PLNT06_2010

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Volume 69, No. 06 September 2010

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CLEAN TECH

The next big thing for manufacturing?

HIGHLIGHTS Collecting clean kinetic energy Automate your automation data Cash in on financial benefits of IFRS CMW/Weld Expo 2010 show preview

15 16 21 25

It’s good to recycle.

It’s time to reduce.

www.kcpreducetoday.com/us/ca ®/*Trademarks of Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. or its affiliates. Marques deposees de Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. ou de ses filiales. ©2010 KCWW. K01773 K4756-10-01

Editorial

Harvesting clean tech

L

ast year’s economic apocalypse wasn’t very helpful to industry commerce, but manufacturing sustained crippling blows before the economy went south. The forest products industry has endured huge job losses as mills and plants closed.

The automotive industry also sustained heavy job losses while narrowly escaping the collapse of two North American automakers. And Canada’s energy sector (specifically the oil sands) is under assault from environmentalists and governments that consider bitumen to be “dirty” (not to be confused with clean) oil.

Oddly enough, these three huge industrial sectors have something else common aside from hardships: the need to clean up, and that’s what they’re doing. The automotive industry is now engaged in the development of more fuel efficient, environmentally sustainable vehicles; forestry is developing more sustainable ways to make products and to use less power to do so; and the energy sector needs to produce cleaner energy.

Coincidentally, a quickly growing and developing clean tech industry to serve these and other needs represents an great opportunity for manufacturers.

The 2010 SDTC Clean Tech Growth and Go-to-Market Report by the Russell Mitchell Group points to a long list of opportunities, such as: alternative power generation; biofuels and biochemicals; energy infrastructure; energy efficiency; process efficiency; remediation of contaminated sites and Brownfield development; transportation; recycling and waste; and wastewater.

Yet Canada has been slow to board the clean-tech bandwagon. A Conference Board of Canada report places Canada 14th in exports with a piddly $4 billion (2008), which is even behind Mexico.

One reason is we’re entering the game late and without much of a national climate policy. Some leading European countries have been building their clean tech credentials with wind and solar strategies since the 1970s.

Ontario has decided on a policy. It has forged a strategy that, if successful, will supplement its power needs with renewable energy options and lay the foundation for a clean tech industry that will sustain up to 16,000 new jobs. Its Green Energy and Green Economy Act, and the feed-in tariff (FIT) program have aggressive local content rules for the development of wind and solar energy projects, which is good news for Ontario manufacturers. The stage is being set for them to cash in on the clean tech revolution.

But if Canadian manufacturers, most of them SMEs, are to fully engage in the clean tech bonanza, a few things have to happen.

First, the Harper government should quit waiting for America to tell it what to do about climate change and develop a national policy framework that will greatly aid investment decisions.

Second, SMEs interested in clean tech will need help accessing capital more easily to invest in machinery, equipment and processes.

Third, a national strategy should focus on market niches where we have demonstrated strength, such a photo-voltaic technology.

Fourth, SMEs will need help developing export markets and sourcing partners offshore to aid in manufacturing and distribution.

Finally, it will be up to Canada’s manufacturers to show their entrepreneurial spirit and find a way to lead in clean tech.

Joe Terrett, Editor Comments? E-mail joe.terrett@plant.rogers.com.

Editorial Advisory Board: Robert Hattin, Edson Packaging Machinery • Ron Harper, Cogent Power • Greg MacDonald, Wentworth International Services • Roy Verstraete, Anchor Danly

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Vol. 69, No. 06, September, 2010 Publisher: Tim Dimopoulos 416-764-1499 tim.dimopoulos@rci.rogers.com Group Editorial Director: Lisa Wichmann 416 764-1491 lisa.wichmann@rci.rogers.com Editor: Joe Terrett 416-764-1546 joe.terrett@plant.rogers.com Features Editor: Noelle Stapinsky 416-764-1449 noelle.stapinsky@rci.rogers.com Contributing Editors: Ron Richardson, Steve Gahbauer Art Director: Kathy Smith 416-764-1542 kathy.smith@rci.rogers.com Junior Web Producer: Jessica Mirabelli 416-764-1316 jessica.mirabelli@rci.rogers.com Director of Sales, Marketing and Customer Service: Laura Goodwin 416-764-1492 laura.goodwin@rci.rogers.com

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PHOTO: iSTOCKPHOTO

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Features

>> SUSTAINABILITY

10 Green Shift Opportunities abound in the clean tech sector.

12 Green Manufacturing How to market your green credentials.

>> INNOVATION

14 Electric Vehicles Auto21 researchers are on a quest for the ideal battery to power electric vehicles.

15 Clean Energy KinergyPower’s technology harvests power from kinetic energy.

>> OPERATIONS

16 Automation Memex hooks up machinery on the shop floor to the front office with a hardware/software combo.

19 Think Lean Define your lean stream and harness your sales force to add value.

>> TRENDS

20 Oil Sands A US study shows low carbon fuel standards will increase greenhouse gas emissions, not lower them.

>> TECHNOLOGY

21 Software IFS calculator tracks your environmental footprint from the shop floor.

>> MANAGEMENT

22 Financial Reporting International financial reporting standards will take the mystery out of measuring competitors’ financial performance.

>> CANADIAN MANUFACTURING WEEK/WELD EXPO 2010

25 Show preview A new venue and a focus on solutions to pressing challenges are the focus of this year’s show for manufacturers and fabricators.

Departments

4 Industry View 7 Events 8 Labour Relations 9 PLANT Pulse 29 Product Showcase: Motors 30 Postscript

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Canadian PLANT 3

Departments

>> Industry View

>> Investments Governments invest in plant upgrades SAINT JOHN, NB: Two food and beverage companies in Atlantic Canada are getting funding for plant upgrades from their provincial governments.

Moosehead Breweries Ltd. is receiving a $3.5-million forgivable loan from the New Brunswick government to put towards $35million worth of upgrades to its facilities in Saint John.

The company said upgrades will focus on efficiency improvements to reduce energy, expand capacity and update qualitycontrol equipment.

And Nova Scotia is providing a five-year, $500,000 payroll tax break to help Frito Lay Canada with an upgrade at its New Minas plant.

The company, a division of PepsiCo Canada, is spending more than $2 million in new production equipment and a plan to make the facility more environmentally sustainable.

But a structural steel fabricator in New Brunswick that had a provincial loan guarantee worth about $900,000 has gone into receivership.

Business New Brunswick Minister Victor Boudreau said his agency had provided the money to Mandate Erectors and Welding Ltd. as part of its strategy of creating fresh industry and jobs in the province’s northeast.

In early July, A.C. Poirier and Associates Inc. was appointed as receiver for the insolvent company.

The Canadian Press

Ontario power steady for next 18 months TORONTO: Ontario will have “sufficient electricity generation and transmission resources” online to maintain reliability over the next year and a half, according to an outlook report by the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO).

The Ontario agency reports 3,400 megawatts of new generation is expected to come online, giving the province enough generation and transmission resources for the next 18 months.

This supply includes 1,200 megawatts of new wind generation which will more than double the existing installed capacity and the IESO said more than 600 megawatts of gas-fired generation will be completed over the next year and a half.

The remaining 1,500 megawatts will come from two refurbished nuclear units at the Bruce A Nuclear Station, which are to come back online during the third and fourth quarters of 2011.

Ontario intends to eliminate coal-fired power generation by 2014.

Largest fuel-cell generator hits the road BURNABY, BC: Ballard Power Systems and Ohio’s FirstEnergy Generation Corp. are powering up the world’s largest fuel-cell generator on wheels.

Called the CLEARgen and based on Ballard’s proton exchange membrane (PEM) technology, the tractor trailer-sized generator on wheels has the capacity to power a small town.

It’s destined for Eastlake, Ohio where the state’s FirstEnergy

plants globally. Purer Life in Taiwan and Quebec based Epurair manufacture filtration products and ECM produces ultrasound scanners at its plant in France.

Dofasco raises auto steel grades

Ballard’s Michael Goldstein and the CLEARgen generator on wheels destined for Eastlake, Ohio.

PHOTO: BALLARD

Generation Corp., a subsidiary of Akron, Ohio-based FirstEnergy Corp., the fifth largest investor-owned electric system in the US, will deploy it for a five-year trial run. During periods of peak demand, it will take some of the strain off the power grid and ensure uninterrupted power to customers during the summer when demand is highest.

Ballard, a developer of hydrogen fuel-cell technology based in Burnaby, BC, said the fuel cell system is capable of generating up to a megawatt of electricity—enough to power 500 homes on its own.

“It’s a huge leap forward and a significant first for Ballard,” said Michael Goldstein, Ballard’s chief commercial officer.

“More importantly, we believe this deal helps ensure that fuel cell technology will be an integral part of the clean energy solution identified as a priority

by President Obama.”

Noveko breaks into China’s market MONTREAL: Noveko International Inc. has made a breakthrough selling its next generation ultrasound scanners

into the Chinese market and in North America.

The Montreal-based medical products company said its subsidiary SAS ECM has signed an exclusive distribution agreement for the Imagyne ultrasound scanner for humans, and has secured contracts for the marketing of the new Exago veterinary ultrasound scanner in Canada and the US. The value of the deals is estimated at $12 million over three-years.

ECM has concluded an exclusive distribution agreement with Ningbo Xingaoyi Magnetism Co. Ltd. (NXM), a Chinese high-tech firm specializing in the manufacturing of magnetic resonance equipment.

The three-year agreement will see NXM purchase the scanner, a 64-channel device specially designed for obstetrics, gynecology and vascular medicine, for a minimum value of $7.6 million, $1.2 million of the total in the first year.

The veterinary contracts for the North American market are valued at more than $4 million over a three-year period.

Noveko operates three

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4 Canadian PLANT

HAMILTON: ArcelorMittal has unveiled a new ultra-low carbon production technology at its Dofasco plant in Hamilton that will give it greater capability to produce more advanced grades of automotive steel.

ArcelorMittal Dofasco said the technology enables closer tolerances, lowering weight and improving functional performance of finished steel car parts.

The production technology was developed as part of a US$235 million investment across all sectors served by ArcelorMittal.

Ultra low carbon steel is made via a vacuum degassing tank process that doesn’t allow sampling of the steel chemistry during processing. This fixed the degassing time to 13 minutes.

As carbon specifications tightened and productivity demands increased, the Hamilton steel maker said changes to the processing method were required.

The solution involved real time slag chemistry measurement together with laser based tank off-gas analysis and combined with newly developed control strategies.

The result is improved carbon capability of up to 20% and average decarburization time has been reduced by 23 per cent.

Appear in PLANT Off-Site and win $50! Have a photo taken of you reading PLANT in a remote, interesting or exotic location. Send photos with name, title, company, address and phone number to Off-Site, Canadian PLANT, One Mount Pleasant Rd., Toronto, Ont. M4Y 2Y5. Sorry, we can’t return them. Digital photos should be 5x7 inches and 300 dpi. Send them to joe.terrett@plant.rogers.com.

4/6/10 1:40:04 PM

September 2010

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Departments

>> Industry View

>> bulletins Lockheed Martin Canada, a global security company, has satisfied a critical design review with the Canadian navy for the modernization of 12 Halifax-class multi-mission frigates combat systems. It will now proceed with production of sensors and the combat control system to support full integration, testing and installation on the ships.

ProSep Inc., a Montreal-based developer of process solutions for the upstream oil and gas industry, was awarded a US$4.1 million contract to provide a gas dehydration system for a natural gas development project located in the South China Sea. Delivery is expected in the third quarter of 2011.

Suncor Energy Inc. is selling some of its natural gas assets to Direct Energy for approximately $375 million. The Wildcat Hills properties, near Cochrane, Alta., produce about 80 million cubic feet of natural gas and natural gas equivalent per day.

Chrysler is spending $27.2 million on new technology for its Toronto auto parts plant, which produces aluminum diecastings and pistons. The plant is being prepared to make crossmember vehicle suspension parts.

Canadian Solar Inc., a Kitchener, Ont.-based solar panel maker is opening a manufacturing plant in Guelph, Ont. The $24-million Solar Module Manufacturing Facility will create at least 300 jobs.

looking better for hard-hit industries: report OTTAWA: Production in several hardhit Canadian manufacturing industries will likely improve this year, but it will be 2011 for some before profits grow or they escape the red ink, according to a Conference Board of Canada report.

The summer issue of the Canadian Industrial Profile, published in collaboration with the Business Development Bank of Canada, provides a 2010-2014 forecast of production, revenue, cost and profitability for six Canadian industries.

Here are some highlights: • Aerospace. Production slowed abruptly in the second half of 2009, and is expected to weaken again in 2010. As a result, industry profits are forecast to

decline by 35% to $269 million this year; however, demand appears to be picking up.

• Furniture. Cheaper international furniture was eating into Canadian production levels before the recession, but cost reductions have kept the industry in the black and profitability is forecast to improve modestly. Foreign competition will remain fierce.

• Automotive parts. Parts suppliers are expected to lose money for the third consecutive year, but the projected loss of $41 million is much less than those incurred during the previous two years. US vehicle demand is recovering and costcutting measures will lead the industry to profitability by next year.

• Paper products. Paper producers lost $3 billion over the past two years, but more modest losses of $139 million are expected in 2010. Sales and production are trending upward, and profits of $366 million are forecast for 2011. Some segments of the industry are expanding, while others continue to shrink.

• Printing. The shift to online publication and environmental concerns limit the industry’s long-term growth prospects. Nevertheless profitability is expected to grow to $240 million this year compared to a low last year of $210 million. Profits will increase modestly thereafter.

• Wood products. Three consecutive years of major losses for wood producers will come to an end this year, and profitability is forecast to reach $1 billion as early as 2012. A gradual recovery in the US housing market and increased exports to China will both contribute to growth.

Russel Metals expanding Cambridge facility TORONTO: Russel Metals Inc. intends to combine its Ontario structural steel and other long products operations with its Cambridge, Ont. plant, but it will shut another facility.

The metal distributor, which has a head office in Toronto, acknowledged it would close its York-Ennis facility in Port Robinson, Ont., affecting 80 employees.

The Cambridge expansion will cost about $6 million, and will require an additional 40 employees.

Joint telecom fuel cell deal MISSISSAUGA, Ont. Hydrogenics Corp. is teaming up with a communications infrastructure company to develop specialized fuel cell power systems for telecom applications.

Hydrogenics, a developer and manufacturer of hydrogen generation and fuel cell products, has entered into a strategic alliance with CommScope Inc., a global company that provides infrastructure systems for communications networks, to jointly develop next-generation power modules. CommScope will incorporate the units into the products it sells to customers worldwide.

The Hickory, NC-based CommScope will make an equity investment in Hyrogenics of $8.5 million that will be tied to product development milestones.

6 Canadian PLANT

September 2010

Industry View << Departments >> careers Sustainable Energy Technologies Ltd. has lost another CEO. Sanjay Razdan, who took over the position from Robert Bucher when he resigned for personal reasons, left abruptly in early August. No reason was given for Razdan’s resignation. Board chairman Michael Carten has replaced him. The Calgary-based company manufactures power inverters for grid-connected solar photo voltaic systems.

Electrovaya Inc., a Toronto-based developer and manufacturer of proprietary lithium ion battery systems, has added former Nortel COO Clarence Chandran to its board of directors. He began his

>> Events COMSOL Conference 2010 COMSOL Group Oct. 4-7, Houston The International Society of Automation’s (ISA’s) technical automation conference will present techniques and solutions for creating more efficient, productive and economical manufacturing processes. Visit www.isa.org.

Ontario Feed-in Tariff Supply Chain Forum Canadian Clean Energy Oct. 5-6, Toronto More than 50 renewable energy experts will address issues related to Ontario’s Feed-in Tariff. Visit www.ontariofitsupplychain.com.

CMW/Weld Expo 2010 SME Oct. 5-7, Toronto The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) present a new event format for Canadian Manufacturing Week and Weld Expo 2010 (CMW/Weld Expo 2010). Visit www.sme.org/cmw.

COMSOL Conference 2010 COMSOL Group Oct. 7-9, Boston The COMSOL Group, a multiphysics modelling software provider, is hosting this gathering of engineers from a broad spectrum of industries for a state-of-the-art in multiphysics simulation. The program includes user presentations, hands-on minicourses, tutorials and keynotes. Visit www. comsol.com/conference2010/usa.

Going Green Innovation Insights/CME Oct. 28, Orton, Ont. An introduction to green manufacturing and how it has been implemented within the value stream at JAY • Lor Fabricating Inc. Presented by Innovation Insights through Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME). Visit www.tvp-ii.org.

‘THINK’ Summit: 2010 CME Ontario Nov. 2, Mississauga Learn about the latest developments in sustainable strategies for manufacturers.

Visit http://tiny.cc/CMETHINK.

www.plant.ca

Canadian PLANT 7

career at Nortel in 1985 as an operating executive responsible for the Americas.

Later he was a group executive for Asia, the UK and Europe; then COO of Nortel Networks until 2001.

Pembina Pipeline Corp., a subsidiary of Pembina Pipeline Income Fund, has appointed David LeGresley to its board of directors. He’s a former executive of National Bank Financial and recently served as vice-chairman from 2006 to 2008. He is currently a director of NB Split Corp., a structured products company. Pembina is a Calgary-based pipeline company operating in Western Canada.

Catalyst Paper, a Richmond, BC-based manufacturer of specialty paper, news-

print and pulp, announced several changes to its board of directors. Assuming the role of chairman is Benjamin Duster IV, former chairman of Algoma Steel.

Retiring from the board is Michel Desbiens, a 40-year veteran of the industry who has served as a director since 2006 and as chairman since 2007. Also leaving the board is Amit Wadhwaney of Third Avenue Management LLC. Athabasca Oil Sands Corp. has appointed Allan Hart vice-president of operations.

Hart comes from Shell Canada where he was most recently director, oil sands growth projects and general manager, onshore projects in North America.

Bill Cummins has been appointed CFO

of Petromanas Energy Inc., a Calgarybased oil and gas company focused on the exploration and development of its assets in Albania. He replaces Ari Muljana, who has resigned. From 2001 to 2007, Cummins was the vice-president, corporate finance and director of an independently owned brokerage firm.

Anne Schenkenberger has been promoted from general counsel and corporate secretary to vice-president, legal and corporate secretary. Three senior Athabasca employees were also seconded to the newly formed Dover Operating Corp.: Don Verdonck as COO; Laura Sullivan as vice-president, geosciences and reservoir; and Bob Bruce as vice-president, corporate development.

Departments

>> Labour Relations

Chinese autoworkers offer signs of hope

By Ken Lewenza

L

eaders representing the G20 nations participated in a two-day summit in June to discuss a variety of global issues, including how to stop the slow, continuous bleeding brought on by the most devastating economic recession in recent memory. But it was a tall order for a two-day country club-style gathering of politicians, especially since many of them actively promoted the free market, deregulation-driven agenda that caused this mess.

A strong, independent and united Chinese trade union move“ment would inspire unions and workers globally... ” Working people were rightfully cynical that this get-together would yield meaningful and positive change. The G20 meetings sparked a renewed debate over the civil liberties of Canadians, instead of much-needed public dialogue concerning new economic protective measures and policies for workers.

Although the G20 meeting failed to lay out an ambitious agenda for decent jobs, income equality, poverty reduction, en-

vironmental protection and peace, such goals are still achievable; they just won’t be realized by world leaders sipping expensive wines and dining on gourmet foods inside a heavily fortified convention centre.

Unions provide the most effective means of making such ambitious goals a reality. They bring together workers and other citizens to challenge existing structures of authority and help rectify

Join us!

Spirit of trade unionism

SEPTEMBER 21, 2010 ALLSTREAM CENTRE | EXHIBITION PLACE | TORONTO

Whatever their form, these protests are symbolic in a country known for its low wages, income polarization, poor living standards and authoritarian state control. They exemplify the principles and fearless spirit of trade unionism and are an acknowledgement of the disconnect between working people and their “union representatives”—many of them simply entities of the state that act as “company unions” would in Canada or elsewhere.

A strong, independent and united Chinese trade union movement would inspire unions and workers globally.

In fact, the resolve of Chinese workers has highlighted, in no uncertain terms, that peaceful demonstrations planned at gatherings such as the G20 are necessary for a proper and healthy democracy.

It’s time we put an end to a corporate agenda focused on cutthroat competition that hides behind the veil of globalization. Workers’ financial security, standard of living and quality of life are not up for negotiation.

The key to progressive social change lies in the hearts and minds of people who are committed to building a better future, as workers in China appear set to prove— not in the corridors of lavish convention centres, or in boardrooms cordoned off by steel fences and security guards.

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the major power imbalances between rich and poor, forcing social change.

I was inspired by news of Chinese auto workers who, against all odds and possibly facing severe repercussions, hit the streets to protest insufficient wages and poor working conditions at two Honda parts factories in Guangdong.

The province has experienced a huge jump in labour disputes, prompting the local government to move quickly on long-overdue minimum wage reforms.

Although these reforms are insignificant by most standards, they represent a big step forward in a country where an incredible amount of wealth is amassing but distributed unevenly among its massive population.

Some major employers, including Honda, are offering higher wage increases to bring down picket lines and stave off growing worker discontent. Others, particularly the now-notorious electrical equipment manufacturer Foxconn (maker of highly sought-after Apple electronic gadgets), have been forced to make substantial workplace changes as a result of heavy public scrutiny following a string of heartbreaking worker suicides.

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Speakers will represent firms such as TD Bank Financial Group, BOMA, UPS, Green Power Action, and more!

Ken Lewenza is the president of the Canadian Auto Workers Union, which represents 225,000 workers across the country in 17 different sectors of the economy. E-mail cawcomm@caw.ca.

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Comments? E-mail joe.terrett@plant. rogers.com.

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8 Canadian PLANT CARBON1RA.indd 1

8/26/10 1:10:41 PM

September 2010

Economy << Departments

Summer stats point to moderate economic growth

BY PLANT STAFF

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS AND TRENDS TRADE BALANCE

$ billions 9

$ billions1 70

seasonally adjusted

8

C

MANUFACTURING SALES: INVENTORY LEVELS seasonally adjusted

68

7 6

66

5 4

64

3 1 0 1 2 -3

J

J 2007

J 2008

J 2009

J

WHOLESALE SALES

60 58 56

J

J 2007

2010

Exports to the US decreased 1% due to weakness in the energy products sector while imports rose 0.8%, narrowing Canada’s Total trade surplus to $3 billion in June from $3.4 billion in May. Exports to other countries fell Toltal excluding aerospace 7%, mostly because of declining exports to the EU. Imports were down 4.6%, increasing the trade deficit with other countries to $4.2 billion from $4.1 billion in May.

$ billions 52

62

SOURCE: STATISTICS CANADA

SOURCE: STATISTICS CANADA

2

J 2008

J 2009

J 2010

Inventory levels rose 0.7% to $58.8 billion in June, the first increase since February, primarily reflecting a rise in the value of inventories held Imports in these industry sectors: petroleum and coal products (4.1%) fuelled Exports by higher volumes held at several refineries; chemical manufacturing (2.4%); and wood products (3.2%). Gains were partially offset by declines in the food (1.4%) and the paper (2.4%) industries.

$ billions1 76

seasonally adjusted

50

MANUFACTURING SALES: UNFILLED ORDERS seasonally adjusted

68

48 60

46 44

52

40 38 36 Current Chained (2002) dollars

34 32

J

J 2007

J 2008

J 2009

J 2010

Wholesale sales were down 0.3% to $43.9 billion in June. Ontario, which accounts for roughly half the sales, saw them rise 0.1%, its fourth consecutive increase. Alberta posted the highest increase of 1.6 per cent.

Quebec registered the largest decline in dollar terms at 1.2 per cent. BC sales fell 2.4% while Saskatchewan registered a 1.9% decline.

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44

SOURCE: STATISTICS CANADA

SOURCE: STATISTICS CANADA

42 Total Toltal excluding aerospace

36 28 20

J

J 2007

J 2008

J 2009

J 2010

Unfilled orders increased 1.3% to $54.1 billion in June, with most of the gains coming from transportation equipment, machinery and fabricated metal product industries. Unfilled orders have advanced 5.5% since the most recent low of $51.3 billion in November 2009. New orders fell 0.3% to $45.5 billion, the first decrease since March 2010.

anada’s economy continues along a path of moderate growth. Statistics Canada reports show manufacturing sales edged up 0.1% in June to $44.8 billion, the 11th increase since sales bottomed out 13 months ago, while wholesale sales declined 0.3 per cent. Merchandise imports and exports tumbled in June widening Canada’s global trade deficit and the composite index slowed in July. Here are some highlights.

Manufacturing sales: Constant-dollar manufacturing sales rose 0.7% to $41.7 billion in June, 15.3% higher than their lowest recession level in May 2009.

Sales were up in nine of 21 industries accounting for 50.1% of total sales, but Statistics Canada said increases were largely offset by declines in the remaining 12 industries. Industries reporting increases include furniture (6.4%); paper (4.8%), mostly due to higher sales volumes; fabricated metal products (2%); and chemical manufacturing (1.2%).

Composite index: The composite leading index showed a slower 0.4% gain in July following a 0.7% increase in June. Much of the drag came from the household sector, down 4.1% because of declines in housing starts and sales. This contributed to a 0.6% dip in furniture and appliance sales, and a fifth consecutive decline in durable goods. However, manufacturing continues to recover with new orders for durable goods rising 2.2%, the sixth consecutive monthly increase.

Trade: Merchandise imports and exports declined in June widening Canada’s trade deficit with the world from $695 million in May to $1.1 billion.

Exports were down by 2.5% from $34.4 billion in May to $33.5 billion. Prices contracted 1.2% and volumes declined 1.3%, the sixth consecutive monthly decrease.

Two-thirds of the drop came from industrial goods and materials followed by energy products and automotive products; however, machinery and equipment exports showed a 3.7% gain.

Imports declined from $35 billion in May to $34.6 billion, due primarily to lower imports of energy products.

Excluding energy, imports edged ahead by 0.9 percent.

Import prices fell 1.2% although volumes held steady after four consecutive monthly increases.

Wholesale sales: Wholesale sales, much of which reflect imports, declined 0.3% to $43.9 billion in June, with four of the seven wholesale subsectors posting declines.

Volume was down 0.1% with the greatest decrease coming from the machinery, equipment and supplies subsector. It fell 2.3% to $8.9 billion in June. Declines were reported in all four industries in this subsector, with the other machinery, equipment and supplies industry posting the largest drop of 4.5 per cent.

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Sustainability

>> Green Shift

>> Wind Energy

Clean tech:

industry's new wave Siemens manufactures rotor blades like this one in one cast that are 52 metres long.

PHOTO: SIEMENS

Check out the opportunities in this emerging market

Siemens to build turbine plant in Ontario BURLINGTON, Ont.: Siemens Canada will build Ontario’s first wind turbine blade factory somewhere in Ontario as Samsung C&T and Pattern Energy develop 2,000 megawatts of wind power over the next six years under the province’s FIT program.

Siemens, a global electronics and electrical engineering company based in Germany, will supply renewable energy developers Samsung and Pattern Energy with wind turbines capable of generating up to 600 megawatts of power as part of a massive project intended to provide power to more than 240,000 homes.

Siemens Canada would not divulge the value of its planned investment in the blade plant, but the agreement is expected to result in the creation of 300 “green collar” jobs and up to 600 construction and indirect service jobs.

“The site selection process is nearing completion,” said Bill Smith, the company’s senior vice-president for energy. “Eight sites have been short listed between Windsor and Hamilton and [Siemens] is aiming to make an official announcement by the end of September. The goal is for the plant to be up and running by late next year, and ready to supply blades for the 2012 construction season.”

Smith said transportation logistics, building size and configuration, availability of lay-down space for blade storage, capacity to expand and cost are all factors that will impact the location choice.

By Kim Laudrum

W

hen one door closes, another one opens. On July 28, after 90 years of production, the last car rolled off the assembly line at Windsor, Ont.’s General Motors plant. Along with a lament for the end of an era, there was a glimmer of hope. The Canadian Auto Workers Union reportedly pointed out that the GM plant is a prime candidate for redevelopment as a factory for solar energy companies, which enjoy generous government subsidies.

Welcome to the green shift in the industrial revolution.

Canadian manufacturers seeking opportunities for growth in a pokey economy would do well to consider the burgeoning clean technology industry. In 2008, global clean tech revenues were a whopping US$148.4 billion. According to the Conference Board of Canada’s report: Global Climate-Friendly Trade: Canada’s Chance to Clean Up, venture capital and private equity financing in renewable energy projects grew by almost 70% compounded annually from 2002 to 2008.

Celine Bak, partner with consulting firm Russell Mitchell Group and author of The 2010 SDTC Clean Tech Growth and Go-To-Market Report, says that on average the clean technology industry in

Canada in 2010 is expected to grow an astonishing 117 per cent.

That’s on average. Some clean tech sectors in Canada are expected to grow substantially more than that. Alternative power generation, for example, is expected to see a 149% increase in 2010.

Energy efficiency could grow 129% this year. Process efficiency and abatement is expected to grow 147 per cent.

Also spurring growth now is government stimulus programs worldwide amounting to US$430 billion: money that should help reduce the environmental impact of climate change, improve energy efficiency and create jobs.

On prospects for growth, Duncan Stewart, director of research for technology, media and telecom at Deloitte puts it succinctly: “Clean tech is the new internet.”

What is clean tech? The 2010 SDTC Clean Tech Growth and Go-to-Market Report defines a clean technology company as one that, based on its proprietary technology, develops and markets products or services that eliminate negative environmental impacts and address social needs. In Canada clean tech is an export-focused, innovation-based industry that offers the opportunity for capital-efficient economic development.

Watch for clean tech opportunities to

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boom in these areas: • alternative power, including wind, solar, hydro, geothermal, fuel cells and tidal; • biofuels and biochemicals, such as feedstocks and biomass projects; • energy infrastructure management systems, storage and smart grids; • energy efficiency in buildings, lighting; • process efficiency and abatement, pollution prevention and emissions control, nano and biomaterials; • remediation of contaminated sites and Brownfield development; • zero- and low-emissions vehicles, emission reductions for moving vehicles; • recycling, hazardous waste elimination, energy from waste and material handling; and • waste and wastewater purification, treatment, conservation and infrastructure.

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ing to the Conference Board of Canada’s clean tech report.

“Canada overall is doing poorly,” says Danielle Goldfarb, the Conference Board’s associate director, international trade and investment.

Canada is the 14th largest clean tech exporter, with only $4 billion in global sales in 2008 or one-tenth of Germany’s exports; even less than Mexico’s exports.

One explanation is that unlike leaders in clean tech—such as Denmark, Germany and Japan—to date Canada doesn’t have a clear and comprehensive climate policy. Denmark, Germany and Japan made sustained investments and established supportive polices for the development of wind and solar energy as early as the 1970s. Today Denmark produces about a third of the world’s wind turbines. Germany and Japan are world

Clean tech at a glance Some stats compiled from the Canadian clean tech firms participating in The 2010 STDC Clean Tech Market Growth and Go-to Market Report.

75% Already have commercialized products and services 15 years Average age of firms 47% Average compound growth between 20072009 117% Projected industry growth rates from 20102012 8 of 9 Industry sectors that grew during the recession Global high-growth sectors Energy efficiency, energy infrastructure, and transportation 42% and 36% respectively Compound annual rate of growth for remediation, and water and wastewater sectors 96% Have capital requirements in the range of $1 million to $30 million

Opportunites in clean tech include alternate power sources such as solar.

PHOTO: iSTOCKPHOTO

leaders in solar power.

“The [Conference Board of Canada’s] report really reinforced for me that those countries that had sustained policies in place had done well in this area. It’s really important for governments to send clear policy signals that enable people to make long-term decisions and investments,” Goldfarb notes.

Creating green jobs

2010-UK COL.indd 1

Case in point: Ontario passed its Green Energy Act in May 2009. In January, the provincial government announced a $7-billion deal with a consortium including Samsung C&T Corp. and the Korea Electric Power Corp. to build 2,500 megawatts of wind and solar generating capacity, and four manufacturing plants in Ontario. The deal is expected to generate 16,000 green jobs over the next six years in construction, installation, operations and manufacturing.

To provide renewable energy for the new capacity, Ontario introduced its Feed-In-Tariff (FIT) program in 2009.

It guarantees—some say hefty—rates, especially for rooftop solar-generated electricity but for other types of renewable energy as well. This past spring the province offered 694 FIT contracts that will provide 2,500 megawatts or enough to power 6,000 homes, according to Kristin Jenkins, spokesperson for the Ontario Power Authority.

There is a caveat. FIT contracts must have 50% domestic content and Jenkins says the rate is expected to increase to 60% for solar projects in the next round.

“We estimate that the 694 FIT contracts will stimulate 20,000 direct and indirect jobs and attract $9 billion in private sector investment in Ontario,” says Jenkins.

Quebec’s 2006 energy strategy to ensure wind-generated power is at least 10% of the province’s electricity mix is Continued on page 12

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Sustainability

>> Green Shift

Innovation-based technologies Continued from page 11

seeing results. Domestic content requirements are 60% and that’s bringing investment and jobs to the region. Wind-turbine manufacturer Enercon GmbH, for example, is building in Gaspé, partnering with local firms and hiring between 100 to 115 people in the next few months, according to Jean-Francois Nolet, policy manager, Quebec and Atlantic Canada, for the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA).

He says Atlantic Canada, where “the wind resource is unbelievable,” generates investments and jobs by setting renewable energy targets. In Trenton, NS an old, empty rail-car manufacturing facility was

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revived by a $40-million agreement between the province and Korean firm Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) to build wind-turbine components there. The venture will employ about 500 people thanks to the target established by the Nova Scotia government to make renewables 25% of its energy mix by 2015, and 40% by 2020. New Brunswick’s target to install 400 megawatts of wind power “will be reached within the next two years,” Nolet says.

The introduction of the carbon tax in BC is an important initiative that will drive renewable development in that province, notes Bak. “There is also some important work happening in the prov-

ince’s forestry sector to address pine beetle kill off.” (The dead pine can be used as a biomass feedstock.)

In Alberta, significant funds are available to reduce emissions in the oil and gas industry and the federal government has also contributed to carbon capture and storage projects.

“The provinces are clearly driving the show,” Nolet says. “But we need a vision at the federal level to attract investment and to ensure we are more competitive.”

Bak suggests Canadian manufacturers and clean tech firms take advantage of emerging export opportunities.

“One sector where there is opportunity in terms of growth is energy efficiency.

There is a massive amount of work in the BRIC countries [Brazil, Russia, India and

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China], especially China. They are writing new building codes that will include new standards and that will definitely have an impact on manufacturers exporting materials within the commercial and residential building sector.”

She says government regulations regarding zero-emission buildings—be they commercial or residential—are major drivers for growth in the market for energy efficiency. Europe is leading the way with carbon-neutral regulations for both new and renovated buildings by 2020 and California is following suit.

In the biofuels sector, she notes governments in the UK introduced directives to convert some of their traditional fossilfuel usage into biofuels. “Manufacturers who have a long tradition of selling or buying in the UK may find a pick up in demand in renewable energy and biofuels.”

Fuel efficiency standards continue to drive the transportation market. She says vehicle manufacturers in Japan, Europe and North America have specific carbonreduction per kilometre targets, with Japan’s targets being the most stringent.

Energy security issues are also driving demand for innovation in traditional passenger vehicles. Countries such as Pakistan, Vietnam and Thailand, where foreign currency reserves are held at a

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ustomers will not sacrifice quality, leadtime or price but many are voting with their dollars by supporting companies that are committed to lessening the environmental impact of their products. A marketing strategy is great way to get the word out about your green projects and entice those who are looking for greener options.

Here are a few marketing tips: 1. Add a green section to your company website that includes any environmental vision statement or policies. List green accomplishments and explain future goals.

2. Put green accomplishments or attributes on product packaging.

3. Send e-mails to customers describing your green efforts, the results and how it all reduces their environmental footprints.

4. Use social networks such as Facebook and Twitter to share your progress.

5. Advertise in green spaces such as magazines and at events.

6. Become a green resource. Provide green tips and facts at community events.

7. Give back by supporting green charities and programs.

8. Hold public Earth Day events that include park and waterfront cleanups, etc.

9. Encourage employees to volunteer for green causes.

Brett Wills is the director of the Green Enterprise Movement and a senior consultant with High Performance Solutions in Cambridge, Ont. E-mail bwills@hpsinc.ca.

Comments? E-mail joe.terrett@plant.rogers.com.

12 Canadian PLANT

September 2010

CLEAN TECH REVENUE GROWTH RATES* BY SECTOR National Average** Power Generation (11 YRS) Energy Efficiency (14 YRS) Remediation (15 YRS) Biofuels & Biochemicals (16YRS) Process Efficiency and Abatement (16 YRS) Water & Wastewater (17 YRS) 2007-2009

Transportation (18 YRS) Recycling and Waste (19 YRS) -20%

2010-2012

*Compound Annual Growth Rates (CAGR) ** Energy Infrastructure excluded, data N/M

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

140%

160%

180%

Source: Russell-Mitchell Group

From 2007-2009 biofuels and biochemicals had the highest level of revenue growth of 174 per cent.

premium, want alternatives to foreign oil. So compressed natural gas is an interesting strategic option for them.

In the recycling and waste sector, major demand drivers are policies to address issues of municipal waste, especially to reduce landfill. The UK is interested in biodigesters as an alternative to incineration. Poland seems to be moving toward plasmagasification. Look to local interpretations and policies to determine opportunities in this sector.

EU top target market In power generation, renewable fuel standards are the main drivers. The Canadian clean technology companies have identified Europe as their number one market, followed by the US and Asia, with Canada being the fourth in line.

In process efficiencies and abatement, environmental regulations are driving innovation. Japan is the strongest in this sector with 75% of revenues derived from exports. She admits it’s a very tough market to be in, “but there are indications that the sector will see very aggressive growth.”

In water and wastewater, where Canada has a strong competitive advantage, there are opportunities for growth, especially in China. Even in Europe, where you would think the market is more mature, Bak notes there are opportunities. And there are opportunities for manufacturers to partner with clean tech companies. A number of firms in the study are primarily technology companies but they also manufacture. “As these companies get more mature they will start thinking, ‘How can I manage down my costs?’”

These clean tech companies have proprietary patents and technology, which they have secured on a North American or international basis. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they have to actually produce the product; they just need to know how to produce the product.

Just ask Albert Behr, CEO of Cavet Technologies, a clean tech firm based in Toronto. “If you are a Canadian manufacturer and you want to get into the clean tech space, you have to assume from day zero that you must never confuse where you live with where you make your money.”

If, for example, you’ve designed a

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widget that you think has clean tech potential in a worldwide marketplace, Behr says you need a partner that can manufacture it on a world scale. “If you try to do it yourself, you’ll find that you don’t have enough money, or you don’t have the right skills or you don’t have enough inventory.

“Not only must you get it to Mississauga, but to Mississippi or the middle of Germany, and you must be able to support and build and understand the entire life cycle of that product and market.

Not many firms in Canada can do that.”

In the spring, Behr teamed up with Celestica, a $6-billion Canadian manufacturer with a worldwide supply chain, to make and ship his LumiSmart lighting controller.

Is clean tech going to be the next

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big thing, since the internet? There are similarities. Clean tech has global appeal and application. There are plenty of opportunities to develop cool technologies or apps. And those who are innovative, and act fast when opportunities present themselves are going to clean up.

For a copy of The 2010 SDTC Clean Tech Growth and Go-To-Market Report link to www.cleantechnologyreport2010.ca/en/.

Kim Laudrum is a Toronto-based business writer who specializes in manufacturing issues. Contact her at klaudrum@rogers.com.

Comments? E-mail joe.terrett@plant. rogers.com.

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Innovations

>> Electric Vehicles

Lithium ion battery technology:

Powering the future

By Gillian Goward

cause they use nickel-metal hydride batteries combined with gasoline-fuelled engines and electric motors that provide extra power to assist the engine in accelerating, he hunt is on for advanced battery technologies that passing or climbing hills. will power electric vehicles. One of these is lithium Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries used in cellphones iron phosphate, which is environmentally benign and and digital cameras have already had a significant impact delivers excellent cycling performance. on the consumer electronics revolution. Devices have Lithium technology just might be the answer for plug-in The hunt is on for the for become lighter and smaller; however, most consumers electric vehicles. The batteries are low-maintenance, the right battery to power accept that the battery must be replaced in one to three rechargeable and provide high voltage and great capacity a plug-in electric car. years. Plug-in electric car batteries will be much larger, for a high energy density.

PHOTO: iSTOCKPHOTO more costly, last longer and must be able to stand up to Most of today’s hybrid vehicles are not fully electric bethe abuses of daily driving.

Researchers from McMaster University, the University of Calgary, and the University of Saskatchewan supported by the AUTO21 Network of Centres of Excellence are searching for a battery technology that will power tomorrow’s electric cars, and they’re guided by insights gained as they peer into the tiniest of worlds where electrically charged ions move about within rechargeable battery materials in milliseconds.

They must see the movements of ions to learn how a battery performs and understand its ionic conductivity.

Solving this puzzle involves powerful images provided by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. NMR spectra are correlated to chemical interactions (how batteries hold a charge), and to what happens when a battery gets hot. This imaging helps to characterize ion-hopping processes in real-time, which is in the range of five to 10 milliseconds.

A reasonable industry goal is to develop a battery that can be recharged efficiently up to 10,000 times. Current reers choose e in g n e g search is focusing on tradeoffs between in d entation, lea m le ts p n e im n o to p safety, energy density, the length of storFrom idea id power com u fl ty li a u q r age time, the degradation of a battery’s urce fo portant, their single so im s s a a s st c u ti J capacity and extended cycle-life. a . s m e u N sign resourc e d d e c n a v There is interest in electrolyte d g gically-a inder shippin yl C ss re and technolo xp E s materials other than iron phosphates ding Numatic a e -l t. y s tr s fa u – d e in r as cathode alternatives. Solid-state e job sit they know ou cylinders on th le b a e g electrolytes would mitigate the risk of n a h rc et NFPA Inte ference if g d ill e w th m r ra ve g fire in liquid-based electrolytes, which o c ro p today and dis a .c s c ti t. a c je m u ro are susceptible to chemical degradation on your next p to ke Visit www.asc a m n a c e under heat or rapid cycling, and are the d servic unprecedente d n a y lit a culprits in thermal runaway reactions. u q r o superi But unlike solar rays or wind, lithium is not a truly renewable commodity.

Batteries are only a green technology if ders from the the same cylin of 5 the energy used to charge them comes to up er antee st? Ord and we’ll guar T How fast is fa ES . m p. from a green source, and the cells them3 ess brochure by ght! ei fr e th Numatics Expr y pa selves are recycled. e ys – or w o business da tw in ng pi ip sh The energy puzzle is complex and no ast.

F . rs u o y single technology will solve the probto e From our sit lem. Ongoing vehicle battery research will lead to solutions that contribute to cleaner air in urban centres over the short term while helping to address climate change over the long term.

T

d e e p S . y t i l a u q r o t o n Why both? e s o o ch

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Gillian Goward is a professor at McMaster University in Hamilton and a researcher with the AUTO21 Network of Centres of Excellence. Visit www. auto21.ca.

14 Canadian PLANT

September 2010

Clean Energy << Innovations (L-R) The KinerBump inset unit at a bus station. A view of a bus charging up a KinerBump inset unit.

ILLUSTRATIONS: KINERGYPOWER

Driving electricity into

the grid

Bump technology captures kinetic energy from vehicles to create power

By Noelle Stapinsky, Features Editor

I

nventor Stefanos Horianopoulos recently spent 11 years as a robotic welder at the now shuttered Welland, Ont. John Deere manufacturing facility, and during his time there he dabbled in tidal energy capture technology with his brother in Greece.

After 10 years of testing and prototyping the wave technology, bringing it to Canada became an issue. “Due to the unpredictability of the weather, how the water behaves and that the lakes freeze [in the winter], it was creating difficulty,” says Horianopoulos.

That led to other ideas. How about putting wind turbines near highways to harvest energy from the force of the vehicles cruising by?

But like the apple falling on Newton’s head, Horianopoulos was jolted with yet another idea.

“While we were doing testing on alternative energy methods, I was driving my car and hitting potholes and cracks in the road. [I thought] if we put a hydraulic piston under the wheel of the car, we can take that energy and make electricity.”

In 2004, Horianopoulos and his brother Dimitri formed KinergyPower to take this concept to the next level as a working technology.

The idea was to use mats or speed bumps, applying the same principles as those that apply to tidal energy capture (which also employs hydraulic pistons to generate electricity) and place them on road areas where there is heaving braking, such as off ramps to service stations

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and bus terminals.

During testing, there were many prototypes and trials as they attempted to predict traffic flow and the weight of vehicles.

Bump power “Finally after four years we got the patent in the US. We’ve also applied for patents in Canada, Europe and Asia, but after getting the patents in the US, the other countries tend to follow,” he says.

The flat pavement application is branded KinergyPower Carpet and its speed bump application is called KinerBump.

The carpet can be installed on any paved surface and the KinerBump, anywhere speed bumps are currently required.

Essentially, when a vehicle passes over the device, its weight and momentum

pushes the pistons, forcing fluid through a line to drive a hydraulic motor. The energy from the motor powers a generator that creates electricity that’s fed into the grid.

The power created from this process is substantial. For example, if 3,000 transport trucks passed over a KinergyPower device with 1,000 hydraulic piston activation points on a daily basis, it would create more than 25,000-kilowatt hours— enough power to supply 1,000 homes.

“Vehicles travelling at 120 km/h that need to make a stop at service centres or travel centres need about 200 metres to slow down to 20 km/h. Those are the areas you can harvest the maximum power from the vehicle, power that’s otherwise wasted in the pavement or the braking of the vehicle,” says Horianopoulos.

This alternative energy technology could augment wind and solar energy, a recent trend that’s attracting many Ontario manufacturers thanks to a sweet ROI from the province’s feed-in tariff.

KinergyPower’s first commercial pilot project was recently completed at the Welland bus terminal in partnership with the city of Welland, Brock University in St. Catharines and Niagara College of Applied Arts and Technology.

The city and Welland Hydro purchased the test installation that was capable of producing enough electricity to power two houses, for $50,000.

Continued on page 16

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Innovations

>> Clean Energy

Collecting kinetic energy Continued from page 15

“We started with a bang,” says Horianopoulos. “At the same time [as the Welland project] we were also producing a pilot project in Mexico. The irony is my job [at John Deere] went to Mexico. But better yet, we were able to negotiate a license agreement that they [Mexico] will buy products from us, all to be made here in Canada. This area is full of workers that are very eager, have skills, good ethics and we have to take advantage of that.”

Of course, KinergyPower soon had its eyes on the endless possibilities of an energy harvest in sprawling, traffic-congested Toronto. But like many Canadian

start-ups, you take on the world before you take on Canada.

In early 2010, the company launched KinergyPower Venezuela. And just this summer it announced that Nirvale International Inc., a Niagara Falls, Ont.-based consulting firm specializing in partnership programs and custom solutions, will be its sole licensing agent in several European countries and the United Arab Emirates.

Horonopoulos says the results of the first pilot project were excellent and a new one is underway.

The company also has a design for electric trains [KinerRail] and a product called KinerPad in the works.

There’s a lot of effort going into the development of wind and solar power, but KinergyPower has irony on its side as it gathers energy from vehicles— major contributors of greenhouse gas emissions—to create clean electricity.

And its advantage over other alternate energy sources is its simplicity, since the technology uses existing infrastructure, captures energy that’s already created and has a small ecological footprint.

Noelle Stapinsky is the features editor of Canadian PLANT and Canadian Manufacturing.com. E-mail noelle. stapinsky@rci.rogers.com.

Comments? E-mail joe.terrett@plant. rogers.com

Automate Memex connects machine status with the top floor

By Noelle Stapinsky, Features Editor

J

ust as the internet has changed the way businesses communicate, automation has streamlined the shop floor, but there is a gigantic technological disconnect.

For most manufacturers, corporate communication flows through a centralized, internet-enabled network such as an enterprise resource planning system (ERP). And on the shop floor, where there can be a mix of highly automated machinery and older units, getting productivity or machine status updates often requires a trip to the production area and perusal of an operator’s manually kept log.

Manufacturing machinery such as tooling machines communicate using serial ports—which are unable to connect to the information super highway— therefore, real-time production data is often there, just not accessible or integrated into the central system. If these machines could be outfitted with advanced communication technology, a manufacturer could avoid having to buy new machinery, thus potentially saving thousands if not millions of dollars.

The nuts and bolts Since 1992, Burlington, Ont.-based Memex Automation Inc. has dedicated its R&D efforts to coming up with a solution that will connect the “shop floor to the top floor.”

Starting out as a manufacturer of circuit boards and Fanuc memory upgrades and replacements, Memex has developed an inexpensive plug and play universal machine interface (UMI)—it costs $4,000 per machine and takes about 15 minutes to install—that connects both old and new machinery to the ethernet through a machine’s serial port.

The hardware and software suite combines overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and direct numerical control (DNC) systems to track machine uses while providing local memory, high-speed connectivity, real-time automatic machine status and utilization data collection.

Memex boasts that this kind of visibility of the shop floor increases manufacturing productivity by up to 20 per cent.

Holding up one of his intricate circuit boards (an AX750 interface), Memex president Dave McPhail says, “There’s no way for us to easily get signals out of an I series Fanuc control, so we use this board, set whatever inputs we want and take signals out to our UMI to calculate the OEE.” There is also a handheld device— MX2000 terminal—that gives operators a

16 Canadian PLANT

September 2010

Automation << Operations

your automation

Memex president Dave McPhail demonstrates a UMI with an MX2000 terminal

view of what’s going on with the machine communicates with ERP systems.

With this ethernet connectivity and the handheld device, an e-mail logic engine can be installed to measure what’s happening on the shop floor and fire off e-mails in real time automatically or manually, or send text and SMS messages to cell phones.

For example, if you want to know when a machine is in set-up mode or if

PHOTO: MEMEX

it’s in maintenance mode, an automated e-mail notice can be sent out.

Or an operator needing engineering help can simply press F5 on the handheld to send out an e-mail notice.

“The traditional method of getting engineering help on the shop floor would be someone shutting their machine off and finding a supervisor, who then finds the engineer responsible. That could take an hour,” says McPhail. “Hitting F5

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gets the message to the right person. It may not get them there any faster, but it will certainly show there was time lost because that there was no response from engineering.”

This system also connects machines.

There are eight inputs and four outputs available, “so theoretically we could interlock machines. One machine could not let the other run until a determined amount of parts are ready.”

True, connecting machines in this way is typically done by programmable logic controllers (PLCs). Although this system is not a PLC, he says it does have a similar interface, but it’s for monitoring only.

The UMI and DNC software is adaptable on almost any manufacturing machinery. As Memex developed the product, it tested the solution on a number of controls. “There isn’t a control out there that we can’t do, with the exception of Fagor Spanish controls because they are software-based,” says McPhail.

The DNC software—designed for Windows XP, Vista and other platforms—is a 32-bit multi-thread communication and file management system. It downloads and uploads to multiple CNC machines or other shop floor machinery and can connect to CAD/CAM systems. With a web-browser, the system displays a multitab dashboard that’s easy to navigate, provides real-time analytics on specific machines, as well as the overall operation, and it also acts as a data archive.

“The firmware is the same on every board we sell, but it will run differently for each customer depending on the machine tool and how it’s configured.”

The DNC and UMI collect data together, and then Memex’s AxConfig driver handles all the ERP transactions and data transfer.

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Operations

>> Automation

Hardcore research and development Continued from page 17

The biggest challenge for Memex during the development of this software was getting the collection of OEE data and managing the interfacing to the machine tool on a single board.

As big fans of the federal government’s Science Research & Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax credit and refund program, Memex has been submitting claims for seven years.

The company sank more than 100% of its annual revenue into R&D commissioning a consultant to help with its SR&ED claims and all of the various phases of technology development to get their product where it is today—in the

commercialization phase.

To launch its solution into the marketplace, Memex entered a pilot program competition for a contract with HérouxDevtek, a Quebec-based aircraft landing gear, aerostructure and industrial components manufacturer.

Most of the competing companies were software centred and from the US, explains McPhail. “They go to customers and say you need to invoke focus one or focus two protocol on the control, or you need to have D-print capabilities, which is another option on Fanuc controls. You have to have those two options for their software to work. If you have a D-Print command, you have to change or morph all your

programs. If you’re doing work for Boeing or any defence contractor, those programs are locked down and they get audited on a random basis. The program in the machine tool must be the same one approved in 1998, or you’re in big trouble.”

In the pilot project a competitor scrapped a $160,000 part because the DPrint commands joined two lines of code together in the morphing software.

“You run a lot of risk when you tell a customer you want to measure their OEE, but you need their serial port. And if you use the ethernet port and need to evoke focus one or two, those are thousand dollar options,” says McPhail. “We stepped back and said ‘let’s do this with a piece of hardware and roll peripheral devices around that to allow us to take

data from different types of controls.’”

Out of the seven suppliers that competed for the contract, Héroux-Devtek chose Memex, which already had a relationship with the company’s Kitchener, Ont. landing gear manufacturing facility as a DNC supplier.

“After fully evaluating the pilot programs, we decided to go with Memex over a three-year roll-out,” says Sebastien Caron, plant manager for HérouxDevtek. “We now have Memex OEE and DNC systems installed on 74 machines in six plants, and another 59 will be connected over the next couple of years.”

For Héroux-Devtek, this installation did more than just automate the machine automation. Caron says it also improved human and machine-to-machine communication. The OEE data allows operators to see overall daily productivity numbers that demonstrate where there is room for improvement.

Early adapter Landing the contract with HérouxDevtek as an early adapter of the technology launched Memex’s product into the market. Its versatility—CNC machines, conventional or hydraulic punch presses, injection moulding machines and manual machines or processes can all be connected—has attracted a variety of new clients, such as Dana Mold Products, Blount International Inc. and Rose Integration Ltd. Small orders are manufactured in Burlington, but high-volume orders for the circuit boards are outsourced to Creative Circuits in Brantford, Ont. where there are about 1,000 units being made.

A five-year R&D project with McMaster University is also on the go. The Canadian Network for Research and Innovation in Machining Technology (CANRIMT) program involves a collaboration of several universities across the country, as well as industry partners such as Bombardier Inc. and APS Technology.

The project is focused on modelling, analysis, monitoring and controlling machining processes for manufacturing automation. Memex’s AX9150 UMI board will be used as a component in monitoring and controlling the machines.

“It’s a five-year, $5 million commitment. It would be a game changer when it comes to machining,” says McPhail.

Taking advantage of programs such as SR&ED is one way for start-up companies to grow innovative products to commercialization. It certainly helped Memex, but the innovative automation company also attributes its success to getting noticed at trade shows—it will be launching new graphics for its software at this year’s International Manufacturing Show—as well as having a very interactive, informative website: a one-stop shop for industry professionals.

Noelle Stapinsky is the features editor of Canadian PLANT and Canadian Manufacturing.com. E-mail noelle. stapinsky@rci.rogers.com.

Comments? E-mail joe.terrett@plant. rogers.com.

18 Canadian PLANT

September 2010

Think Lean << Operations

By Richard Kunst

M

arketing creates a need, sales sells the solution to fill the need, operations fulfills the requirements and finance will tell us if we made a profit. All businesses follow the same model but where is lean applied most?

Typically, operations is the first area to apply lean because that’s where “waste” is the most visible. High piles of inventory or a lack of inventory become easy targets for improvement followed closely by labour. But is this the good place to start your lean journey?

Sure, but you can actually apply lean through your entire value stream from supplier community to your customers.

Let’s look at the typical product/program realization methodology: • Commercial viability. Does it complement our vision, mission and capability?

• Product definition. Define the product/program to satisfy customer needs.

• Process definition. How are we going to make or service the product/program?

• Validation. Test our hypothesis to insure rate and profit projections are met.

• CI & feedback. Reflections to improve the process/product.

Engaging sales The process definition phase is an excellent opportunity to engage the sales organization. Sales does have to sell solutions, but it has another important task: eliminating buyer stress. Purchasing departments have been impacted by the economic conditions. They’re looking for more value for their purchasing dollar, reduced lead-times and stress-free relationships with suppliers. And they’re probably significantly understaffed so if you stress the buyer, you’ll probably be tolerated briefly before being terminated.

So how do we reduce buyer stress?

Your client is busy reacting to customer demand and doing its best to satisfy their requirements, which at times appear to be unrealistic. One of the reasons kanban tends to work better than an ERP system is its fast reaction time and synchronized to customer demand.

Here is a great opportunity to showcase your lean achievements. Begin by educating your sales team on the various attributes of your lean toolbox, then add the tools as part of a selling strategy.

Customer kanban may not be suitable for all of the products or services you provide, but it may provide calm to a significant portion. Offer to place some of the products on kanban, which you will monitor from a remote location.

Be innovative. In one case we used a web-camera that viewed the customer’s inventory. We were able to get a jump on production even before the purchase order arrived at our facility. In many cases the customer decided to work some additional shifts and we were able to react quickly to the change in demand.

And if we had unusual demand from another customer, we were able to increase inventory to support customer “A” while satisfying customer B’s requirements.

Customers don’t want any unexpected equipment malfunctions. By providing

www.plant.ca

Canadian PLANT 19

Have you truly defined your

lean stream?

Harness your sales force to reduce buyer stress a simple but effective TPM checklist supported with visual work instructions when you sell capital equipment or machinery, your customer can detect potential problems early and take pre-emptive action without submitting a panic order

for replacement parts.

Meanwhile, back in the office you need to break the typical eight-hour cycle office personnel follow to complete tasks on a daily basis. If you establish virtual gates during the day chances are the

information flow will increase proportionally, so instead of an eight-hour cadence, work towards a four-hour or two-hour cadence and watch your velocity increase on a regular basis.

Lean is all about opening capacity but more important, it’s about increasing product flow velocity. Once you have designed and established the cadence of your material flow, the application of lean tools truly begins to make sense.

Richard Kunst is president and CEO of Kunst Solutions Corp., which publishes the Lean Thoughts e-newsletter. Contact him at rkunst@kunstartofsolutions.com.

Comments? E-mail joe.terrett@plant. rogers.com.

Trends

>> Oil sands

LCFS could increase

>> Forestry Industry $100M for innovation from IFIT program

C

anada’s forestry industry now has a $100 million fund available to it for the development of innovative bio projects and technologies that can be integrated with current forestry operations.

The federal government Investments in Forest Industry Transformation (IFIT) program announced in the 2010 budget, is looking for projects that are eligible for funding of up to 50 per cent.

The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) sees the funding as support of the industry’s focus on making Canada a global biotechnologies and products powerhouse. “[This] announcement makes it clear that the Canadian government understands that jobs in the forest industry can only be secured through transformation and that they are ready to play their part,” said Avrim Lazar, president and CEO of FPAC. Andrew Casey, FPAC’s vice-president of public relations and international trade, told PLANT projects would make use of the cast-off fibre produced in forestry operations, breaking down the chemical components, reconstructing and transforming them into chemical additives, new materials and bio-based fuels.

“New products could replace fibreglass, or plastics, and with processing further down the line, replace products based on fossil fuels,” he said.

The strategy is detailed in FPAC’s Future Bio-pathways Project report, released earlier this year, which focuses on developing environmentally sustainable products that secure industry jobs.

Since 2002, FPAC says 110,000 forest industry jobs have been lost. Casey said integrating traditional forestry products with bio-products has the potential to create five times as many jobs as a standalone bio-operation.

The investments could range from small technology add-ons at a mill to significant add-ons, particularly to produce biofuel. Casey said some investments will involve breaking down the waste and transporting it to a processor off-site, “but it’s better to try and extract as much value as possible close to the forest so more of the money stays within the industry.”

The $54-billion-a-year forest products industry represents almost 2% of Canada’s GDP.

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NPRA study raises doubts about low carbon fuel standards

By Joe Terrett, Editor

T

he implementation of a nationwide low-carbon fuel standard (LCFS) in the US would not reduce global greenhouse gas emissions: it would increase them, according to a new study.

The research (link to www.npra.org), conducted by Barr Engineering Co. of Minneapolis for the National Petrochemical & Refiners Association (NPRA) in Washington, DC, challenges the notion there is an environmental benefit to be derived from not importing Western Canadian oil sands petroleum.

It assumes that because the standards would prevent US refineries from importing oil sands petroleum from its nextdoor neighbour, the US would instead have to import more oil in tankers from the Middle East and elsewhere. At the same time, the Canadian oil would be shipped in tankers across the Pacific to China and other Asian locations.

The study calls this long-distance logistics a “shuffle” that would result in higher carbon dioxide emissions. It found that LCFS would actually cause greenhouse gas emissions to increase by 7.1 million tonnes to 19 million

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20 Canadian PLANT

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tonnes per year, depending on the displacement of Canadian crude imports.

Canada is currently the largest supplier of petroleum imported into the US, says the study, but other nations are looking to the Canadian oil sands as a potential energy source. Indeed, China has already invested more than $6 billion in Canadian oil sands projects as it increases its presence in overseas energy production.

The standards aren’t rated very highly as a solution to the oil sands’ impact on the environment, according to study findings by the Pembina Institute, an energy think tank with offices across Canada. Respondents to the 2010 Global Thought Leader Survey on Sustainability (link to www.oilsandswatch.org/pub/2040) who came from government, academia, industry, institutions and non-profit organizations, noted the solutions least likely to be rated as having high potential are carbon capture and storage (13%) and low-carbon fuel standards (12 per cent).

The NPRA notes two other recent studies also call the effectiveness of LCFS into doubt: • A June 2010 report by Charles River Associates found that a nationwide LCFS implemented in 2015 would by 2025 result in the loss of between 2.3 million and 4.5 million US jobs; increase by up to 170% the price of gasoline and diesel fuel; and cut the US GDP by 2% to 3 per cent.

• A Canadian Energy Research Institute report released in October last year found development of Canadian oil sands would result in an estimated 343,000 new US jobs between 2011 and 2015, and that US output of goods and services would increase by an average of $62 billion per year from 2009 through 2025.

“By denying the American people access to oil from our friendly neighbour Canada, a low-carbon fuel standard would raise fuel costs and wipe out millions of American jobs,” said NPRA president Charles Drevna.

Janet Annesley, vice-president of communications for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) in Calgary told PLANT the NPRA report supports the view that Canada’s oil sands crude can be environmentally competitive with other options.

“We can’t speak to the science of the report, but the results are certainly consistent with other life-cycle fuel studies from credible groups such as Cambridge Energy Research Associates and Jacobs Engineering which show oil sands competes fairly with other crudes imported into the US.” She said it’s also worth noting that while most crude oil sources are getting heavier, Canadian oil sands producers have reduced GHG emissions by almost 40% per barrel since 1990 and “continue to innovate.”

A LCFS regime in the US doesn’t appear to be dampening production forecasts in Canada’s energy sector. CAPP is expecting significant growth in crude oil production over the next 15 years, driven largely by the oil sands. Production is predicted to reach 2.8 million barrels per day this year, 3.3 million by 2015, 3.9 million by 2020 and 4.3 million by 2025.

Comments? E-mail joe.terrett@plant.rogers.com.

8/8/07 12:23:05 PM

September 2010

Software << Technology

How green are your

machines?

Eco-footprint calculator tracks the details of your environmental IMPACT

By Noelle Stapinsky, Features Editor

A

s environmental regulations and tax laws advance around the globe, manufacturers are under increasing pressure from governments and consumers to reduce their impact on the environment and have documents to back up their efforts.

Environmental impact software has been around for some time, but it’s more of an overall measurement solution that’s independent from the manufacturing process. What if a manufacturer could track and measure its eco-footprint right down to tooling machines, materials and parts?

IFS, a global supplier of enterprise resource planning (ERP) and enterprise asset management (EAM) systems, have developed a unique Eco-Footprint calculator application for its ERP and EAM suites.

“Green has become increasingly important for our customers to understand the environmental impact of the products they manufacture or assets they operate,” says Rick Veague, chief technology officer at IFS. “With that in mind we built Eco-Footprint as an integral part of our business applications.”

This integrated software management tool allows manufacturers to use existing components within IFS applications to identify what products and processes need to be tracked and document environmental impact by product, work centre, volume, transportation or a range of other parameters.

As a user-defined application, Eco-Footprint operates on a very open structure.

“We built the application to define different aspects

The Eco Footprint Manager sources data from within the IFS Applications components to drive environmental impact data on a parts-driven basis.

PHOTO: IFS

of environmental impact, from power consumption and waste created to environmentally controlled substances and carbon emissions,” says Veague. “That can be applied using different formulas to different processes and steps in the manufacturing process. So, if I’m building a product, I can accumulate and roll up the environmental costs.”

IFS’s idea of tracking and measuring environmental cost is in line with exactly how manufacturers develop product cost roll ups—when a product is going to be built, businesses calculate over-all cost, factoring in labour, materials, machine operation time and overhead.

“This gives [companies] visibility in an area that has

never really had visibility before. As I would look at where I put my efforts to lower my costs, [Eco-Footprint] tells me where to put my efforts to lower my environmental impact,” says Veague.

The software plots trends, produces plan estimates and monitors the lifecycle of inputs and outputs, from product source and use to recycling, thus helping manufacturers decide what actions will best reduce environmental impact.

Enviro-trending And there is no limit for implementation; any size of company can use it. “It’s user defined on how the customer wants to measure emissions. You can create a few very broad categories and attach them to parts and processes, or create very detailed structures attached to processes.”

There are a variety of reasons companies want to measure CO2 emissions and their overall impact— pressure from customers or consumers; or part of the company’s corporate social responsibility mandate. But it’s also an investor and stakeholder pleaser.

“There are investors that want to gauge whether or not there is some type of environmental liability that can crop up later and diminish the value of their investment,” says Chuck Rathmann, marketing communications analyst for IFS. Producing hard numbers and data traced right down to the bare bones of the process, gives potential investors better visibility and identifies potential risks.

The Eco-Footprint management application also makes it easier for companies to comply with ISO 14001/14040 requirements.

“We just rolled this product out and we have customers in the process of implementing it in both Canada and the US,” says Veague.

Indeed, Canadian customers involved in power generation and asset management are already using the eco calculator.

Getting down to the nitty-gritty of how much their processes, machining and equipment touch the environment will give them a leg up in a world where green is a competitive advantage.

Noelle Stapinsky is the features editor of Canadian PLANT and Canadian Manufacturing.com. E-mail noelle.stapinsky@rci.rogers.com.

Comments? E-mail joe.terrett@plant.rogers.com.

>> Plantware

Software supports robot cell ABB’s RobotWare 5.13 robot controller software update improves the programming and control of robotic equipment while enhancing functionality, safety and motion control.

New features have been added to the SafeMove system that ensure even more precise control of motion, thus allowing integrators to further optimize cell design and production flow.

And an indexing function allows a conveyor to be driven by the robot as an additional axis, thus eliminating expensive racetrack installations. When combined with ABB’s FlexPicker IRB360, this feature increases picking and packing cycles to 450 products per minute.

New Torque Slave software drives multiple motors as a single logical axis. Using this function, the robot controls heavy-duty equipment, such as large workpiece positioners.

ABB has also extended the DeviceNet Lean bus to support up to 20 units (previously six) and to allow the control of third party I/O units.

RobotWare 5.13 software allows the IRC5 Compact controller to be used with the IRB 140 and IRB 1410 robots. This range will be expanded this year. www.abb.com

www.plant.ca

Canadian PLANT 21

Management

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>> Financial Reporting

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nternational Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS): unless you operate a public company, these words may not mean much to you, but they will.

More than 110 countries are using IFRS and virtually all major countries are expected to do so within the next couple of years. As post-conversion benefits become apparent, more private companies will also adopt these standards, which provide better access to capital by allowing easier financial performance benchmarking among competing companies.

These standards establish how a company should report certain transactions in financial statements, eliminating the need to reconcile information reported under different national standards while providing consistent information for decision making.

They’ll replace Canada’s generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) for most publicly accountable enterprises

by Jan. 1, 2011, affecting first quarterly statements ending March 31 and first annual financial statements ending Dec. 31.

Canadian GAAP and the international standards are based on similar principlesbased concepts rather than the rulesbased concepts applied in the US. While this helps to address the reality of business transactions, such a system relies to a greater extent on the professional judgment of those applying the standards, and thus more disclosures are required.

10-06-08 4:19 PM

Conceptually, IFRS and Canadian GAAP are similar. There are, however, significant differences in the details, which vary widely by industry and enterprise. Manufacturers would likely note some of the following: • Properties held for rental or capital appreciation are treated the same as property, plant and equipment, whereas IFRS accounts for these separately.

• Both Canadian GAAP and IFRS require property, plants and equipment to be recorded at historical cost; however, there are different requirements for including or excluding expenditures.

• International financial reporting allows a company to record property, plant and equipment at a revalued (fair value) amount, something generally prohibited under Canadian GAAP. Other significant changes relate to impairment of non-financial assets such as fixed assets and goodwill. Unlike Canadian GAAP, the international standards require companies to reverse previous impairment write-downs, other than for goodwill, if the conditions that caused the impairment no longer exist. This could make net income more volatile.

Mergers and acquisitions would also be affected by rules for different business combinations. For example, under GAAP, the portion of assets and liabilities a purchaser acquires under GAAP would be reported at fair value and the remainder at book value. IFRS reports acquired assets and liabilities at 100% of their fair

International financial reporting standards will replace Canada's GAAP. PHOTO: iSTOCKPHOTO

value, even if a purchaser acquires less than 100% of the business. Costs related to the acquisition would be expensed, while Canadian GAAP includes such costs in goodwill. And when the fair value of acquired assets exceeds the fair value of the consideration paid, the difference is included in income, which has the potential to increase the value of assets. Under Canadian GAAP, any discount on acquisition is proportionately offset against the value of assets purchased.

Private enterprises must decide whether to adopt IFRS or new “made in Canada” standards for years beginning on or after Jan. 1, 2011. Canada’s Accounting Standards Board has issued Accounting Standards for Private Enterprises (ASPE) to simplify the recognition, measurement and presentation of information while reducing disclosure requirements.

Yet the international standards tend to be more appealing to companies that

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September 2010

your access to capital policies, systems, processes, technology, controls, human resources, performance indicators, taxes and governance.

• Assess the impact on your business, such as how contracts might be affected.

• Determine the resources required for implementation.

Last fall BDO conducted interviews with CFOs of 22 companies in the European Union looking for advice to share with others contemplating conversion.

One respondent in particular was emphatic about what to do: “This is a once

want to be effective global competitors, and there are other compelling reasons to opt for them, including the following: • An initial public offering may be planned.

• To benchmark results against public company competitors using IFRS. • Major customers or suppliers have adopted IFRS. • A potential sale to a purchaser or investor who requires IFRS reporting.

• To participate in common financial reporting when the company is a subsidiary of a foreign company that uses IFRS. • To create a common financial reporting system when the company has foreign subsidiaries already reporting under IFRS.

Analyze cost benefits While short-term conversion costs may be significant, the longer-term benefits will quickly outpace them. Ultimately, adopting IFRS rather than the ASPE eliminates the need for expensive reconciliations when dealing with foreign markets while streamlining internal processes.

Before undertaking IFRS conversion, conduct a thorough cost-benefit assessment that includes these considerations: • Determine whether significant financing opportunities require IFRS financial reporting.

• Identify the organizations within your sector that are reporting, or intend to report under IFRS; and consider whether the financial performance of your company would benefit from comparisons.

• Identify information gaps between current accounting practices and those of IFRS and the required changes to financial reporting and controls.

• Determine the potential impact on

IFRS for SMEs Download a self-contained standard (fewer than 230 pages) for SMEs, which account for over 95% of all companies around the world. Download it at www. ifrs.org. Click on IFRS, then IFRS for SMEs.

www.plant.ca

Canadian PLANT 23

in a lifetime opportunity for you to relook at your accounting policies. If you plan ahead, you will be able to be proactive and get the accounting policies that best fit your organization. Don’t leave it late like we did...We lost an opportunity by not planning accordingly.”

Any organization competing internationally should carefully weigh the advantages and disadvantages of IFRS conversion. This could be an ideal opportunity to enhance access to capital and to acquire a competitive edge.

For more IFRS information visit www.ifrsincanada.com.

Carlo Mariglia is a Toronto-based partner and Duane Rogers is a Calgarybased senior manager in the national risk consulting and advisory services practice of BDO Canada LLP (www. bdo.ca). E-mail cmariglia@bdo.ca or drogers@bdo.ca.

Comments? E-mail joe.terrett@plant. rogers.com

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Image courtesy of Prensa Jundiaí, Brazil Autodesk, AutoCAD and Autodesk Inventor are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries.

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Show Preview << CMW/Weld Expo 2010

Gearing

up for sales growth

By Joe Terrett, Editor

T

he wheels of industry are turning slowly but steadily as the world recovers from last year’s recession.

Canadian manufacturers saw sales increase 0.1% to $44.8 billion in June, which Statistics Canada says is the eleventh advance in 13 months.

It’s a promising trend but conditions in the world economy are such that manufacturers are moving ahead cautiously, and there are other challenges affecting their businesses. Competition for the business that is out there is aggressive and with the value of the loonie being high and credit for many companies difficult to come by, manufacturers are looking for solutions that will make them more efficient, productive and ultimately more competitive. As companies gear up for the better times, this year’s Canadian Manufacturing Week/ Weld Expo 2010 will deliver those solutions.

New this year is a change in venue. The show will be held Oct. 5-7 at the Toronto Congress Centre, near Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, and will feature an upgraded, more modern facility.

Presented every two years by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), CMW, featuring Weld Expo, co-sponsored by the Canadian Welding Association (CWA), will focus on new challenges and opportunities for key manufacturing sectors such as automotive, energy, aerospace, custom fabricating, transportation and medical products.

“Manufacturers are looking for knowledge and education that will help them to be leaner, more innovative and competitive, and CMW/Weld Expo 2010 will offer direct solutions to meet these challenges,” says Nick Samain, the CMW event manager.

Surveying CMW’s and other shows’ constituents on both the exhibitor and attendee sides yielded some useful insights on their business outlooks, technology needs and how the shows could serve them better.

Their responses revealed a need for more emphasis on forming and fabricating, especially for the smaller fabricating shops. “As a result, we’ve really stepped up this side of the business,” he says.

The fabricating side combines with the advanced manufacturing section of the show, which features, products, services and information sessions for automation and assembly, design engineering, rapid prototyping, software, electronics manufacturing, and physical asset management, including green solutions, lean manufacturing and maintenance.

CMW/Weld Expo 2010 identifies challenges and offers solutions Greater emphasis on welding, forming and fabricating at this year’s CMW/Weld Expo.

PHOTO: STOCK

hibitors and “we are expecting to have about the same number, plus or minus 10 per cent.”

The internet is changing the way companies make their buying decisions, which is changing the way they use trade shows. Buyers can do much of their research online, but in today’s competitive markets, a relationship with a supplier must go beyond price and the simplicity of being able to order some commodities online.

Samain says more critical purchases still benefit from face-to-face contact that allows a supplier to communicate more of the added value characteristics of their offerings, such as attractive credit terms. Exhibitors are taking the internet into account and redesigning their booths, focusing less on standalone products, and more on turnkey packages and relationship building.

Seeing the solutions in action is a major benefit but as attendees stroll through the displays, they also meet peers who are already using the technology.

“You cannot get that online,” he says. “You cannot

get that anywhere else other than when you group enough like people together; you get them in a room, you get them talking and you put these technologies in front of them, and wow, magic happens.”

Some of that magic will come from exhibitors providing travelready solutions for manufacturers, rather than just ‘here’s what we have and here’s the price.’

Multicam Canada is exhibiting at CMW because it’s an opportunity to meet with existing and potential customers to demonstrate its versatility. The CNC cutting machine supplier with regional technology centres in Toronto, Vancouver and Quebec City, specializes in CNC routers, plasma cutters, laser and waterjet cutting machines. It has more than 400 machines installed at customer facilities across Canada.

Bob Austin, president of Multicam Canada’s operations, expects to see sales increase modestly this year, but it’s not so much because the economy is improving.

“I think it has more to do with the fact that people have waited so long to invest in new equipment and technology… because you can only wait so long before you have to invest to get your business moving.”

Of course, it’s good to get new leads and to have existing customers make the decision to purchase, but personal encounters at a trade show may pay off later.

“I closed a deal recently and I was in touch with this Continued on page 27

(9 05 )6 62 -4 97 9

Partners support CMW SME’s show partners who are supporting CMW include Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME), CWA and Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB), Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA), Canadian Fluid Power Association (CFPA) and the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’Association (APMA).

“Our partners recognize that the ability to learn, network and meet face-to-face is a vital element to the industry, which depends on innovation and knowledge to succeed,” says Samain.

In 2008 CMW attracted 4,535 manufacturing professionals representing more than 3,000 companies. He says one third of those came from firms with more than 100 employees and 40% of them had purchasing budgets greater than $200,000. This year’s show numbers are expected to be similar: between 4,500 and 5,500 people.

As of this writing, there were 191 exhibitors booked for CMW and new ones are joining the line up each week. Samain says the 2008 event featured 285 ex-

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Canadian PLANT 25

CMW/Weld Expo 2010

>> Show Preview

Bye bye landing strip—hello pavilions New venue for CMW does away with the hodge podge

C

“We would have overhead door companies mixed with material anadian Manufacturing Week has a new venue this year, and accordhandling companies and it was meant to be the design engineering and ing to show manager Nick Samain, it means delegates will have an advanced manufacturing section of the show. That was always a bit of a easier time finding their way around. hodge podge. It was good for the exhibitors, but not necessarily good for The trade floor is more open-concept, allowing organizers to group exeasier navigation for the attendees who hibitors together by specialty, Samain says. actually have less time and want to source “Some of the real cutting-edge technolothe technologies they need.” gies SMEs focus on, like rapid prototyping, Organizers are also folding in the nanotechnology, design and software, have Advanced Manufacturing Expo, which been grouped together into one pavilion and last took place in 2008, Samain says. a lot of that has to do with the new layout “We’ve got a fuller and stronger offering and building.” in the range of those technologies in the Attendees at past shows will likely recall advanced manufacturing sector.” the long landing-strip style of trade show Delegates will find the floor plan (above) floor. The configuration meant exhibitors more intuitive, and save time finding the vied for locations right at the front of the booths, vendors and solutions on their hall, leading to a confusing grouping of displays.

Landing-strip trade show floor plan.

PHOTO: SME must-see list, he adds.

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Show Preview << CMW/Weld Expo 2010

Making connections pay off Continued from page 25

customer for two years,” explains Austin. “He said he met me at the trade show two years ago and that we were the only company that took him seriously. So when he was ready to move, he called us.”

Creaform, a Lévis, Que.-based company that specializes in digitizing and 3D design, exhibits at CMW to talk with customers in a more relaxed environment.

Stephane Galibois, Creaform’s director of technology sales for Canada and strategic accounts, describes Creaform as a service company that manufacturers can use for product design and development, and a technology provider for the design phase of manufactured products.

He says trade shows such as CMW are a good way for companies like Creaform to get exposure to other potential markets and customers.

“We get to find out who’s who in the industry and get a good feel for the businesses competing with us and those who are not in terms of technologies, processes and services. We need to stay on top of the issues [our customers in] engineering are dealing with.”

Exploring the issues of concern to manufacturers will be a big part of this year’s show. Organizers are packing in more elements, including a town hall session, keynote address and educational sessions that will cover off a range of concerns identified by SME’s

CWA Weld Expo conference presentations Curving metals, bending the rules John Rogers, Manager of Business Development for Kubes Steel Inc. Various methods of forming metals will be highlighted, including: pyramid rolling, rotary and draw bending, gag and press bending, incremental and deck bending, induction bending and stretch forming. The focus will be on individual processes, advantages and disadvantages, and how they relate to specific applications for construction, manufacturing and custom fabrication.

A Discussion on wind tower manufacturing techniques Richard Hadley, General Manager, ESAB Automation, North America An examination of the business opportunity wind power offers with a step-by-step description of the manufacturing process, including plate cutting and plate edge preparation using programmable bevel process, plate rolling techniques for conical sections, and tower assembly techniques. Pros and cons of various assembly methods and plant layouts will be covered, plus welding issues and tips, with an emphasis on techniques to increase deposition rates and reduce welding times. A discussion of offshore towers will include methods to handle the heavy sections, and methods to increase welding productivity through advance welding processes and controls.

Other Weld Expo speakers and presentations include: • ABB, Nick McDonald, Automating Robotic Welding • Lincoln, Dale Malcolm, TBA • NRC, Jean-Claude Brisson, Lean Welding Methodology • Air Liquide, Victor Andersani, TBA • SpaceForm Welding Solutions, Brian Finnigan, The Application of Deformation Resistance Welding for Tubular Products • SpaceForm Welding Solutions, Brian Finnigan, A New Hybrid Plasma—GMAW Process Features Advantages Over Conventional GMAW • Liburdi, Bob Tollett, Chalk River Nuclear Project • CWA, Kevin McWirther, Welding Productivity • CWB Group, Bruce James, Assuring Reliability of Underwater Welding

www.plant.ca

surveys, plus product demonstrations and the Canada’s best welder competition on the show floor.

The town hall presented by CanWEA and SME will focus on the status of wind energy, success stories from manufacturers that have made the transition to serving the alternate energy market, and the findings of a market study by CanWEA and CME. The CWA will host its conference featuring specialized seminars dealing with cutting-edge welding techniques and applications. And there will be technical seminars led by exhibitors from the show floor that will discuss the latest solutions and innovations available to manufacturers across several industries.

Details for education sessions were being finalized at press time, but issues to be addressed include financing capital equipment, recovering tax dollars and developments in rapid prototyping. Attendees will also have an

opportunity to network at a special reception.

The keynote, to be announced, will come from the APMA, which will look at the future of the automotive industry. “We’re still hearing about the high dollar and credit challenges, particularly in the automotive sector,” says Samain. “Contracts are out there but they can’t get them at the moment. These issues will be addressed specifically in the education program.”

With its stronger focus on small businesses, richer exhibits and easier navigation, the CMW’s major invigoration will move it in lock step with Canadian manufacturers as they stride to reinvent themselves for a new industrial era.

To learn more about CMW/Weld Expo 2010, visit www.cmwshow.ca or follow the event on Twitter: http://twitter.com/cmwshow.

Comments? E-mail joe.terrett@plant.rogers.com

Files from Canadian Metalworking, Design Engineering, CanadianManufacturing.com.

POLIFAN®-CURVE Flap Discs Special Line SGP POLIFAN®-CURVE is a new PFERD innovatiodesigned to quickly achieve a smooth, consistent surface finish ofillet welds.

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■ Precise grinding out of fillet welds provides a superior surface finish.

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■ Smooth finish allows easy visual inspectiofor defects, such as porosity and inclusions.

■ Ideal for repair applications to remove defects without damage to adjacent areas. Leaves ample room for new weld bead.

■ Excellent tool life, including the radius edge of the disc.

■ Multi-purpose – may be used as a conventional flap disc, and also for underhand applications using the top of the disc.

Recommendatiofor use: The best results are achieved ohigh-performance angle grinders Medium for fillet weld widths > 3/16”(5 mm) Large for fillet weld widths > 5/16” (8 mm)

The POLIFAN® SGP ZIRKON-CURVE is a high-power tool for demanding grinding work with particularly high machining capacity.

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>> Show Preview include tilting optic, auto focus, high-resolution thermal visuals, a laser pointer and voice comment for under $10,000.

mance with solid wires of steel, stainless steel or aluminum, as well as cored-wires with or without shielding gas.

Fixture any part

Spot problems early FLIR Systems Booth #4037 The new FLIR GF320 hydrocarbon gas detection camera finds small to large gas leaks. At many facilities, these gas leaks account for hundreds of thousands of tons of CO2 equivalent. MeterLink wirelessly communicates data from the EX845 clamp meter or MO207 moisture meter to a FLIR infrared camera, such as the FLIR T300 series (above). Professional-quality features

Innovate by design

BLUCO Corp.

Booth #9031 BLUCO Corp.’s modular fixturing system for welding features 3D tables and a family of modular elements that can be assembled quickly and accurately to fixture just about any size and type of part. The system can be used for inspection, assembly and testing.

Improve weld performance ESAB Welding & Cutting Products Booth #11023 The compact Migmaster 215 Pro welding power unit is designed to improve weld perfor-

workstations and on production lines with lifting needs up to two tons. Modular components provide efficiency, space and flexibility for material handling needs.

Lift to new heights Konecranes Canada Inc. Booth #8000 Konecranes introduces the XM Light Crane System (above), a versatile lifting solution designed to maximize overall productivity in

Autodesk Canada Booth #6012 Autodesk Inventor 2011 software takes engineers beyond 3D to digital prototyping, giving them a comprehensive 3D mechanical design tool set, which enables them to visualize and simulate products before they are built.

Fusion Technology Preview is a new digital prototyping technology with direct manipulation capabilities. Publisher software creates comprehensive technical documents.

Error-free robot In-House Solutions Inc. Booth #4024 Robotmaster X5 produces error-free robot paths and avoids singularity zones and robot/ tool/workpiece collisions. It works around joint and reach limitations, optimizing tool orientations along the entire trajectory.

Perfect performance.

Monitor electric motors GCM Tech Booth #2004 Motor Condition Monitor (MCM) follows the condition of equipment driven by electric motors. MCM provides continuous fault monitoring to avoid unplanned shutdowns, increases productivity, reduces energy waste and raises the level of equipment reliability.

Brazing a trail Lucas-Milhaupt Global Brazing Solutions Booth #12011 AL-822 Handy One aluminum alloy (above) is suitable for brazing aluminum-to-aluminum and aluminum-to-copper. A lower melt point makes it easier to join components, including condensers and evaporators.

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Welding with metal-cored wire can reduce weld cycle times, yield higher deposition rates than solid wire, and increase travel speeds, significantly improving your welding process.

Really tough burrs

Ideal for applications in the automotive, railcar, agricultural,

PFERD Canada Inc. Booth #9013 Special cut patterns improve the impact resistance and cutting performance of PFERD’s new line of tungsten carbide burrs. They’re suited for applications where high mechanical shock may occur that causes tooth breakage or burr head cracking.

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Weicon Inc. Booth # 11005 Workshop Cleaner (right) removes grease, oil, resin, soot, wax, nicotine, insect dirt, bitumen, and tar splashes. It’s free of solvents and phosphates, and compatible with oil separators. This highly concentrated cleaner can be diluted with water at a maximum ratio of 1:40.

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September 2010

Product Showcase << Departments High-efficiency performance SEW Eurodriveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s DR series combines three classes of standard and energy efficient AC motors in a single modular system.

You can specify options for any given application. For example, improved coating and sealing options that protect motors operating in wet environments and a range of temperatures will appeal to food and beverage, water and wastewater industries. Automotive manufacturers will appreciate the many connector options available to save time and DR series AC motor. ensure accurate installation and replacement. And a variety of sensor and feedback options for speed, position and brake wear complement electronic drive control systems found in packaging and logistics applications.

The DR motor meets and exceeds international energy standards and comes in DRS Standard Efficiency (IE1); DRE High Efficiency (IE2); and DRP Premium Efficiency (IE3), which meets EISA 2007 and the NR Can Energy efficient standard (CSA C390).

It also meets NEMA Premium standards for the USA and other energy standards around the world.

SEW-Eurodrive Canada, based in Bramalea, Ont., is a global supplier of drive automation products with three assembly plants in Canada: Bramalea, Delta, BC and LaSalle, Que. www.sew-eurodrive.ca

5

Eliminates the replacement of wearing parts.

Integrated motor/drive saves energy The Rexroth IndraDrive Mi integrated motor and drive from Bosch Rexroth Canada Corp. saves energy by using half the space of a separate motor and drive.

The drive and control technologies company based in Burlington, Ont. says this significantly reduces the space and air conditioning energy needed for the control cabinet and allows machine builders more design flexibility.

The IndraDrive Mi also reduces wiring costs by using a single cable to carry both power and SERCOS communications. One cable rather than two comes from the control cabinet for each axis. Each additional axis is daisy-chained to the preceding axis with pre-fabricated connectors.

Connecting several systems in a series further reduces costs, and programmable servo automation can be added with limited changes to the main electrical enclosure.

Another upside to the motor/drive combo: no more replacing worn parts such as fans, electrolytic capacitors and relays.

Specialized electronics handle extreme temperature ranges while providing more rated power. The motor casing serves as the heat sink for the servo control system, which is attached to the long axis of the motor and adds only a small amount to the cross sectional profile. The result is a space savings of up to 30% when compared to integrated systems with electronics fitted behind the motor.

These servo drives have more than 100 technology functions, including the integrated Motion Logic system conforming to IEC 61131-3. www.boschrexroth.ca

Power for conveyors and turntables AutomationDirectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s IronHorse permanent magnet DC 56C-frame motors are made for applications that require adjustable speed, constant torque, dynamic braking and reversing capabilities, such as conveyors and turntables.

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The DC 56Cs are shipped with a set of brushes in the motor and an extra set in the box.

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More Super-E choices Baldor Electric Co. has added to its line of Baldor Reliance Super-E premium efficient motors to cover almost any configuration for specific applications.

The Fort Smith, Ark.-based manufacturer of energy saving industrial electric motors and drives says the Super-E motors offer: 26 premium efficient ratings designed for the heating, ventilating and air conditioning industry; more than 50 washdown, paint free and all stainless premium efficient ratings; and more than 70 premium efficient unit handling ratings.

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Canadian PLANT 29

Departments

>> Postscript

Taking advantage of the new world order

By Gwyn Morgan

W

hat a difference a decade makes. Who would have predicted 10 years ago that the main thing shielding the once invincible American greenback from apocalyptic collapse of confidence would be China’s weekly purchases of US Treasury bills?

After centuries of European and American dominance, a new world order is upon us. Stephen Green, chairman of London-based global banking giant HSBC, describes this as a global trade

Your Industry Event...

Our economy weathered the recession better than others and is “currently leading in job growth... ” triangle with Asian “workshop” countries forming one side, Western consumers a second, and international resource producers the third.

Trade moves around the triangle with consumers in the West buying goods manufactured in Asia using raw materials and fuel from resource producers.

While the foreign exchange reserves of Asian workshop countries and resource producers have flourished under this

arrangement, the West has paid for its shopping spree and energy dependency by going deeper and deeper in debt.

In 2008, the US, together with Spain, Britain, France, Italy, Australia, Greece and Portugal, registered a total current account deficit of US$1.3 trillion.

Meanwhile, China and the oil exporting countries registered a combined current account surplus of $1.2-trillion. No wonder economists were wringing their

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hands over what they term “unsustainable global imbalances.”

Then things got even worse for the West. The financial crisis triggered unprecedented deficit spending, adding borrowing to finance huge domestic fiscal imbalances to already enormous international trade imbalances. The US can’t spend its way to financial solvency and, having only one side of the global economic triangle, must continue to import a large portion of its resource needs. Debt-loaded, demographically shrinking European countries face immediate slashing of social programs and a long-term secular decline in living standards.

Now the good news. Canada is positioned to be an exception to this bleak picture. We have the smallest national debt of any G8 country. Our economy weathered the recession better than others and is currently leading in job growth. But most importantly, Canada possesses two sides of the global economic triangle. We are a consumer of goods from workshop countries and we are also a supplier of resources to them. That’s the primary reason Canada is the only G8 country to consistently achieve current account surpluses.

Driving our trade surplus In 2009, our resource industries supplied more than half of Canada’s export revenue. In addition to driving our international trade surplus and contributing to federal and provincial tax coffers, resource sector employment is a mainstay across the country.

We have the natural gas, metals mining and forest products sectors in BC, the oil sands in Alberta, and potash and uranium mining in Saskatchewan. Western Canada is also a major exporter of metallurgical coal for China’s steel mills.

Ontario has a huge metals mining sector, while Atlantic Canada has growing offshore oil and gas production.

Canada is the world’s largest producer of hydroelectric power and a major exporter of electricity to the US, with Quebec leading the way. BC, Manitoba, and Newfoundland and Labrador have huge hydro power developments, and much more potential.

In China and India, which have more than a third of global population, we are witnessing the largest improvement in living standards in the history of the world. But their continued progress will require vast amounts of the very resources that Canada possesses. Emergence of the Asian-led new world economic order gives our country an opportunity to diversify away from our dangerous dependency on a weakening US. This is our game to lose.

Gwyn Morgan is the retired founding CEO of EnCana Corp.

Comments? E-mail joe.terrett@plant. rogers.com.

30 Canadian PLANT

September 2010

MECHANICAL DRIVES

SEVERE DUTY CORROSION PROTECTION

the

F-SERIES SNUGGLER®

Parallel Helical Gearmotors SEW-Eurodrive’s F-Series parallel helical gearmotor lives up to its name as the ideal drive for tight space conditions. This compact drive, with its multiple mounting configurations, is a rugged alternative to right angled gearmotors.

SEW-Eurodrive has introduced a new line of aseptic gearmotors to meet the high levels of hygiene crucial to the production of food and beverages, as well as the stringent demands of the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. SEW has solved this challenge with the aseptic design of helical, parallel shaft helical, helical-bevel and helical-worm gearmotors made entirely of smooth stainless steel, cooled by pure convection cooling — eliminating conventional fan and cooling ribs, which prevents the build-up of germs and bacteria on the surface and allows for easy regular cleaning.

CORROSION PROTECTION PRODUCT RANGE Power ratings from 0.34 to 2.0 HP Can be mounted directly onto R, F, K, S-Series gear units in all standard positions

F-SERIES PRODUCT RANGE Power ratings from 0.05 to 336 HP Output speeds from 0.06 to 464 rpm (based on 4 pole motor) Output torques to 159,300 lb-in.

Energy Savings. Cost Savings.

Together at Last.

K-SERIES Helical-Bevel Gearmotors SEW-Eurodrive’s K-Series right angle helicalbevel gearmotors deliver maximum performance and reliability with 95%+ efficiency and high torque density. Durable gearing designed for long service life makes this drive an ideal choice for demanding around-the-clock applications.

K-SERIES PRODUCT RANGE Power ratings from 0.05 to 615 HP Output speeds from 0.05 to 326 rpm (based on 4 pole motor) Output torques to 442,500 lb-in.

S-SERIES Helical-Worm Gearmotors SEW-Eurodrive’s S-Series right angle gearmotors offer helical-before-worm gearing combining durability with power-packed performance in a compact design that requires no motor belts or couplings.

S-SERIES PRODUCT RANGE Power ratings from 0.05 to 46 HP Output speeds from 0.05 to 257 rpm Output torques to 35,400 lb-in.

Introducing DR Series

AC MOTORS and Brakemotors SEW-Eurodrive’s squirrel-cage motors and brakemotors deliver exceptional performance and reliability combined with low maintenance.

Designed for continuous duty under tough service conditions, these low-noise brakemotors are used wherever fast, safe braking is a major application requirement.

The built-in encoder is fully integrated into the motor, reducing the cost and complexity of encoder engineering as well as its footprint.

SEW-Eurodrives’s new DR Series of AC motors have been engineered from the ground up to meet motor demands of the 21st century: like high efficiency performance that complies with international standards; a compact footprint that saves space; a modular design that allows for three different brake sizes to be used with a single motor size; and a simple, integrated encoder that can be easily retrofitted. What’s more, these new motors can be integrated into SEW gearmotors, used as stand-alone motors or in decentralized control architectures.

The DR Series also comes in two energy efficient options: DRE (energy-efficiency) and DRP (premium efficiency).

Driving the world AC MOTORS PRODUCT RANGE Power ratings from 0.25 to 100 HP 2-, 4-, 6-, 8-, 4/8-, 2/6-, 2/8-pole plus others Integral brakes to fit all frames

Toronto (905) 791-1553

Montreal (514) 367-1124

Vancouver (604) 946-5535

www.sew-eurodrive.ca

Spray Nozzles

Spray Control

Spray Analysis

Spray Fabrication

Change the Way You Spray to Lower Operating Costs

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Flow rate can be adjusted to match changing line speeds or for different spray applications without changing pressure, spray angle or drop size.

2. AutoJet® Model 2250 spray controllers automatically adjust spray performance based on operating conditions to optimize performance. Manual labor is minimized and waste, chemical, water and energy use are reduced.

3. Motor-driven AA190 Tank Cleaners provide high-impact cleaning and remove stubborn residue. Automated tank cleaning eliminates manual labor and efficient operation eliminates overuse of chemicals and water and reduces energy and wastewater disposal costs.

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Accurate placement of the sprayed liquid minimizes waste

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Dry without compressed air

Optimizing Your Spray System, Technical Manual 410, explains how to improve performance and save water, energy, chemical and more by implementing a nozzle maintenance program and adding spray control.

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