‘Supercluster’ to shine light on regional R&D

CEO of Next Generation Manufacturing Canada says tech capabilities in southern Ontario remain under the radar

A new advanced manufacturing “supercluster” will work on designing programs that shine a light on the technology being created and the research and development underway in southern Ontario.

The unofficial motto at Next Generation Manufacturing (NGM) Canada — a not-for-profit, industry-led organization dedicated to building the next generation of advanced manufacturing — is “who knew?” said Jayson Myers, CEO of NGM Canada, which is spearheading the supercluster.

“Who knows about the tremendous capabilities of McMaster beyond the group of companies that are actually working with you right now,” Myers told a manufacturing forum and industry open house at Mac Wednesday. “Who knows of the technologies that are being developed here in southern Ontario?”

The goal of the supercluster is to make these assets and the capabilities of this region much more visible, he said. “We have better collaboration, I think, between researchers and technology companies and manufacturers internationally then we do right here in southern Ontario/ southern Quebec,” Myers said.

They are looking at creating a “collaboration platform” that would include structured meetings between companies, researchers and educators to discuss where technology is going. Two goals of the supercluster are to accelerate the adoption of advanced technology in manufacturing, as well as the scale-up of technology for manufacturability, he said.

The local supercluster — announced by Ottawa in February — is part of a $950-million series of initiatives across Canada. One of five networks that will receive funding over the next five years, the advanced manufacturing supercluster includes 140 partners between Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo and Hamilton.