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ARTICLES, CASE STUDIES & NEWS

Featured Manufacturer - Magna Centre for Supply Chain Excellence

2/1/2022

 
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The Magna Centre for Supply Chain Excellence (MCSCE), addresses the problems facing today's value chains with the application of Integrative Supply Chain Systems Thinking and Intradisciplinary Collaborations. Located within the Toronto-Waterloo Innovation Corridor, the MCSCE can be found in Conestoga @ The Foundry Gaslight District.

MCSCE supports the supply chain ecosystems through initiatives such as:
  • Applied Research focused on the digital transformation of supply chains
  • Designing world class education and developing supply chain talent
  • Developing a network of professional associations, industry, academia, and government
  • Conducting workshops and seminars to share best practices of integrative supply chain systems thinking
 
MCSCE connects industry to leading researchers and provides access to a range of talent to fill the needs of today’s diverse supply chains. From September 2017 - May 2021, 61 Conestoga’s Supply Chain and Operations Management program facilitated 61 industry value stream mapping projects, totaling a financial impact of over $178 million!
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MCSCE serves a diverse range of clients including:
  1. Supply chain related industries including manufacturing, logistics and transportation, and warehousing.
  2. Service industries from transportation, education, health care, construction, banking, communications, retail services, tourism, and government.
  3. MCSCE collaborates with academia, professional associations, government agencies, and industry.
 
Some of the specific industry partners who MCSCE has collaborated with include:
  • Karmax Heavy Stamping (COSMA Division of Magna International) - manufactures and supplies technologically advanced automotive components, assemblies, and systems to the global automotive industry.
  • Septimatech – delivers reliable productivity improvements for packaging lines and machines worldwide by manufacturing innovative, precision engineered solutions that provide repeatable, accurate adjustment for intuitive setup, operation, and maintenance. 
  • DHL Supply Chain Canada – provides customers in many industry sectors with logistics services along the entire supply chain – from planning, sourcing, production, storage, and delivery to returns logistics and value-added services – in order to ensure logistics flow.
  • The OWL –simplifies supply chain management by monitoring, detecting and rectifying performance anomalies in real-time. The Owl has built a solution that combines data analysis and human intelligence to expand the possibilities of people and organizations, allowing them to achieve world class supply chain performance without having to break the bank.

The MCSCE is pleased to collaborate with industry, professional associations, government, and other centres of excellence to develop solutions to improve performance using an intradisciplinary approach to solve complex problems.
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Do you know a company that should be included in our list of local manufacturers? Send us an email.

Case Study - Brink Bionics Inc.

1/20/2022

 
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Introduction
The gaming industry is a dynamic landscape of constantly changing and improving technology. When competing digitally, success can hinge on laser focus and split-second reaction time. Brink Bionics wanted to help gamers achieve their best, and have developed the Impulse Neuro-Controller to improve click speed.
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The Impulse Neuro-Controller is a fingerless glove with sensors that detect the first neural impulse that goes into the finger. This detection then reduces the time between intent to act and execution. Brink Bionics had a 3D-printed proof of concept and were beginning to plan for production when they were introduced to Berlin KraftWorks (BKW). As a new company they were advised to have a design review, and review of their electronics to set themselves up for scalable manufacturing. 
Challenge
Having a working proof of concept is excellent, but it does not mean that your product is ready for production. There are a lot of factors that go into a design which will allow it to be manufactured at scale. Prototype design takes that conceptual design and determines: how best to fabricate custom parts; what purchased components are suitable, available and at what cost; and how to assemble, package, ship and service the product. BKW was able to assist Brink Bionics with this to ensure that the plastic and electronic components were designed for manufacturing. Before starting production, the design also needed to go through testing to receive all necessary safety certifications.

Brink Bionic was also working with a Contract Manufacturer, MicroArt Services Inc., to produce parts for the Controller. BKW was able to work with both MicroArt and Brink Bionics to ensure the parts would be correct and function as intended.

Results
The goal of the project was to ensure that the Neuro-Impulse Controller was ready for production to fulfill orders received through Kickstarter. While working on the design revisions, BKW also assisted with supply chain management. Various components needed to be sourced including some long lead items affected by the chip shortages, and relationships needed to be established with vendors. There was also planning required for shipping, logistics, and customs to ensure all orders would be efficiently delivered worldwide.

Brink Bionics’ Kickstarter campaign was a success, selling 320 units. “The BKW team was instrumental in ensuring that the Neuro-Impulse Controller prototype was ready for production. We were able to manufacture and ship the first units to our customers on time and on budget,” Erik Lloyd, Co-Founder & CEO, Brink Bionics.
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Future Plans
Now that the Kickstarter orders have been produced, Brink Bionics is working on improvements for both the hardware and software. This will include another design revision and advanced features for the Neuro-Impulse Controller. The next step for hardware is to eliminate the need for a glove while simultaneously creating a one-size-fits-all version. This new style will not only fit more players, but will also reduce time during the assembly process. As for software, Brink Bionics is working to expand the number of EMG channels on the controller which will collect more detailed data from the wearer. 

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Featured Manufacturer - The SMART Centre

1/6/2022

 
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Based in Cambridge, The SMART Centre supports both funded and fee-for-service collaborative applied research in manufacturing and recycling. The SMART Centre helps to develop high-performance manufacturing/recycling solutions (robotics, automation) as well as design, prototyping and testing of new mechanical, electronic and software products. The SMART Centre works with small to medium sized companies who require assistance to solve advanced manufacturing or recycling problems through applied research. Driving innovation, commercialization, productivity improvement and competitiveness for Ontario's manufacturing sector, the SMART Centre serves the following industries:
  • Applied Research for Advanced Manufacturing / Recycling 
  • Automation, robotics, controls 
  • Mechanical / electronic / software design, prototyping and testing 
  • AI assisted machine vision and control 
  • Digital innovation including Internet of Things, sensors, data analytics, machine learning, augmented and virtual reality 
 
The SMART Centre works as an extension of a company's R&D team.
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Do you know a company that should be included in our list of local manufacturers? Send us an email. ​
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