Features
Finding a competitive edge while removing the drudgery
February 14, 2020By Don Horne Robots on the assembly line were designed to free human beings from boring, repetitive work. Now, robotic process automation, or RPA, is being touted as freeing the back-office of the same boring, repetitive tasks. Vishal Vaidya, the…
Toyota’s Cambridge plant tapped for Lexus NX, NX Hybrid
February 3, 2020By Mario Cywinski In 2019, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC) announced that the Lexus NX and NX Hybrid SUVs would be manufactured at its Cambridge, Ont. plant beginning in 2022. The announcement brought Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Christine Elliott,…
A side of mould to go?
January 29, 2020When former British Prime Minister Teresa May proclaimed that she wasn’t opposed to scraping off mould from the top of a jar of jam and eating the product underneath, it sparked a conversation about what mouldy foods were safe to…
New ammonia regulations will require advanced signalling technologies
January 22, 2020By Jake Vernon, Product Specialist – Audible & Visual Signaling, Pfannenberg USA Ammonia gas leaks are dangerous and even deadly. Exposure to ammonia at levels as low as five to 15 parts per million can cause irritation and discomfort. Levels…
Cobots vs. industrial robots: what’s the difference?
January 17, 2020Buying a new robot is a considerable investment for any business owner. Collaborative robots have been widely marketed as a cheaper alternative to industrial robots, but what’s the catch? Nigel Smith, president and CEO of Toshiba Machine partner TM Robotics,…
Builders and dreamers: How young women are bridging the STEM skills gap
January 10, 2020Build a Dream guides girls to careers in manufacturing, automation and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), while advocating for workplace diversity By Kristina Urquhart When Elizabeth Moses, a machinist at Windsor Mold, arrived at St. Clair College in 2016…
Hands off! Insulation resistance testing of critical motors
January 6, 2020For decades, plant personnel have performed insulation resistance tests with handheld megohmmeters to prevent motor failures that lead to costly unplanned shutdowns, penalties and re-winding repairs. However, these tests only provide a “snapshot” of motor health. In a matter of…
The most common barcodes used to improve efficiencies in manufacturing
December 20, 2019This year, the barcode turned 45 and its wide-spread use continues to grow. In the industrial sector alone, the barcode market is expected to grow nearly six per cent compound annual growth rate, or by $500 million. The maturity of the technology…
Reducing wastewater facility GHG emissions through biogas recycling
December 3, 2019Brown and Caldwell has been selected by the Derry Township Municipal Authority (DTMA) to design energy efficiency improvements at its Clearwater Road Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF). Already accepting organic waste from third-party carriers, the Authority is developing long-range plans to…
Biting off more than you can chew
November 29, 2019A study from Forrester Research found that while 74 per cent of firms say they want to be data-driven, only 29 per cent say they are good at connecting analytics to action. Here Darcy Simonis, industry network leader for ABB’s…
