Funding & Grants
FedDev Ontario is funding Etobicoke manufacturer Huys Industries Ltd. to help develop and commercialize AI-driven technology, part of its push to accelerate AI adoption among Southern Ontario manufacturers.
FedDev's advanced-manufacturing stream is actively funding AI adoption at Ontario SMEs - a live option if you're scoping a digital project.
Plants, Investment & M&A
Diageo, maker of Crown Royal, has signed a deal to sell its Ontario bottling plant in a historic border town. The facility was put up for sale after Diageo announced its closure, cutting about 200 jobs.
A buyer for a closed 200-job Ontario plant is a rare continuity signal - watch who acquires it and what production returns.
Policy, Trade & Economy
The federal government is overhauling procurement with a new Small Business Procurement Program that will standardize contracts and integrate AI, aiming to make it easier to buy from Canadian small businesses.
If you sell to government, the new small-business procurement program could widen your access - worth tracking as rules roll out.
Supply Chain & Reshoring
Ottawa will invest up to $400 million in a Teck critical-minerals smelter in B.C. - the first project under the Canada Critical Mineral Accelerator, a Natural Resources Canada program to speed development of minerals tied to economic sovereignty and security.
Federal critical-minerals funding is flowing - a domestic supply push that could reshape input sourcing for Canadian manufacturers.
Funding & Grants
NEO Battery and the University of Toronto have been awarded Mitacs funding for a battery-technology project, run with U of T's Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering under Dr. Patrick Lee.
Mitacs-funded industry-university projects remain an accessible route for Ontario manufacturers to co-fund applied R&D.
Automation & Technology Adoption
ABB Robotics completed its AI-powered Visual SLAM AMR portfolio with a new autonomous forklift. Powered by ABB's AMR Studio, the lineup enables up to 20% faster commissioning with interoperability and safe operation.
Faster-commissioning vision AMRs lower the integration barrier for material-handling automation at mid-size Ontario plants.
ForgeShift Insights goes out weekly across three editions.
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