Global industry restructuring has shifted manufacturing to lower-cost countries and increasingly outsourced its supply chain, from design and manufacturing to packaging and distribution. Canada’s electronics sector in particular is underperforming and risks becoming further marginalized. While innovation is critical for driving success, it can take a decade to develop, deploy and implement new products and services. Most Canadian companies lack the resources and/or the skills needed to take new ideas through all the stages of commercialization. An industry-led consortium is changing that, by strengthening linkages between industry, academia and government to move ideas to market faster, while maintaining research, design and product manufacturing domestically.

How REMAP is seizing the opportunity

In a world of start-ups, software applications, and disruptive technologies, REMAP incorporates a strategy for Canadian businesses to navigate the digital economy, accelerate growth and improve ease of doing business in the adoption of Smart Manufacturing. REMAP is a technology accelerator that connects the strengths of manufacturing with the innovation ecosystem to build capacity and global competitiveness in Canada. Through shared resources, REMAP creates IP for Canadian business growth, accelerates export-ready products, optimizes manufacturing processes and prepares our workforce for a more sustainable and inclusive future.

Among the results

Striving to translate Canada’s investment in electronics technology into economic growth and job creation, the REMAP network has commercialized 230 new products, processes and services, developed 367 prototypes, 149 patents have been filed/issued and 331 technical publications have been authored across the Healthtech, Cleantech, Industrial, Telecom and Mobility market segments.
Together, the network contributed more than 29,000 mentoring hours, giving back to their communities by providing work-integrated learning opportunities to high schools, colleges and universities, start-ups and SME manufacturers. The network created/maintained 831 High Quality Personnel (HQP) jobs that generate 13,296 workforce multiplier jobs that support the manufacturing industry. These efforts have attracted $245 million of combined follow-on investments (FDI) and revenues since 2014.
Successful REMAP-funded projects include:
- As the world races to find solutions to reduce greenhouse gas and waste, Titan Clean Energy developed Carbon Smart – a patented biocarbon alternative to carbon black manufactured from agri waste. To transition this technology into a commercially viable solution, Titan leveraged Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s materials lab and equipment to lab-verify the product’s suitability for intended end-use applications and digitized its manufacturing process with AI solutions.
- Challenged to develop and commercialize a full-stack Digital Internet of Things (IoT) Platform for industrial asset and process monitoring within the construction sector, Brickeye collaborated with Celestica to complete product development R&D, enabling: access to engineering, manufacturing and commercialization expertise, maturation of the product through an iterative design process, and reliability testing.
- The electric vehicle (EV) charger test platform project brings together industry and academia to create agnostic functional test capability and expertise to support the domestic market for EV charger products and accessories while creating a high-value service offering for foreign companies seeking to invest in Canada. The project will prototype a test station and create an ecosystem focused on advancing capability in products, processes, and people.
- Apera AI partnered with Magna’s Stronach Centre for Innovation to test, mature and enhance Apera’s AI-powered, first-of-its-kind 4D vision system in a real manufacturing environment to enhance 4D vision for industrial automation. The resulting commercial-ready solution is now suitable for numerous applications, reduces operator training time from 6 months to 24-48 hours and drives almost 100% quality and repeatability.