Sadi Muktadir

Key Cdn. manufacturers like Reko International, OTTO Motors and Avidbots Corp., attempted to stand out to stay competitive and solicit business from near-shoring manufacturers.

The responses and data will be used to create a blueprint report for Canadian companies to use as they address specific challenges heading into 2025.

With the Federal government promoting the electrical vehicle manufacturing supply chain, and the increased investments in the number of electric vehicle chargers, the needs on the power grid also increase.

Conversations with industry leaders from across every facet of manufacturing.

Manufacturers recognize the deluge of products on offer at IMTS 2024, with panels promoting AI-specific and automation-centred solutions to tackle the labour shortage and help increase productivity at manufacturing plants.

Honda Canada’s leader emphasized that the automotive company believes electric vehicles are the future, and will have their first manufacturing plant ready in 2028 with this in mind.

2024 was filled with headlines effecting the manufacturing industry across all its verticals from aerospace and automotive to food and pharmaceuticals.

Industry associations are emphasizing that the threat of retaliatory tariffs is a double-edged sword with how often products pass back and forth between the border.

The panel discussion will field questions around Canada's tariff response, how the manufacturing industry will evolve as a result of the tariffs, and what needs to happen to ensure that the Cdn. economy remains competitive.

Manufacturers are exploring a variety of necessary options, including changes to their supply chain partners, transitioning product lines, and temporary layoffs, but are also calling for things they need, in the form of tax relief, trade barrier changes, and more transparency in how the reciprocal tariff revenue will be distributed.