NRC, Xerox team up for advanced manufacturing
August 11, 2015
By Manufacturing AUTOMATION
Aug. 11, 2015 – Canadian manufacturers can look forward to a new centre in Mississauga that aims to help businesses develop smart materials for the medical, automotive, aerospace and defence industries around the world. Ed Holder, minister of state (science and technology) and Stella Ambler, MP for Mississauga South announced that the National Research Council of Canada will invest $25 million to build the new Advanced Materials Manufacturing Centre in Mississauga, Ont., and will collaborate with Xerox to bring these advanced materials to market.
The collaboration between the National Research Council of Canada and the Xerox Research Centre of Canada “aspires to drive innovation towards emerging technologies that will benefit Canada’s evolving manufacturing sector,” said the parties.
“This new facility will help develop the next generation advanced materials needed to position Canadian manufacturers to be more competitive on global markets while creating jobs in Mississauga and across Canada,” said Ambler.
The collaboration would, among other initiatives, support a research collaboration between the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and the Xerox Research Centre of Canada (XRCC), and provide NRC with access to XRCC’s team of scientists and engineers with expertise in materials chemistry, formulation design, prototyping, testing, and chemical process engineering. This competency base is critical for the future of printed electronics, smart objects, devices, sensors and for materials related to advanced manufacturing, noted the NRC.
“We understand the importance of providing manufacturers with the competitive edge they need to bolster their global competitiveness as they strive to grow and prosper. Companies that adopt advanced manufacturing technologies and processes have a significant advantage to deliver high value-added activities and products,” continued John R. McDougall, president of the National Research Council of Canada (NRC).
The facility will be co-located on the Xerox Research Centre of Canada campus — in response to Prime Minister Harper’s November 2014 announcement of $380 million toward federal laboratories. This is part of a larger $5.8 billion commitment to build and renew public infrastructure across the country.
“By pairing our amazing researchers and laboratory infrastructure with NRC’s, to focus on areas such as the Internet of Everything, a formidable collaboration can emerge that will accelerate innovation — right here in Canada and globally,” said Sophie Vandebroek, Chief Technology Officer, Xerox Corp., and president, Xerox Innovation Group.
