must compete on brain power to create premium products."

The two organizations jointly hosted the conference this year to facilitate communication and interaction between researchers and industry so that they can start to or continue to work together to develop innovative products, making the industry stronger than ever.

For more information, visit AUTO21 at www.auto21.ca or the APMA at www.apma.ca.