September 18, 2018 - AutomationDirect is now offering the PS Series of fork sensors, also known as slot sensors.

September 17, 2018 - HP has released the HP Metal Jet, which uses 3D printing technology for high-volume manufacturing of production-grade metal parts.

September 17, 2018 - Motion control products provider Applied Motion Products has launched three new models of its StepSERVO integrated motors, which provide high-speed motion control for high-throughput applications such as packaging and labeling, automated test and measurement, and automated assembly.

September 14, 2018 - Optomec, a global supplier of production-grade additive manufacturing systems for 3D-printed metals, has unveiled the LENS 860 Hybrid Controlled Atmosphere (CA) System.

September 13, 2018 - Advantech’s IIoT Automation Group has released modular industrial panel PCs based on three performance-segmented models – a control panel, industrial thin-client and an industrial monitor.

September 12, 2018 - Rockwell Automation has announced the Allen-Bradley PanelView 5510 as its latest HMI solution, part of the PanelView 5000 family of graphic terminals.

September 12, 2018 - Humatics Corporation, which specializes in microlocation technology, yesterday announced the launch of its Spatial Intelligence Platform at IMTS 2018.

September 11, 2018 - WAGO, the electrical connections provider, has introduced the MCS MAXI 832 Series, which the company says the world’s first lever-actuated PCB connector for high-power applications up to 66 A/600 V, and up to 4 AWG conductors.

September 10, 2018 - Balluff has introduced a new family of stainless-steel fork sensors with resistance to aggressive cleaning agents, chemicals and coolants.

September 10, 2018 - Soft Robotics, designer and builder of soft robotic automation systems that grasp items, has built a plug-and-play customizable gripper system designed specifically for Universal Robots that it is demonstrating at IMTS 2018.

September 7, 2018 - Beckhoff Automation will debut a new generation of ultra-compact Beckhoff Industrial PCs (IPCs) at Hannover Messe USA, which is part of IMTS Chicago (September 10-15, 2018).

September 14, 2018 - Toronto's Humber College will host a robotics competition in partnership with FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Canada from March 8 to 10, 2019.

August 31, 2018 - The federal government has announced up to $9.46 million in funding to the University of Ontario Institute of Technology to support its Automotive Centre of Excellence in Oshawa, and to create new research and development jobs in the automotive industry.

August 24, 2018 - Professors Angela Schoellig and Steven Waslander are representing the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS) in the NSERC Canadian Robotics Network (NCRN), a consortium of leading robotics researchers from across Canada that includes members from universities, industry and government. The NCRN recently won $5.5 million in funding from NSERC’s Strategic Partnership Grants for Networks competition.

August 17, 2018 - The Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium (EMC) has announced that its two-year program to help manufacturers in Northern Ontario enhance their productivity, competitiveness and business management capacity was a success.

August 8, 2018 - The Canadian government has announced a $150-million investment in CAE – a simulations and training supplier for the aerospace and healthcare sectors – which will create up to 400 new engineering and manufacturing jobs over the next five years.

Jul. 12, 2018 - Humber College and SEW-EURODRIVE are entering into a five-year partnership agreement designed to build awareness and provide training and applied research opportunities related to Industry 4.0 technologies, a critical aspect of advanced manufacturing. The partnership will expand the knowledge of faculty, students and employees. It will also enable both large Canadian companies and small and medium-sized enterprises to explore how aspects of Industry 4.0 can help enhance their manufacturing processes and increase their productivity.

Jul. 9, 2018 - Durham College has announced the students enrolled in the Electromechanical Engineering Technology (EMTY) program will now receive the internationally recognized Fanuc Robotics Handling Tool Operations and Programming Level 1 certification in addition to their advanced diploma upon completion of the program.

May 28, 2018 - Sandvik Coromant and the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) recently extended their contract until 2022. The partnership renewal ceremony took place April 19 at the NAIT Sandvik Coromant Centre for Machinist Technology in Edmonton.

May 26, 2018 - Spartan Controls has renewed its partnership with The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), announcing a $4.3-million donation to support the Instrumentation Technology, Alternative Energy Technology, Power Engineering, Water and Wastewater Technology and Millwright programs.

May 23, 2018 - Humber College and Cisco Canada are launching a five-year initiative to engage students, faculty and companies in maximizing the opportunities presented by cyber, network communication and collaborative digital technologies.

May 10, 2018 - Independent consulting firm Wohlers Associates has entered into a partnership with Québec Industrial Research Centre (CRIQ) to offer three days of intensive training on design for additive manufacturing (DfAM).The course is targeted at designers, engineers and managers wanting to learn how to design parts that fully benefit from additive manufacturing.

May 7, 2018 - Ontario Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell visited the Xerox Research Centre of Canada’s innovation hub in Mississauga, Ont., which aims to help foster Canadian innovation and advanced materials manufacturing breakthroughs.

August 29, 2018 - Entries are open for Rockwell Automation's sixth annual Manufacturing Safety Excellence Awards.

August 7, 2018 - Rockwell Automaton has added five new members to its Machine Safety System Integrator program, including two Ontario companies.

Jun. 28, 2018 - Following guilty pleas, Belmont Meat Products was fined $35,000 and Betts Cleaning Specialists was fined $50,000 by Justice of the Peace Keon Lee after a worker who was cleaning a mixer/grinder machine was critically injured by a partly disassembled machine.

Jun. 25, 2018 - Following a guilty plea, Multivans, a company that manufactures truck bodies, was fined $60,000 after a worker suffered critical injuries while using an angle grinder.

Jun. 24, 2018 - When drives cause movement in machines and heavy rollers and blades rotate, there are multiple hazards that must be guarded against. It is not products alone that make machines safe, productive and easy to operate; integrated automation and safety solutions are required.

Jun. 18, 2018 - One of three people injured during a flash fire at the main propellant-manufacturing facility for the U.S. Department of Defence has died.

Jun. 14, 2018 - One of three patients being treated for injuries sustained during a fire at the main propellant manufacturing facility for the U.S. Department of Defence has been discharged from a North Carolina hospital.

May 25, 2018 - At least one person is dead after an equipment explosion occurred at the Proctor and Gamble plant in central Louisiana that produces detergent Tide Pods.

May 17, 2018 - New Flyer of America Inc. and New Flyer Industries Canada ULC, subsidiaries of NFI Group Inc., formerly called New Flyer Industries Inc., a transit bus and motor coach manufacturer and parts distributor in North America, is celebrating the completion of the 3M Customer Project. 

May 15, 2018 - Following a guilty plea, Janco Steel Ltd. was fined $150,000 after a worker was fatally injured after being crushed by a steel coil that fell off  a production line.

May 5, 2018 - A fire has broken out at a Louisiana chemical plant, sending massive smoke plumes in the air and prompting an evacuation for a mile (1.6 kilometres) all around.

May 2, 2018 - Following a guilty plea, Quebec-based Saputo Dairy Products Canada GP has been fined $150,000 after a worker was killed by a cheese-cutter machine at the company’s production facility in Trenton, Ont.

September 17, 2018 - Schneider Electric has implemented manufacturing software and automation company Actvcontent's automated manufacturing execution system (AMES).

September 13, 2018 - Recent reports project that Canadian industry is perfectly positioned to take advantage of a new industrial revolution and the process is already taking place.

September 11, 2018 - Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR), a global supplier of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), has announced several new distributors in the U.S., Mexico and Argentina.

September 11, 2018 – Matt Rendall, CEO of OTTO Motors, says that the release of OTTO OMEGA, the company’s new self-driving lift truck, at IMTS 2018 has been the realization of a longtime goal.

September 6, 2018 - Technology giant Bosch and SiTime Corporation, a provider of microelectromechanical (MEMS) timing, have announced a partnership to build and distribute next-generation MEMS timing products.

September 6, 2018 - The evolution of manufacturing is broadly viewed as having taken place in four stages. The first stage comprised the implementation of steam power to mechanization. The second involved mass production, and the introduction of the assembly line, powered by electricity. The third stage added computers and automation into the mix, and the fourth is the introduction of cyber-physical systems that enable the computerization of manufacturing. This fourth stage, which is currently evolving before our own eyes, is the one that is becoming commonly referred to as Industry 4.0.

September 4, 2018 - Below, we’ve rounded up a few manufacturing software solutions providers that are debuting new products next week (September 10 to 15) at IMTS 2018 in Chicago.

September 4, 2018 - OnRobot, the Denmark-based cobot technology provider, has acquired Purple Robotics, developer of the world's first gripper specifically for cobots.

August 28, 2018 - Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has unveiled the Collaborative Robotics Laboratory to provide advanced automation technology to the heavy industry and manufacturing sectors.

August 21, 2018 - OPEN MIND Technologies AG, a developer of CAD/CAM software solutions, recently announced a partnership with Okuma America Corporation, a producer of CNC machine tools. With the partnership, OPEN MIND joins the Partners in THINC collaboration, which was founded by Okuma.

August 16, 2018 - 3D Systems and GF Machining Solutions (Georg Fischer AG) have announced a partnership that will allow manufacturers to produce complex metal parts with tight tolerances, and reduce the total cost of operation.

August 15, 2018 - RightHand Robotics, which creates order-picking machines, has partnered with Capacity, a company that specializes in order fulfillment, e-commerce and electronic data interchange (EDI). The collaboration will deliver RightHand's RightPick automation system into Capacity's fulfillment solution offering.

September 17, 2018 - Cannabis is set to be legalized for recreational use as of October 17, 2018. For many employers still struggling with how to accommodate employees who have been prescribed cannabis for medicinal purposes, this will create new challenges and questions. How do you define impairment and fitness for work? What types of tasks are safety sensitive?

September 12, 2018 - I’m pleased to introduce myself as the new editor of Manufacturing AUTOMATION. I come to the magazine from another trade publication in a different industry, so I’ve spent the past few weeks reading through back issues of MA to understand what trends, topics and challenges are most important to manufacturing professionals in Canada.

September 11, 2018 - In Manufacturing AUTOMATION's May 2018 issue, the results of the annual Canadian Manufacturing Study were revealed. Initially, as a professional in the IT industry, I was thrilled to see manufacturers prioritize IT investment. Twenty-five per cent, 17 per cent and 11 per cent of you, respectively, plan to invest in bridging the IT/OT gap, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and cybersecurity best practices over the next three years.

September 10, 2018 - The emergence of Industry 4.0 and the IIoT, or the Industrial Internet of Things, is causing equal levels of excitement and concern. Most manufacturers I visit have heard about its potential and are aware of the building hype, but don’t know how it will affect them specifically. Depending on a person’s age, the opinions vary from one extreme to the other, with a healthy percentage of indifference. There is often fear associated with it – and like all fear, it is caused by uncertainty and lack of knowledge, fuelled by myths and speculation.

Jun. 10, 2018 - When used to its fullest potential, laser scanning enhances the speed of a project, reduces costs, improves safety, and helps the project run more smoothly. One challenge to laser scanning is tailoring the approach to the specific project. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, so it is important to understand the project’s goals. Explaining the process and making sure all the key stakeholders are aligned and educated will ensure that laser scanning will achieve the desired outcomes. This is no small task. Here are insights and key benefits.

May 26, 2018 - While manufacturers around the world have reached new heights in technology adoption and equipment innovation, there are still many pain points that hinder optimization, efficiency and even safety on the plant floor.

May 15, 2018 - Every year the cybersecurity experts at Cisco release the Cisco Annual Cybersecurity Report, an industry tome that discusses security trends and emerging threats. In the 2018 report, the role of the Internet of Things (IoT) and its effect on cybersecurity was analyzed, particularly as it pertained to operational technology and networks.

May 10, 2018 - Results from a Statistics Canada health study, the Hearing loss of Canadians, 2012 and 2013, offer disturbing findings regarding adult hearing loss. Could you or your co-workers be among the one in five adults aged 19 to 79 who have mild hearing loss or more in at least one ear?

May 10, 2018 - As I write this column, I sit quietly in my favourite chair, expecting the phone to ring and announce the arrival of my fifth grandchild. And as I wait and write, I reflect on how life has changed since my first grandchild arrived in my life, somewhat unexpectedly, 12 years ago.

May 4, 2018 - Susan Wilson made history this year when Canadian conglomerate J.D. Irving Ltd. made her its first director of immigration.

May 3, 2018 - In a quest to measure business and government readiness for Industry 4.0, the Deloitte Global survey polled roughly 1,600 C-level executives across 19 countries in the second half of last year. One of its most notable findings is the strong correlation between how executives approach technology and how well prepared they believe they are for Industry 4.0, and as such, the business case they make for new technologies.

Mar. 27, 2018 - There’s no doubt about it — industrial automation is on the rise around the world. According to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), 74 robot units per 10,000 employees is the 2016 average of global robot density in manufacturing industries, up from 66 units in 2015.

September 18, 2018 - Nova Bus has won a contract to build four fully electric 40-foot LFSe buses for Montreal transit authority STM (Société de transport de Montréal).

September 17, 2018 - The Manitoba government says it will spend up to $1.48 million to help luxury jacket maker Canada Goose expand its Winnipeg manufacturing operations.

September 5, 2018 - GE Transportation will manufacture 60 additional locomotives for CN, expanding the class I’s 200-unit order placed in December 2017.

September 5, 2018 - Cascades has announced its intention to close two sheet plants in Barrie (Jellco) and Peterborough, Ontario by December 31, 2018.

September 4, 2018 - U.S. factories grew at a faster pace in August as American industry continues to show robust health.

August 30, 2018 - One of the world's largest semiconductor companies is making a $3-billion investment in northern Virginia to expand its manufacturing facility and add 1,100 jobs.

August 30, 2018 - Handling Specialty, an Ontario-based custom engineering and material handling specialist, has so far supplied 24 pieces of equipment to the Brilliant Factory, a GE project in Welland, Ontario.

August 27, 2018 - North America's largest transit bus and motor coach manufacturer says the transit commissions of Montreal and Laval, Que., have placed Canada's largest order for battery-electric buses.

August 8, 2018 - The sudden deterioration in the Saudi-Canadian relationship is likely grabbing the attention of people in the city of London, Ont., more than anywhere else in the country. The city's General Dynamics Land Systems plant has been supplying light armoured vehicles to Saudi security forces, thanks to a $15-billion contract signed by the federal government in 2014.

August 2, 2018 - Electric car maker Tesla Inc. burned through $739.5 million in cash last quarter, paving the way to a company record $717.5 million net loss as it cranked out more electric cars.

August 2, 2018 - With its focus no longer diverted by the aircraft formerly known as the C Series, Bombardier Inc. says it is working to improve the profitability of its regional jets and turboprops by boosting sales and cutting costs.

July 31, 2018 - German automaker BMW says it will build a plant in eastern Hungary to manufacture up to 150,000 conventional and electric cars a year on a single production line.

September 13, 2018 - The federal government has announced funding to support Indigenous jobs and manufacturing efficencies in Canada's forestry industry.

August 23, 2018 - Rockwell Automation has won a US$50-million contract to supply a mine control system to Codelco, the Chile state-owned copper mining company, for its Chuquicamata underground mine.

August 20, 2018 - KP Tissue and Kruger Products have released a plan for a capital investment of $575 million to construct a new state-of-the-art tissue plant in the Brompton area of Sherbrooke, Quebec.

Jul. 16, 2018 - The Bel Group will build its first Canadian plant in Sorel-Tracy, Que. The facility, whose commercial production is scheduled to begin in early 2020, will be fully dedicated to producing Mini Babybel cheese.

Jul. 13, 2018 - Michelin says it has reached agreement to purchase Quebec off-road tire maker Camso for about US$1.7 billion.

Jul. 3, 2018 - A manufacturing company is laying off workers in Ontario in response to American tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum.

Jun. 29, 2018 - Maple Leaf Foods Inc. has signed an agreement to buy two poultry plants and associated supply from Cericola Farms, a privately held company.

Jun. 14, 2018 - Samuel, Son & Co., a metals distributor and industrial products manufacturer, announced an $18-million investment in its Brantford, Ont., automotive metal processing centre. The expansion is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2018, ramping to full production in early 2019.

Jun. 8, 2018 - Saskatchewan’s premier says the recently imposed U.S. tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum have caused some projects in the States to grind to a halt.

Jun. 1, 2018 - The Vermont coffee company known for its K-cup machines is laying off 35 employees in the state, mostly in manufacturing.

May 22, 2018 - Two businesses in the agri-food sector, Boucherie Charcuterie Perron Inc. and Charcuterie L. Fortin Ltée., have been granted a total of $1,850,000 in financial assistance from Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED). The support will generate an estimated $6,569,768 in total investments in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region.

May 14, 2018 - Moore Industries is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.