CME welcomes advanced manufacturing innovation supercluster announcement

Ottawa, February 15, 2018

Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME) is pleased Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) today announced the creation of an advanced manufacturing innovation supercluster.

“CME congratulates the government for recognizing the importance of investing in the development of advanced manufacturing and acting on our recommendation to foster innovation, commercialization and technology adoption through the funding of an advanced manufacturing cluster,” said CME National Chair Rhonda Barnet and board member of Next Generation Manufacturing.

“Innovation is key to ensuring the global competitiveness of Canadian manufacturers. Manufacturers must invest in new technologies, products, and processes to lower production costs, and increase productivity, quality and agility,” stated Barnet. “Unfortunately, Canadians companies are not investing in innovative technologies as much as their international peers.”

Key facts from CME analysis:

  • 60% of Canadian manufacturers do not currently leverage the benefits of advanced manufacturing technologies such as 3D printers, advanced robotics, and Internet of Things, which are common place in advanced manufacturing operations around the world.
  • From 2002 to 2014, labour productivity in manufacturing in Canada increased by 18 per cent, compared to 49% in the US increased and nearly doubling in Taiwan and South Korea.
  • Business enterprise research and development (BERD) spending in Canada is half the OECD average as a percentage of GDP. BERD spending in the US is 143% higher than in Canada. BERD investment in Canadian manufacturing has dropped by nearly 25 per cent in the past 15 years.

Barnet added, “Today’s announcement is a significant step-forward in encouraging more investments in new technologies and reversing these trends to help grow Canada’s critically important advanced manufacturing sector.”

ABOUT CANADIAN MANUFACTURERS & EXPORTERS

Since 1871, Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters has been helping manufacturers grow at home and, compete around the world. Our focus is to ensure manufacturers are recognized as engines for growth in the economy, with Canada acknowledged as both a global leader and innovator in advanced manufacturing and a global leader in exporting. CME is a member-driven association that directly represents more than 2,500 leading companies who account for an estimated 82 per cent of manufacturing output and 90 per cent of Canada’s exports.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Stefi Proulx

Director of Communications & Branding

Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters

(613) 292-6070

stefi.proulx@cme-mec.ca