Barrett Centre for Technology Innovation Newsletter October 2020

ALUMNI PROFILE: JESSICA LYNN

BARRETT CENTRE FOR TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION

NEWSLETTER

OCTOBER 2020

Jessica Lynn, originally from New Zealand, was visiting Canada when she found an opportunity compelling enough to change her plans of pursuing a mechanical engineering degree at home.

“I saw Humber and the diverse courses available within their programs and what labs and resources they had to offer. I was pretty swept away,” said Lynn.

Sixty students graduated from the Electromechanical Engineering Technology program in June 2020, and Lynn was one of two women who received their advanced diploma. She soon found work in the competitive manufacturing sector.

In her role as Assembly Lead at JMP Solutions in London, Ontario, she is surrounded by university graduates. Lynn’s hands-on skills and extensive extracurricular background were so impressive to her panel of interviewers that she was hired on the spot.

Humber’s focus on experiential learning is part of what sold Lynn on the program.

She learned from professors and industry experts that employers in the manufacturing industry recognize the value of the handson experience she would receive from the advanced diploma program at Humber.

In her first year of studies, Lynn heard about Humber’s Mechatronics Skills Varsity team, whose members train in the Barrett CTI labs and race against the clock to build automated factories and production systems.

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Pictured above: Anxhelo Mecollari, Barrett CTI research assistant, works on one of the 3D printers in the Barrett CTI that has been manufacturing face shields for Humber during the pandemic.

Barrett CTI and partners supporting others in their time of need The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have been felt throughout the manufacturing sector over the last eight months. This time has required companies to innovate and shift priorities to remain competitive.

Bob Barrett, founder of The Barrett Family Foundation and President and CEO of Polytainers, says his business is withstanding the challenges from the pandemic. He believes his employees had a lot to do with that. “There’s a high degree of trust between our team members and our leadership team. They were behind us right from the start,” said Barrett.

Polytainers manufactures plastic packaging for food products such as margarine and yogurt.

Recently, Polytainers faced an additional challenge. “In August, Hurricane Laura went through Louisiana, where most of the plastic resin from North America comes from. The plant we get our resin from will not have electricity for three to four months, which will result in a resin shortage,” said Barrett.

Barrett notes the impact of COVID-19 can be devastating for capital goods manufacturers.

Many large companies, when facing uncertainty, may postpone or cancel new machine or technology orders. Polytainers took a different approach that was more entrepreneurial in nature. To support their suppliers, they developed a COVID-19 Incentive Program, which resulted in capital expenditures that doubled their average annual investment. “We invested with a few key suppliers who we wanted to make sure would get through the pandemic in one piece,” said Barrett.

Barrett believes that “there’s no end to what you can do to help people,” which is demonstrated through his work with the Barrett Family Foundation and the Barrett CTI. During COVID-19, the Barrett CTI has been a hub for helping companies and organizations deliver aid to those who desperately need it.

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humber.ca/barrettcti

ARTICLE CONTINUED The Barrett CTI has been part of two notable initiatives during the pandemic. One is taking on food insecurity and the other is addressing the need for personal protective equipment (PPE) during COVID-19. GlobalMedic is a global emergency aid agency founded by Humber College alumnus Rahul Singh. Singh and his team acted as soon as the COVID-19 pandemic hit the GTA and started an initiative that packages bulk dry goods into family-sized portions that are distributed to food banks and shelters.

Humber College’s Carrier Drive location was the operation’s headquarters until a small group of Humber trades students returned to in-person classes in July. “Thankfully, Humber gave us space at the Barrett CTI. We had volunteers packing one-pound bags of grains, lentils and beans. We managed to produce more than 500,000 pounds of emergency food that we distributed to families in need through the food bank system,” said Singh. GlobalMedic used most of the first floor of the Barrett CTI including the Main Atrium, the Demonstration Room and the Don Posterski Lab, which served as a loading dock.

The Barrett CTI also collaborated with Advanced Manufacturing Skills Consortium partner Javelin Technologies to increase worker safety during the pandemic. Javelin recently developed, manufactured, and rapidly deployed PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic to frontline workers across Canada.

Now, Javelin is using that experience and expertise to support Barrett CTI staff members.

With Javelin’s support, Humber Technologist Anthony Nyman and Research Assistants Anxhelo Mecollari and David Vanamelsvoort have produced dozens of face shields for Humber faculty and staff using the Barrett CTI’s Trotec laser cutter and the Javelin-supplied Fortus 450 mc 3D printer – the largest one in the building.

Javelin has been instrumental in providing guidance for using the machine as effectively as possible. Vlad Porcila, a Technologist from Humber College’s Faculty of Applied Sciences and Technology, assisted the Barrett CTI trio with cutting the shields that wrap around the masks.

Other Advanced Manufacturing Skills Consortium partners have also been making significant contributions during COVID-19. This includes KUKA Robotics Canada, whose products are included in new robot-assisted therapy. The robot mobilizes patients regardless of whether a therapist is allowed contact with them, which is especially important in a time of physical distancing. KUKA robots have also automated the process of testing and sorting blood samples. This reduces errors and allows healthcare workers to focus on more demanding tasks.

Another partner, Cisco Canada, has donated hundreds of permanent mobile access point hardware and has contributed fees for some internet circuits to provide technology access for vulnerable Torontonians during the COVID-19 pandemic. To see a detailed report of the contributions of partners during COVID-19 that was previously published in Canadian Manufacturing Magazine in May 2020, please click here.

For more information about the Barrett CTI, visit www.humber.ca/barrettcti or contact Neal Mohammed, director, Barrett Centre for Technology Innovation, neal.mohammed@humber.ca.

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PROFILE CONTINUED Though Lynn is an international student and unable to compete in local and provincial competitions, she found great value and learning opportunities in training with the team and participating in internal competitions/challenges.

“Humber’s Skills Varsity Team gave me the chance to compete alongside the Humber trainees. They trained us and we got exposed to the same process. It gave me the skills to train and mentor future competitors,” said Lynn. She would go on to mentor Skills Varsity students for the rest of her time at Humber.

A good portion of Lynn’s learning took place within the walls of the Barrett CTI. While at Humber, Lynn had the opportunity to program robots, Programmable Logic Controllers and even gained experience using the Barrett CTI’s prototyping machine shop.

The tools she uses in her current role aren’t new to her – she has already used them during her time at Humber. This has become an advantage for Lynn over her colleagues as she’s able to recognize certain technical components.

Lynn’s education and hands-on training were integral in helping her land her role with JMP Solutions. The company, an industrial technology partner to Fortune 1000 manufacturers and producers, is fulfilling a contract to produce 10,000 ventilators for use in Canada’s fight against COVID-19.

Her experience with JMP is exceeding her expectations. She has already participated in several different roles and responsibilities within the manufacturing process. “I interviewed for a Controls Specialist position, but I’ve been doing quality control, assembly leading and helping to manage production,” said Lynn.

Lynn hopes to be considered for a permanent position with JMP when her contract ends, or to receive a great reference for future positions elsewhere. She has already received valuable work experience and the confidence to match the impressive skills she developed at Humber and the Barrett CTI.