View from the Floor: Eager to explore

This is going to be my first CMTS show and I can’t wait. I’ve been to plenty of industrial trade shows over the past two decades, both in North America and Europe (most dealing with the printing industry), so I know what to expect. And that’s what has me excited about this event.

Over the past year I’ve had the opportunity to visit dozens of metalworking shops across the country, spending time with specialists servicing a broad range of sectors and listening and learning about this industry from the trenches.

I’ve also been able to visit plenty of distant technology showrooms and demonstration centres, sitting in on machine tool and cutting tool seminars, learning about trends and the keys to improved manufacturing productivity.

And although I was in Edmonton to experience the Western Manufacturing Technology Show earlier this year, I know that event was only a stepping stone to what I can expect at CMTS here in Toronto.

Trade shows represent a great meeting point for someone in my position. It’s one location where I’m able to reconnect with people I’ve already met and strike up new relationships, and the learning opportunities are off the chart.

While the goal for many attendees at shows like this is to find more productive tools and techniques that can incrementally improve jobs they’re already doing, the real fun for everyone is searching the floor for the technologies or displays that represent an alternative to the way things are done today.

Certainly additive manufacturing and 3D printing is one area that continues to pique the interest of the curious and the adventurous. This year’s CMTS includes the Canadian version of the RAPID Show, an event dedicated to cutting-edge 3D innovation.

And while I’ve been able to enjoy quality time with job shop owners across the country, I’m very interested in hearing from Linda Hasenfratz, Linamar’s CEO, to find out what’s on the mind of the leader of this multi-billion-dollar machining company based in nearby Guelph, Ontario.

She will be kicking off CMTS with a keynote address on Monday, September 28th at 9 am., and I’ll be there for sure. Her talk also kickstarts the AMPA’s Automotive Outlook Conference, a separate event that is happening concurrently with the show.

And then Wednesday afternoon, Toronto Maple Leaf legend Daryl Sittler will be mingling around the Job Shop Appreciation Reception. So much to see and do. That’s why I can’t wait.

Doug Picklyk, Editor

dpicklyk@canadianmetalworking.com